Why start your own business from scratch when you can just cut a check and buy someone else’s?
I guess UFC President, Dana White, was left with no choice, since he hastily announced that ZUFFA — now owned by Ari Emanuel and Endeavor — was 100% getting into boxing, only to produce a big fat nothing over the last two years.
Blame the “left turns.”
White will now try to kickstart his foray into the “sweet science” with a purchase of Premier Boxing Champions, currently owned by Al Haymon, which would give him access to an established brand, as well as a pool of top-ranked fighters.
“Rumors are true,” wrote The Athletic’s Mike Coppinger (via Bloody Elbow). “Al [Haymon] held several meetings with Ari Emanuel about a potential deal where Al would still be majorly involved the same way Dana [White] is with UFC following that deal with Endeavor.”
This isn’t the first time White tried to get his own brand of boxing off the ground. Back in 2014, the former Southie teamed with Discovery Channel for “The Fighters,” a pugilistic reality show that was well received by critics.
And completely ignored by viewers.
Nothing is official at this time, but it sounds like UFC fans are going to hear a lot more about boxing in the coming months. One thing is for certain, especially in light of recent events, White and Co. are probably glad they didn’t pay $500 million for Anthony Joshua.