Bob Arum, the founder and CEO of Top Rank, is listening to offers from those interested in buying his storied company. And potential suitors have lined up around the block.
Arum, 88, told Business Insider recently that he has had discussions with at least three entities about selling his promotional firm: Endeavor, Liberty Global and DAZN.
“Endeavor, here we are,” Arum said. “We’re talking to Endeavor. We’re talking to Liberty Global. We’re talking to DAZN. I met with [DAZN owner] Leonard Blavatnik last week. We’ll see. Maybe we don’t sell.”
DAZN, of course, is the sports streaming platform best known in boxing circles for showcasing stars Canelo Alvarez, Gennadiy Golovkin and Anthony Joshua, among others.
Endeavor is one of the premier talent agencies in the world. In addition to representing stars from across the entertainment spectrum, the company owns the Mixed Martial Arts behemoth UFC, which it bought for $4.025 billion.
And Liberty Global is a telecommunications giant that owns the British cable company Virgin Media.
Arum envisions remaining with the company even after a sale, as Dana White did with UFC. “Anything is for sale if I can stay alive in the business,” Arum said.
Founded in 1973, Top Rank has promoted some of the greatest fighters in the sport, such as Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. The company currently promotes elite talents Vasiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue and Tyson Fury, who faces Deontay Wilder on pay-per-view in a highly anticipated rematch Saturday in Las Vegas.
Included in the potential sale would be fighters under contract with Top Rank, mortgage-free Las Vegas real estate and a film library of more than 10,000 Top Rank-promoted fights.
It’s not clear what Top Rank is worth. According to Business Insider, Arum said that his company represents the “biggest combat sports asset” in the market since the UFC sale.
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