Sports streaming service DAZN has signed a new five-year rights agreement with Matchroom Boxing covering the United States and United Kingdom, extending one of the most significant distribution partnerships in the sport.

The deal locks in DAZN as the primary broadcast home for Matchroom events in both markets and guarantees more than 30 Matchroom fight cards per year on the platform. 

The renewal comes as streaming platforms continue to compete aggressively for live sports rights, with boxing remaining one of the few global properties capable of delivering frequent premium events outside of traditional league structures.

Over the past two years, Netflix has made increasingly visible moves into live events, including exhibition boxing cards and crossover fights that drew large global audiences. 

That expansion fuelled industry speculation that the subscription-bases streaming service could begin competing directly for year-round fight rights from major promoters. 

Instead, Matchroom, one of boxing’s most active promotional companies in both the US and UK, has doubled down on working with a specialist platform that is built around fight sports. 

Sports streaming service DAZN has signed a new five-year rights agreement with Matchroom Boxing covering the United States and United Kingdom

Eddie Hearn (pictured above), Chairman of Matchroom Sport, says DAZN is the only platform that matches their ambition within the sport of boxing

The DAZN extension suggests that, for now and the next five years, promoters like Hearn still see greater value in a dedicated sports streamer than in a general entertainment giant experimenting with live events.

Unlike Netflix’s sports’ current strategy – which has for now centred on one-off spectacles and documentary tie-ins – DAZN’s model is built on volume of content and regularity of shows. 

Speaking about the options on the table, Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport, said: ‘Liquidity of shows for us is so important. We’re a volume promotional company. We’re not a three one off shows a year sort of company.

‘If you’re doing a deal with Netflix, it’s an amazing platform, but you are limited to 2, 3, 4, major fights a year, which is great, but I’ve got over 100 fighters. I don’t want to just be waiting on Netflix to give me a day for one show. I need a show every week or close to that. That’s what I think we’ll achieve with DAZN. 

‘Also, their subscriber base gives them the budget to stage major shows and major events as well. So, don’t get me wrong, Netflix and Paramount are all brilliant for the sport, but this gives me the liquidity of the shows I need for the biggest stable in boxing and to have that global presence.’

Hearn went on to discuss the longevity of the deal, saying: ‘I personally had to look at this as a five-year commitment. I’m still relatively young at 46, but I’ve been in boxing for a long time now, and five years is significant – even though it can pass quickly. I really had to ask myself whether I was ready to dedicate another five years of my life, because it requires a lot of sacrifice and a lot of travel, especially with the plans we have in place.

‘In the end, the answer was yes – but only because of the global vision involved with DAZN. The opportunity to stage major events across so many countries and continents, to travel the world promoting boxing – that’s what attracts me to this deal and this platform, and it always has. It’s the only platform that gives me the chance to operate as a truly global promotional company.

‘I also feel a lot of passion and emotion toward it because we took the leap when nobody really knew what it was and people were writing us off. Now, almost every promotional company in the world is either already on the platform or trying to be.

‘So I’ve signed up for another five years, and like I said, I wouldn’t have done that with anyone else. I need something that truly lights a fire inside me and for me, that’s staging the biggest fights all around the world. This is the only global promotional platform that gives me the ability to do that.’

Matchroom has been central to DAZN’s boxing strategy since the streaming service entered the market, helping anchor its schedule with regular cards and title fights as well as behind-the-scenes content. 

The schedule under the renewed contract is expected to include championship bouts and unification fights. Among the upcoming cards is a planned all-Mexican super featherweight unification bout between Eduardo ‘Sugar’ Nunez and Emanuel Navarrete later this month.

The agreement also expands distribution in Australia through DAZN’s recently acquired pay-TV and streaming assets. Under a separate arrangement with Foxtel Group, seven Matchroom events are slated to air in 2026 on Kayo Sports and Foxtel platforms. DAZN completed its acquisition of Foxtel Group last year as part of a broader push into regional sports distribution.

Matchroom’s stable includes several of boxing’s most commercially established names, including former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor.

Matchroom’s roster also includes unified Light Heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol and pound-for-pound superstar Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez. 

Matchroom’s stable includes several of boxing’s most commercially established names, including former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (pictured on the right) 

The newly crowned world champions in Dalton Smith, Lewis Crocker, and Josh Kelly can also be found under the Matchroom banner, along with Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis, Conor Benn and Ben Whittaker.

In the US, the likes of Sugar Nunez and Diego Pacheco bring global star potential. Leading female fighters Sandy Ryan, Elif Turhan, Skye Nicolson and Molly McCann guarantee intensity and draw major fan engagement. 

Matchroom also have a wealth of emerging talent through the likes of Pat Brown, Leo Atang, Omari Jones, Teremoana Teremoana, Georgio Visioli, George Liddard, and Tiah Mai Ayton. 

Speaking at the deal, Shay Segev, DAZN Group CEO, said: ‘Our new five-year deal with Matchroom Boxing builds on the success of our longstanding partnership and reaffirms DAZN as the global home of boxing. 

‘Matchroom Boxing trusts DAZN to deliver the best experiences for the biggest fights for boxing fans everywhere. Together, we’ll continue to raise the bar.’ 

While Hearn finished by saying: ‘Obviously, the two key markets are the UK and the United States, and right now we’re the number one promotional company in America, there’s no doubt about that, especially with this deal, which only strengthens our position. 

‘The reality is, as a promoter, you might be better than someone else at your craft, but you’re ultimately only as strong as your TV or broadcast deal. We have one of the biggest and best broadcast deals in the world. We’re delivering over 30 shows globally each year, and in my view, we’re the best promotional company in the world.

‘With those two major markets secured, the business becomes very stable. Your long-term security is locked in, and fighters can look at us and confidently plan their futures and their careers. 

‘They’re not worrying about a broadcast deal expiring in six months, they know they can commit for five years and receive everything they’ve been promised. That’s incredibly important. Right now, many promotional companies don’t have a solid broadcast partner, and their fighters are left wondering what their future really looks like.

They also represent undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor (pictured on the left)

‘Traditionally, promoters would sell rights country by country – to one broadcaster in the UK, another in the US, another in Australia, another in Scandinavia, and so on. It’s an arduous and complicated process, and it makes it harder to communicate clearly with fans. You end up giving different viewing instructions depending on the country, which fragments the audience.

‘Our approach is different: one home, one destination to watch, no matter where you are in the world. That was the vision we had a long time ago. Now, with the platform also making deals with additional broadcasters, that reach is expanding even further. For example, there are seven shows a year in Australia through a major local partner, and we expect more arrangements like that going forward.

‘We’ll be staging multiple shows in Mexico, along with events in Monaco, the United States, and the Middle East, and we expect to add shows this year in Belgium, Turkey, and several other territories as well. 

‘The advantage is that it’s easy to enter new markets because the platform is already established there. Most importantly, any fight fan, in any country, can watch live in the same place. The message is simple, clear, and effective.’