- Promoter sign five-year contract for UK-based fights
- Deal does not include bouts involving Anthony Joshua
Eddie Hearn has agreed a “game-changing” deal with the streaming service Dazn which will give his promotional company Matchroom “the firepower to change the face of boxing in the UK.” Hearn said his fighters will benefit from the guaranteed income and be offered greater opportunities in this country, the United States and globally without having to rely on the riskier pay-per-view model which has alienated so many boxing fans.
Two weeks ago Hearn suffered crushing disappointment when his six months of hard work in trying to arrange the most lucrative fight in boxing history, between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world, came crashing down a day after he seemed to have cleared all remaining obstacles. But a US court ruled that Fury has to face Deontay Wilder, instead of Joshua, next month. The fallout has been bitter.
Related: Fury concedes he might have to fight Wilder before Joshua after legal ruling
Related: ‘Boxing is a mess’: the darkness and damage of brain trauma in the ring
Related: Canelo Álvarez stops Billy Joe Saunders to unify titles before vast crowd in Texas