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UFC champion Aspinall signs for Hearn’s new talent agency

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UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has signed for boxing promoter Eddie Hearn’s new talent agency.

The Englishman, 32, has been the standout performer in the UFC’s heavyweight division in recent years, with seven of his eight wins ending in the first round.

The move comes two weeks after boxer Conor Benn left Hearn’s promotional outfit Matchroom to join Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

Hearn has now launched a “Matchroom Talent Agency”, which will “nurture athletes’ careers by managing their brand and building their reputations”.

Aspinall’s deal, though, is a “commercial and advisory” one and not promotional as the Briton remains signed to the UFC.

“Eddie has built one of the biggest brands in sport and understands how to take athletes to the next level, both inside and outside of competition,” said Aspinall of the decision.

“I’m really looking forward to working together and exploring some exciting opportunities as I continue my journey back into the cage.”

Aspinall has been dealing with eye problems since his title fight with Ciryl Gane last October had to be stopped because of repeated eye pokes.

He had double eye surgery in February and it is unclear when he will be able to return to action.

Hearn, 46, has been publicly feuding with UFC president White since the launch of Zuffa Boxing.

Aspinall became part of that war of words when Hearn suggested White “humiliated” him by not backing the fighter after the eye controversy.

Aspinall is the first signing to Hearn’s agency.

“We believe in creating opportunities where others see obstacles,” said Hearn.

“At the heart of everything we’ve done as a business over the last 40 years is identifying ordinary people, who have extraordinary talent.

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Hearn ramps up White war after Benn switch

Tom Aspinall signs a contract beside Eddie HearnMatchroom
Coral Barry

Combat Sports Senior Journalist

A key distinction in this deal is it is a “commercial and advisory” one and not promotional.

Aspinall is signed to the UFC, the world’s leading MMA promotion and they steer his career and have rights over his image and use of it.

This deal will be seen as a retaliatory strike at White after Zuffa Boxing poached Benn, a deal bankrolled by Saudi Arabia.

Hearn was publicly heartbroken and seething by Benn’s switch – and his decision to make Aspinall his marquee signing is a clear message to White and Zuffa Boxing that he is ready to fight back, both in boxing and MMA.

Aspinall’s relationship with the UFC, and especially White, has been strained as of late. The Briton expressed frustration with the business of the UFC after he felt he wasn’t fully backed following the eye-poke controversy in October that has threatened to derail his fighting career.

Aspinall’s father and coach Andy has also suggested his son will pursue a boxing career in the future, although his current UFC contract does not allow for him to fight in any other combat sport without their permission.

UFC fighters have managers and advisers who work independently from the UFC. One of the most famous of those is Francis Ngannou’s agent Marquel Martin, whose determined advocation for his fighter’s worth eventually saw the heavyweight leave the UFC as a reigning champion and earn millions in two boxing fights.

The worlds of boxing and UFC have collided with Zuffa’s arrival and the differences couldn’t be starker when it comes to fighter pay. Boxing offers big purses to fighters that aren’t elite level – Benn is getting a reported £11m to fight Regis Prograis in a relatively low-risk comeback contest in April.

The UFC do not offer those kind of purses to their world champions.

The question now is how much can Hearn actually achieve for Aspinall, given his talents are in the promotional side of fighting.

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Sri Lanka evacuates crew of second Iranian vessel after US sunk IRIS Dena

Sri Lanka has evacuated more than 200 crew members from a second Iranian naval vessel off its coast, a day after a US submarine sank an Iranian frigate in the same waters, leaving 87 sailors dead.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake announced on Thursday that his navy would take custody of the second ship and move it to the northeastern port of Trincomalee for safekeeping, amid fears it could be targeted. He said his government held discussions with Iranian officials and the captain of the ship.

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Sri Lankan officials say 87 bodies were recovered and 32 people rescued from the roughly 180 people believed to have been on board IRIS Dena sunk on Wednesday.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday confirmed that a US submarine sank the vessel amid US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa told parliament the vessel was positioned near Colombo, inside Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone but beyond its territorial waters, adding that authorities were doing “their utmost to safeguard lives”.

The developments came as Washington confirmed it had torpedoed the IRIS Dena, an Iranian frigate returning from a peacetime naval exercise hosted by India, marking the first time a US submarine has sunk an enemy warship by torpedo since the second world war.

Sri Lankan coastguards received a distress call from the IRIS Dena at 5:08am on Wednesday (23:28 GMT on Tuesday), with surviving crew describing an explosion. Rescue vessels arrived to find the frigate already gone, navy spokesperson Buddhika Sampath said, with only an oil slick and floating life rafts remaining at the scene.

Thirty-two survivors, all seriously injured, were taken to Galle National Hospital. Eighty-seven bodies were recovered from the sea, Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath said. More than 10 sailors remain missing.

The frigate, which was carrying about 180 crew, had been sailing home after participating in a major multinational naval exercise in the Bay of Bengal involving ships from 74 countries when it was struck roughly 44 nautical miles (81km) off Sri Lanka’s southern coast.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike at a Pentagon briefing, releasing black-and-white footage of a Mark 48 torpedo hitting the frigate’s stern. “An American submarine sank an Iranian warship that thought it was safe in international waters,” he said. “Quiet death.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called it “an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles [3,219km] from Iran’s shores,” noting the ship had been a guest of India’s navy when struck without warning.

“The US will come to bitterly regret the precedent it has set,” he wrote on social media. He later fired back at Trump’s claim that the operation was running ahead of schedule, “Plan A for a clean rapid military victory failed, Mr President.”

The IRIS Dena was one of more than 20 Iranian navy vessels destroyed since the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran on February 28, targeting the country’s leadership, missile arsenals and nuclear infrastructure in an operation aimed at dislodging the current government.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed on the second day of the attacks, triggering protests in the country and beyond.

As of Tuesday, not a single Iranian warship remained under way in the the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz or the Gulf of Oman, US Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper said.

Questions have also been raised about the legality of the attack in international waters.

The Israeli-US attacks have killed more than 1,000 people in Iran and displaced more than 100,000 from Tehran, according to the UN.

In a striking illustration of how far Washington’s war aims have stretched, Trump told Reuters on Thursday that the US intended to play a role in choosing Iran’s next supreme leader.

“We want to be involved in the process of choosing the person who is going to lead Iran into the future,” he said.

Sri Lanka, which has declared neutrality and called for “restraint and immediate de-escalation,” now finds itself hosting the human wreckage from a war being fought on its doorstep.

Reps Query National Library Over Alleged Abandonment Of ₦365m Project In Taraba

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee on Thursday queried the alleged abandonment of a ₦365 million National Library of Nigeria project in Jalingo, Taraba State, following a petition by the civic organisation, BudgIT Foundation.

READ ALSO: Reps Probe $4.6b Health Grants

The organisation accused the National Library of Nigeria of abandoning the construction of a prototype national library building in Jalingo after the payment of about ₦292 million to the contractor.

The Chief Executive Officer of the agency, Chinwe Veronica, appeared before the committee chaired by Bamidele Salam to respond to the allegations.

During the hearing, the agency explained that the contract for the construction of the national library state branch in Jalingo was initially awarded on March 1, 2018, to Samsung and Asosu Nigeria Limited at a sum of ₦238 million, with a completion timeline of March 2019.

She told lawmakers that the contract sum was later reviewed upward to ₦365 million in March 2023 following a variation approved through the Federal Ministry of Education.

According to her, a total of ₦292.267 million had been paid to the contractor, while the project currently stands at about 85 per cent completion.

Veronica also disclosed that about ₦7.3 million remains as the outstanding balance on the project.

However, members of the committee expressed concern over the status of the project, noting that despite the substantial payment made, the contractor had not been seen on site since October 2023.

The committee also questioned why the eighth payment certificate, valued at ₦65.2 million, was processed alongside an earlier unpaid certificate despite limited documentation provided to justify the payments.

The lawmakers noted that the only document submitted to the committee was the original letter of award, with other key procurement documents, including the variation request and approval records, missing from the agency’s submission.

While responding, the NLN chief said some of the processes predated her tenure but assured the lawmakers that the relevant documents would be submitted to the committee.

Veronica also told the committee that officials of the agency visited the project site last year and observed security personnel stationed there by the contractor, adding that they also communicated with the contractor by telephone.

However, the committee chairman disagreed with the assessment, arguing that the absence of the contractor on site since October 2023 suggested that the project had effectively been abandoned.

He said the agency’s response appeared biased and failed to adequately address the committee’s concerns regarding the status of the project.

Following deliberations, the committee directed the agency to submit all outstanding procurement and payment documents related to the project.

It also constituted a three-member investigative team to conduct a physical inspection of the project site in Jalingo.

McCullum would ‘love’ to remain England head coach

Stephan Shemilt

Chief Cricket Reporter
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Brendon McCullum has reiterated his desire to remain as England head coach after an agonising defeat in the T20 World Cup semi-finals ended a bruising winter.

England fell seven runs short of completing a stunning chase of 254 to beat India in Mumbai, with the hosts now going on to meet New Zealand in Sunday’s final.

England’s creditable run at the World Cup followed a 4-1 defeat on an Ashes tour blighted by mistakes on and off the field.

Prior to the series in Australia, on a limited-overs tour of New Zealand, white-ball captain Harry Brook was punched by a nightclub bouncer while out drinking on the eve of a one-day international in Wellington.

McCullum previously stated he wanted to remain as coach after England lost the Ashes inside three Tests. Before the end of the tour of Australia, there were indications the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) was willing to allow McCullum and director of cricket Rob Key to remain in their jobs.

The ECB has been conducting a review into the Ashes series, the findings of which are yet to be made public, while Brook, Jacob Bethell and Josh Tongue are under investigation by the Cricket Regulator for their actions on the night in Wellington.

England do not play until a home Test series against McCullum’s native New Zealand in June, and the former Black Caps captain is now due to return home for some downtime.

Asked if he expects to be in charge at the beginning of the English summer, McCullum told BBC Sport: “I’d like to be. I think it’s a great job because you’re working with some of the most talented players in the world.

“I’m not saying it’s a great job because it’s a lark, I’m saying it’s a great job because I’m working with some of the most talented players in the world with an organisation that is very well structured, well run and well supported by the fans.”

McCullum was appointed as England Test coach in 2022 and won 10 of his first 11 matches in charge. Since then, England have lost 17 out of 35 Tests, including a 2-2 draw at home with India last summer and the heavy defeat in Australia.

The 44-year-old also assumed control of England’s white-ball teams at the beginning of last year, signing a contract that runs until the autumn of 2027.

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“I’m enjoying the role across all formats and I’d love to carry that on,” added McCullum.

“It’s been an absolute privilege to be in this position over the past three and a half years. I feel like we’ve made some significant improvements across the various formats.

“Yes, we’ve missed some opportunities, but I think this team has a real opportunity over the coming years to continue to improve and hopefully finish what we started. I’d love to be a part of that.”

Key backed McCullum during the Ashes, but neither ECB chief executive Richard Gould nor chair Richard Thompson have publicly spoken on his future.

At the end of the Ashes, McCullum also received support from Test skipper Ben Stokes, while the relationship between McCullum and Brook has blossomed during the T20 World Cup.

Asked after the semi-final defeat if McCullum should stay in charge, Brook said: “125%. I’ve said plenty of times he’s the best coach I’ve ever had.

“The way he speaks to everybody, he’s got an aura in the dressing room, and everybody looks up to him. The things he’s done over the four years since he took over has changed English cricket for hopefully the best.

“Our partnership has been good throughout the competition and since I’ve taken over. Long may it continue.”

Failures in away Ashes tours have often signalled change in the management of England teams.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former England captain Nasser Hussain said the ECB has to guard against repeating the mistakes of the past, while not ignoring the failures of this latest defeat in Australia.

“What you have to get away from is going to the Ashes, you lose, you get rid of the coach and captain, and you start all over again. I’m never a fan of that,” said Hussain.

“But I’m also not keen on, a couple of months later, forgetting what happened in the Ashes, and how poor England were on and off the field – all the mistakes that were made.

“There is a feeling Brook and McCullum are aligned, but there is a suggestion there was a divergence during the Ashes and that is a concern.

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Trump administration doubles down on military action in Latin America

The United States-Israeli war with Iran continues to rage, as Washington pledges to send more troops and military assets to the Middle East and Tehran widens its retaliatory strikes across the region.

But on Thursday, top officials under US President Donald Trump shifted focus to another military front: Latin America.

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Since taking office for a second term, Trump has indicated he plans to exert US dominance over the entire Western Hemisphere. His push for control has coincided with military operations against alleged criminal networks across the region.

At Thursday’s inaugural “Americas Counter Cartel Conference”, speakers such as White House security adviser Stephen Miller assured reporters that Latin America would remain a top military priority for the US, regardless of events in the Middle East.

“We are not going to cede an inch of territory in this hemisphere to our enemies or adversaries,” Miller said, adding the US was “using hard power, military power, lethal force, to protect and defend the American homeland”.

Miller further maintained there is no “criminal justice solution” to drug cartels, which he likened to armed groups like al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS).

Organised crime, he concluded, “can only be defeated with military power”.

Since Trump took office last year, his administration has applied what experts describe as a “global war on terror” approach to Latin America, including by labelling drug cartels “foreign terrorist organisations”.

Figures like Miller, a key architect behind Trump’s hardline immigration policies, have championed the president’s militaristic approach, even as critics warn it raises human rights and legal concerns.

Last September, for instance, the administration began striking alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean, in what rights groups have decried as extrajudicial killings.

And in early January, the US launched an extraordinary operation to abduct Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. It has since pursued a pressure campaign against Cuba designed to weaken its communist government.

Just this week, on Wednesday, the Pentagon announced it had launched joint operations with Ecuador’s military “against Designated Terrorist Organizations” in the South American country.

The announcement indicated a new front for US military actions in the region, which officials have said could include land operations.

But the broadening scope of Trump’s military involvement in Latin America, combined with the nascent war with Iran, has raised questions about the US’s ability to sustain such intense military activity.

Prepared to ‘go on offence alone’

The “Americas Counter Cartel Conference” came as Latin American leaders arrived in South Florida to attend a regional summit hosted by Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate.

Attendees included officials from the Trump-allied conservative governments in Argentina, Honduras and the Dominican Republic.

But despite support from several regional governments, Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth nevertheless told the audience that the US was “prepared to take on” Latin America’s cartels and “go on the offence alone, if necessary”.

“However, it is our preference — and it is the goal of this conference — that, in the interest of this neighbourhood, we all do it together,” Hegseth added.

The secretary also praised Trump’s take on the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which sought to establish a US sphere of influence, separate from Europe, in the Western Hemisphere. Administration officials have dubbed Trump’s parallel approach the “Donroe doctrine”.

Hegseth framed the administration’s attacks on alleged drug-smuggling boats as a keystone of Trump’s effort to maintain regional influence.

The US military has carried out at least 44 aerial strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in an estimated 150 known deaths.

The identities of the victims have not been released, with several family members saying fishermen and informal workers were among those targeted.

The Pentagon chief said the approach was meant to “establish deterrence”.

“If the consequence was simply to be arrested and then released, well, that’s a consequence they’d already priced in a long time ago,” Hegseth said.

He then pointed to a “few weeks” in February in which there were no strikes on alleged drug boats.

The pause in attacks, he said, was evidence of the strategy’s success. But that break notably came as the US surged assets to the Middle East.

Emphasis on ‘heritage’

Neither Hegseth nor Miller specifically referred to the war with Iran, but the pair touched on themes that have been present in the administration’s messaging on the war.

Trump, for example, said Iran’s government “waged war against civilisation itself”. There have been reports, meanwhile, that US military officials have referenced the biblical “end times” as a religious underpinning for the war.

Those remarks have reflected what critics consider Trump’s embrace of Christian nationalism and his view of the Americas as a European-derived “civilisation” threatened by outside forces.

At Thursday’s conference, Miller himself referenced violence in European history as justification for the modern-day military actions in Latin America.

There were periods in European history throughout the 18th and 19th centuries during which “ruthless means were used to get rid of the people who were raping and murdering and defying established systems of order and justice,” Miller said.

He also echoed Trump’s allegation that Europe was facing “civilisational erasure” as a result of left-wing leadership and immigration.

“The reason why many Western countries are struggling today is they’ve forgotten the eternal truth and wisdoms they once followed,” Miller said.

Hegseth, meanwhile, described all the countries at Thursday’s meeting as “offsprings of Western civilisation”.

Representatives in attendance, he said, faced a test “whether our nations will be and remain Western nations with distinct characteristics, Christian nations under God, proud of our shared heritage with strong borders and prosperous people ruled not by violence and chaos but by law”.

‘I Have To Be Involved,’ Trump Demands Role In Choosing Next Iran Leader

US President Donald Trump on Thursday insisted he should have a role in picking Iran’s next supreme leader after the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose son he said he found unacceptable.

READ ALSO: ‘Too Late’ For Iran To Seek Talks, Says Trump

“Khamenei’s son is a lightweight. I have to be involved in the appointment, like with Delcy,” Trump told Axios in an interview, drawing a comparison to Venezuela, where interim president Delcy Rodriguez has cooperated with him under threat of violence after the United States ousted her boss, Nicolas Maduro.

Trump told the news outlet that the United States would likely return to war within five years without a favourable leader in Iran.

“Khamenei’s son is unacceptable to me. We want someone that will bring harmony and peace to Iran,” Trump was quoted as saying by the news outlet.

It was unclear in what way Trump would be able to take a role in the country’s selection of a new supreme leader, a decision made by an assembly of senior Shiite Muslim clerics mostly staunchly opposed to the United States.

Trump was raised a Presbyterian.

But his remarks imply a willingness to work with someone from within Iran rather than seek to topple the government, which has been a sworn enemy of the United States since the 1979 revolution toppled the pro-Western shah.

The late Shah’s son, Reza Pahlavi, has proposed that he return as a transitional figure before Iran drafts a new constitution as a secular democracy.

Pahlavi earlier Thursday said that any new supreme leader within Iran would be illegitimate.

Ali Khamenei, who ruled Iran since 1989 with hardline policies that included repression at home and confrontation with neighboring countries, was killed Saturday in an Israeli strike as Israel and the United States opened war.

His son, Mojtaba Khamenei, is considered one of the contenders to succeed his father, who was only the second supreme leader after revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

In Venezuela, Trump ordered a deadly January 3 attack in which US forces snatched Maduro, a longtime US nemesis.

Rather than backing the opposition long championed by the United States, Trump has said he has been pleased by Rodriguez, who was Maduro’s vice president but has cooperated on key US demands, notably on benefiting oil companies.

She is doing so under Trump’s threat of violence if she does not do what he wants, particularly on access to natural resources.