Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Matchroom Boxing’s UK events will soon air exclusively on Dazn and leave Sky Sports Boxing.
Hearn, speaking with IFL TV, said today that Sky “don’t have the budget” to fund the fights his promotional company wants. He says Sky’s ratings for ‘fight nights’ – shows included in a Sky Sports subscription – have been steadily declining (though adds that the platform’s pay-per-view sales remain strong).
The Matchroom chairman says the main reason for change is Dazn allowing Matchroom complete control over production, including with cinematography, commentary and marketing (such as fighter documentaries). Hearn says this autonomy will let his company work to a higher scale and quality for future shows.
Dazn airs all its fights to subscribers, who pay a monthly or yearly fee rather than a one-off pay per view. The shift would see Sky Sports Boxing stars such as Dillian Whyte, Derek Chisora and Katie Taylor jump ship. Anthony Joshua, Hearn’s flagship star, has one fight left on Sky but is the only UK Matchroom fighter not tied to Dazn for the future. Hearn peculiarly adds that “pay per view will still be around”, suggesting Joshua could still fight on Sky in future.
Hearn has spearheaded Dazn’s launch into the US these two years, where it has nabbed big name fighters such as Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin. Controversially, the service raised its monthly price for American viewers from $9.99 to $19.99. Hearn says the British price will increase from its current £1.99 per month to a number all fans will find satisfying.
Matchroom’s first UK show on Dazn will be Fight Camp, set to take place at the company’s headquarters on July 31st.