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WWE and UFC have agreed to merge to form a new publicly traded company managed by Endeavor Group. According to the terms of the arrangement, Endeavor will own 51% of the new combat sports and entertainment firm, while WWE owners would possess the remaining 49%. According to a press release from the firms, the deal values WWE at $9.3 billion and UFC, which is controlled by Endeavor, at $12.1 billion. WWE and Endeavor both saw their stock prices fall on Monday morning. The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023. "This is a rare opportunity to create a global live sports and entertainment pureplay built for where the industry is headed," Emanuel said in a press release. "For decades, Vince and his team have demonstrated an incredible track record of innovation and shareholder value creation, and we are confident that Endeavor can deliver significant additional value for shareholders by bringing UFC and WWE together." WWE executive chairman and long-time owner Vince McMahon, the company's largest existing stakeholder, will continue to lead the WWE portion of the new company, second only to Endeavor founder and CEO Ari Emanuel. WWE CEO Nick Khan is anticipated to retain president of wrestling operations, while Dana White will remain president of the UFC. The board will have 11 members, with Endeavor appointing six and WWE appointing five. The name of the united company will be revealed at a later date. TKO will be the ticker symbol for the corporation on the New York Stock Exchange. Are you excited by the deal? Comment and let us know,

Despite rumors circulating about a potential fight between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, Eubank's promoter Kalle Sauerland has stated that Eubank is solely focused on his rematch with Liam Smith. The two middleweights were originally scheduled to fight in a 157-pound catchweight bout in October, but the fight was cancelled after Benn tested positive for clomifene, a banned substance. Eubank went on to face Smith in January, but was stopped in four rounds, resulting in his first loss since 2018. Eubank has since activated his rematch clause with Smith, but contracts have not yet been signed. This has led to speculation that Eubank may be considering a fight with Benn instead. However, Sauerland has emphasized that Eubank's focus is on his rematch with Smith, not on fighting Benn. “We’ve activated the rematch clause [with Smith] subject to the contract,” Sauerland said in an interview with talkSPORT. “Is it not signed? It’s not announced, let’s put it that way. That’s business on our side. If the contract’s not right, the contract’s not right." Sauerland also clarified that while there have been discussions with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing about a potential fight between Eubank and Benn, there have been no formal proposals. “What I want is for Jr. to put things right to Smith and to fight Benn. How that works, time will tell, and it won’t be long. He wants to fight in June—currently [that’s] Smith. I can categorically say we have not had one formal proposal from Matchroom’s side yet. We have had a discussion, but we are aligned right now to fight Smith at this moment in time.” Sauerland added that Eubank is a fighter who concentrates on what's actually on the table, and right now that's Liam Smith. As for the possibility of fighting Conor Benn, Sauerland said, "How that works, time will tell."

Shakur Stevenson predicts Gervonta Davis will defeat Ryan Garcia due to superior IQ and defense The highly anticipated matchup between undefeated fighters Ryan Garcia and Gervonta Davis is just around the corner, and fans are eagerly waiting to see who will come out on top. While some have given Garcia a chance to win, including the young fighter himself, Shakur Stevenson is not convinced. In a recent interview with 210 Boxing TV, Stevenson gave his prediction for the fight, stating that he believes Davis will emerge victorious. According to Stevenson, Davis is on a "different level" and has a superior IQ and defense compared to Garcia. Stevenson also pointed out that Garcia lacks the necessary defensive skills to make Davis "earn everything." Instead, Garcia may rely on his impressive speed and power to try and overwhelm Davis. However, Stevenson believes that Davis will be prepared for this and will ultimately come out on top. While Garcia has been confident in his ability to defeat Davis, the odds are currently in Davis' favor. The Baltimore native has been dominant in his previous fights, with his deleterious knockout power proving too much for most of his opponents. The fight will take place on April 22nd at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, and fans are already counting down the days. It remains to be seen whether Garcia can prove Stevenson wrong and emerge victorious or if Davis will continue his undefeated streak and cement his status as one of the best in the sport.

Josh Taylor Focused on Future, Ready for Teofimo Lopez Fight After the controversial points win over Jack Catterall last year, Josh Taylor is ready to put the past behind him and move forward. In a recent interview, the WBO junior welterweight titlist from Scotland made it clear that Catterall is no longer on his mind and that his focus is on his upcoming fight against Teofimo Lopez. Taylor and Catterall were supposed to have a rematch in March, but the fight was postponed multiple times due to various reasons, including a foot injury suffered by Taylor. Instead of pursuing another date with Catterall, Taylor turned his attention to Lopez, and the two are expected to fight on June 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Taylor vacated three of his belts in order to pursue a rematch with Catterall, but he believes that the Lopez fight is the right move for him at the moment. He stated that the WBO ordered a fight between him and Lopez, but it has been reported that he was already in talks with Lopez before the WBO issued their decree. Taylor and Lopez share the same promoter, Top Rank. Despite his move away from Catterall, Taylor still believes that the fight can happen in the future. He said, "The fight is always going to be there. It will happen at some point in the future." However, he doesn't feel that he needs another win over Catterall to feel satisfied with his career, saying that he could retire tomorrow and be content with his accomplishments. Taylor implored Catterall to move on himself, saying that he's had to move on because of the WBO situation. He added, "If he really believes himself and beats these other fighters go ahead and fight these f------ fights. Stop waiting on me." Taylor's focus now is on Lopez, and he's confident that he'll come out on top. He stated, "I'm confident that I'm going to win the fight. I think it's going to be a great fight, but I'm confident that I'm going to come out on top." Taylor is ready to put the fallout from his last fight behind him and move on to bigger and better things. He's focused on his upcoming fight with Lopez and believes that it's the right move for his career. With his sights set on the future, Taylor is ready to take on anyone who comes his way.

Former UFC Bantamweight championship candidate Marlon Moraes suffered yet another defeat, this time at the hands of Brendan Loughnane in the PFL 1 event on Saturday night. The event took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. Loughnane, the defending PFL featherweight champion, showed his class with a leg attack strategy. Moraes struggled to defend against the repeated calf kicks, thus the tactic paid off. After some early success, Moraes was knocked down twice near the conclusion of the first round and was saved by the bell. Moraes was allowed to continue by the cage-side medic, but it was a pointless decision. In the second round, the Brazilian fighter came out swinging, knowing he needed to finish the battle swiftly. The injury to his legs, however, was too much for him to endure as Loughnane continued to attack with kicks. 'Magic' was eventually unable to continue, and the fight was declared a technical knockout in favor of Loughnane. This is Moraes' sixth straight defeat, and he is fighting to recapture his form following a string of setbacks. Loughnane, on the other hand, has won five straight fights, including two by technical knockout.

Anthony Joshua claims that he wishes to return to the ring as soon as possible. On Saturday night, the heavyweight returned to winning ways, entirely live on DAZN. Joshua was fighting Jermaine Franklin of America over 12 rounds at the O2 Arena in London. The three scorekeepers at the arena awarded "AJ," who was competing for the first time under new head coach Derrick James, the victory by recording scores of 118-111 and 117-111 twice. And Joshua was immediately questioned about his next play after making it to 25-3. The second of his planned three outings this year will take place during what he called "summer." While Dillian Whyte in a rematch is another possible option for the 33-year-old, fans have clamoured for an all-British showdown between Joshua and WBC champion Tyson Fury. Fury recently failed to land an undisputed title fight against the current Ring Magazine, IBF, WBA Super, WBO, and IBO champion Oleksandr Usyk. “You know me, I try and provide for the fans,” he said when speaking to DAZN’s Ade Oladipo in the ring. “I know who the fans want. The ball’s in [Fury’s] court. I would 100 percent be honored to compete for the WBC heavyweight championship of the world. I stand here and I say that proudly. That would be an honor. “So, wherever you are,” Joshua said directly to ‘The Gypsy King’ on the mic, “if you’re listening, you know my management, you know my promoter. “We’ve had [dialogue] before so let’s continue and hopefully we can get this on sooner [rather] than later. We’re not getting any younger.” It is still unclear whether the previously agreed-upon fight can be confirmed once more, but all signs point to the largest commercial asset in the sport in the UK getting a significant fight next, regardless of who it may be against.

This past weekend at Gamebred Boxing 4, MMA legend Jose Aldo competed in his second boxing fight. He competed in a six-round match against fellow UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens. In an exciting and back-and-forth boxing battle, both MMA fighters faced off against one another. Although it was tight and some analysts gave the victory to Aldo, there was no clear winner in the end. Aldo received 58-56 from one referee, while 57-57 from the other two judges resulted in a majority draw. Even though he didn't claim victory over Stephens, it was still a fun battle, and many other competitors came to applaud the performance of the former longtime UFC and WEC featherweight champion. Aldo would be fighting for the second time; in his debut last February, he defeated a journeyman by decision. Among those who reacted to Aldo’s bout was his former rival Conor McGregor. The Irishman took to Twitter to call for a rematch, but wanted it to happen in a different sport. While the event promoter Jorge Masvidal said he was interested, Aldo quickly dismissed the idea when asked about a potential rematch. “Conor, shut your f–king mouth,” Aldo responded through a translator. “We were supposed to fight (again) before in UFC. You ran, and now you still talk shit.”

The Telford International Centre was buzzing on Saturday night as fans witnessed a true contender for 'fight of the year' between Andrew Cain and Ionut Baluta. The two fighters delivered an electrifying spectacle that had the audience on the edge of their seats. Despite Andrew's strong performance, the judges' scorecards did not reflect the true nature of the fight, and Ionut was awarded the victory. However, with hindsight, it has been revealed that Andrew fought with a busted hand from the very beginning, which certainly impacted the dynamics of the fight. Regardless of the result, Andrew has gained valuable experience from this fight, and his ability has not gone unnoticed. His promoter is confident that Andrew will be a world champion someday and is determined to make it happen. Moving forward, Andrew will need to decide which weight he wants to campaign at and stick to it, rather than jumping around the weights. His promoter believes that a rematch with Baluta is on the cards, and it would be an ideal fight to showcase Andrew's talent in his hometown of Liverpool. Another fighter who shone on Saturday night was Nathan Heaney, who secured a rematch victory over Jack Flatley. Nathan has been labelled 'bang average' by some in the past, but he is proving his doubters wrong with every fight. He is a consummate professional who works hard on both his game and building his fanbase. The disappointment of Tyson Fury's undisputed fight against Oleksandr Usyk falling through was felt across the boxing community. However, Daniel Dubois is ready to step up to the plate and seize the belts. Lastly, Michael Conlan's world title challenge against Luis Alberto Lopez on May 27 in Belfast will be broadcasted on BT Sport, providing an opportunity to showcase Irish talent on a global stage. In conclusion, Saturday's fight night last week at the Telford International Centre was a thrilling experience for fans and fighters alike. Despite the disappointments, there is much to look forward to in the future of boxing.

The much-anticipated rematch between British welterweights Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. may be in jeopardy due to licensing issues. Speculation has been rife that the two boxers are looking to revive their failed bout from last October in Abu Dhabi on June 3, but Eubank Jr. may not be able to obtain the necessary approval from the British Boxing Board of Control to fight overseas. All British boxers require an active license from the regulatory body for prizefighting to fight on home soil, and licensed boxers need the board’s approval to fight overseas. However, Benn voluntarily relinquished his license last October after twice testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug, which means he is under no obligation to get the nod from the board to fight abroad. Eubank Jr., on the other hand, will need the board’s approval to fight Benn in Abu Dhabi. Robert Smith, the general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, has stated that Eubank Jr. would require approval before he could fight Benn overseas. Smith also indicated that Benn’s trainer, Tony Sims, would require approval from the board as well. “If any British license holder – boxer, trainer, etc – wants to fight in a tournament abroad with another commission they have to apply to us for permission,” Smith said. “Once we get an application from a British license holder to take part in an event abroad, we will be able to say yes or no.” Smith suggested that there were a variety of penalties that could be imposed on those who flout the board’s regulations, including fines, suspensions, or withdrawals of licenses. Benn and the board have been at odds since last year’s drug scandal, and the welterweight has threatened legal action against the board. However, Benn was reinstated into the welterweight rankings of the World Boxing Council earlier this month. While there has been no official word yet on whether the rematch will go ahead as planned, the uncertainty over Eubank Jr.’s licensing could potentially scupper the highly-anticipated bout.

Daniel Cormier, former two-division UFC champion and current ESPN analyst, is known for his insightful analysis of the sport of mixed martial arts. Recently, Cormier has made headlines with his prediction for the upcoming UFC 287 event, particularly the welterweight bout between Jorge Masvidal and Gilbert Burns. Enthusiasts shouldn't rule out the idea of imagining Jorge Masvidal takes on Leon Edwards for the UFC Welterweight Title, according to Daniel Cormier. Masvidal is presently concentrating on fighting Gilbert Burns in the Octagon on April 8 at UFC 287. Their welterweight battle will feature as the co-main event, with the title matchup between Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya for the UFC Middleweight Championship leading the pack. Since "Gamebred" has dropped three straight fights, Daniel Cormier thinks Masvidal's charisma will give him another chance to challenge "Rocky" for the 170-pound crown. Fans are heavily slamming UFC for their habit of giving the fan favorite a championship opportunity despite poor statistics. After having lost both of his championship fights, Colby Covington recently received an announcement from Dana White that his upcoming opponent would be Leon Edwards. Whereas McGregor reportedly has a possibility of winning gold if he defeats Chandler. The UFC Hall of Famer said the following on his YouTube channel. “If you’re in Miami, it’s going to be a pro-Masvidal crowd,” Cormier said. “He wins, gets in the middle of the octagon, and tells Joe Rogan, ‘I want Leon Edwards. Come get this biscuit, come get this two-piece.’ Dude, the world’s going to go crazy and Dana will look at that and go, ‘Hey, man – there’s a lot of history to that.’ “(If) this guy wins impressively, with his star power, I could see him right in the conversation for a fight against Leon Edwards.” Based on their prior interactions, Edwards has shown excitement in a confrontation with Masvidal. Back in 2019, after a UFC London event, "Gamebred" and "Rocky" got into a backstage altercation. Upon speaking with Masvidal during the interview and trading insults, "Gamebred" grabbed Edwards and struck him in the face, resulting in a scar. It will be interesting if Dana White changes his mind or if Jorge Masvidal dominates "Durinho" enough to be given the championship bout versus Leon Edwards rather than Covington. Keep checking back for the most recent information on Edwards' next UFC Welterweight Championship match.

Chris Eubank Jr. is on the verge of revisiting past business with plans in play for a grudge match against Conor Benn. The previously canceled battle between the two second-generation boxers is being eyed for a June 3 DAZN show from Abu Dhabi. Eubank Jr. is also in discussion for a rematch with Liam Smith, leaving his decision up in the air. The pairing initially generated major headlines due to their familiar bloodlines, but the event was ultimately cancelled during fight week due to Benn testing positive for the banned substance clomiphene. Benn relinquished his BBBofC license prior to a scheduled October 21 hearing, which forbids him from fighting on UK soil. The WBC has since reinstated Benn’s placement after a thorough review of his case. Eubank Jr. opted to move forward with his career despite the cancellation of the fight with Benn. He lost to Liverpool’s Smith in a middleweight fight in January, but exercised a rematch clause in February. Smith was legally bound to a second Eubank meeting, causing him to bow out of an ordered mandatory title challenge versus WBO middleweight titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly. Firm plans are in place for Ilford's Benn to headline the June 3 show, but Eubank, Kell Brook, and Manny Pacquiao have all been mentioned as potential foes. The resurfacing of the Benn-Eubank clash adds another layer of complexity to Eubank’s future plans. The decision of which door to walk through remains up in the air.

Anthony Joshua Gets Back to Winning Ways with New Trainer Derrick James Anthony Joshua returned to the ring on Saturday night at O2 Arena in London, hoping to get back to winning ways after two consecutive losses to Oleksandr Usyk. In front of a packed crowd, the former heavyweight champion faced Jermaine Franklin and emerged victorious with a comfortable win. Although not the most spectacular performance of his career, Joshua was able to out-land Franklin throughout the 12 rounds. The judges unanimously gave him the win, with scores of 118-111, 117-111, and 117-111. This was Joshua's first fight since December 2020 when he knocked out Kubrat Pulev in the ninth round. Joshua had lost his previous two fights to Usyk, but with a new trainer, Derrick James, in his corner, he was able to regain his confidence and put on a convincing performance. Franklin, who lost to Dillian Whyte in his last fight, came into this bout 22 pounds lighter, but he failed to put up a competitive fight against Joshua. He lacked the power to hurt Joshua and needed a knockout to win by the time the final round came around. Joshua's uppercut in the final round sealed the victory and nearly caused a brawl as he tapped Franklin on the back of the head. However, they were separated before things got out of hand. Despite not being at his best, Joshua was happy with the win, especially after the previous losses. With a new trainer in his corner, he is optimistic about his future and eager to regain his place at the top of the heavyweight division. Anthony Joshua may not have been at his best on Saturday night, but he was able to comfortably win against Jermaine Franklin with a convincing performance. With a new trainer in his corner, Joshua is looking to bounce back and regain his place as one of the top heavyweight boxers in the world.