Eddie Hearn says he would welcome the addition of another content provider for DAZN—specifically a competitor he has taken shots at over the years.
The head of Matchroom Boxing indicated in a recent interview that he would “over the moon” if DAZN, the streaming platform Hearn’s Matchroom is partners with, managed to acquire the services of Premier Boxing Champions, the vast management company led by Al Haymon and which features top fighters such as Gervonta Davis, Deontay Wilder, Errol Spence Jr., David Benavidez, and Jermell Charlo.
It was announced Tuesday that PBC’s longtime broadcasting partner, Showtime, would no longer program the sport after the end of the year, which means PBC will need a new platform to showcase its fighters. There have been reports that PBC is in talks with other entities about a broadcasting deal.
Hearn did not say that PBC was in discussions with DAZN, but he made it clear he embraces the idea of DAZN and PBC linking up. Along with Matchroom, DAZN has separate content deals with Golden Boy Promotions and Misfits Boxing.
“The most dangerous thing in boxing is to have a business without a broadcaster,” Hearn told a group of reporters. “PBC have a good brand, so it’s not a guaranteed shoo-in that they can get the TV deal they want, but they have good fighters. But those fighters are probably looking at themselves and saying, ‘Do I need to make sure I’m with a promotional company that actually has a broadcasting deal?’
“For me, I’m always championing the fact that DAZN is the global home of boxing. If they can bring PBC to the platform as well, I’d be over the moon, I’ll be flying, and I think it would be a good acquisition.
“But I’m sure they’re talking to Amazon, and maybe more as well. That’s the big job for PBC now, to make sure they have a broadcaster because if they don’t get the broadcast deal they need, the business can’t survive. But they have a good brand. So, I’m sure they’ll be OK.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.