SPECIAL COLLABORATION
A major announcement in the world of boxing this week, the agreement between DAZN and Frank and George Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.
From a regional entity, in Great Britain since 1980, thanks to this association, the organization is setting out to conquer internationally and the United States is particularly targeted. Their direct competitors will be Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom and Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions.
Between them, these promoters control the vast majority of major events around the world, including the main financial resources coming from television or digital distribution. First Boxing Champions of Al Haymon in the United States which seems to have a fragile agreement with Amazon and Boxxers of Ben Shalom in Great Britain, whose contract with Sky Sports is expiring, are surviving with difficulty and the rest of the promoters in the world are divided crumbs.
At 72, Warren and company are experiencing the best times of their lives. Founded in 1980, Queensberry Promotions has presented 687 events to date. Warren is assisted in operations by his son George who serves as CEO.
The main boxers in their history are Naseem Hamed, Frank Bruno, Joe Calzaghe, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank and Steve Collins.
There were extremely difficult years for the English promoter and many times he almost threw in the towel. As is often the case in boxing, the return to success often depends on a major signing and for him it was the arrival of Tyson Fury in 2014.
Fury fought his first 21 fights with Mick Hennessy from 2008 to 2013. A year and two fights after signing with Queensberry, against all expectations, Fury dethroned the Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko to take the WBO, WBA and IBF heavyweight titles in Düsseldorf in Germany.
The effects of the association with the new 6’9” world champion were not felt immediately. After his coronation, Fury stayed out of the ring for almost 3 years, dealing with mental breakdowns and various poisonings.
His return in 2018 was arduous and popular interest in Britain for the fallen champion was very mixed. We had simply lost confidence in him.
It was then that Warren turned to Bob Arum for support, he who was at the end of his resources. Remember, it’s 2018, only 6 years ago. In exchange for a stake in Fury’s contract, Top Rank agreed to take him under their wing and launch him in the United States.
This action will begin a life-saving association for Queensberry, which has begun distributing its events on ESPN and ESPN+ through Top Rank.
Five fights later, three against WBC champion Deontay Wilder, one in Los Angeles, the other four in Las Vegas, and Tyson Fury is the heavyweight monarch again and everything is about to change for Queensberry.
Subsequently, Fury, particularly thanks to his manager Spencer Brown, became very close friends with Turki Alalshikh of “Riyad Seasons”, who decided to carry out a major blitz in professional boxing. On Fury’s recommendation, Queensberry Promotions will become the main promoter for the Saudi Arabia galas.
As the main broadcaster of these Middle Eastern events is DAZN, the association with Frank Warren’s team became necessary.
During the rise of Fury and the arrival of Alalshikh, Warren took advantage of his new resources to fill his stable, especially at heavyweight with Daniel Dubois, IBF champion, Joseph Parker, interim WBO champion, veterans Zhilei Zhang , Joe Joyce and Derek Chisora as well as young prospects Fabio Wardley and Moses Itauma.
With the support of DAZN, Queensberry has already announced its intention to invest in America from the start of the agreement which will be effective from April 2025.
When DAZN entered the market in 2018, it was Eddie Hearn and Matchroom who had the biggest share of the pie and were at the top of the hierarchy of major promoters. It is certain that this decision by DAZN will confront it with the challenge of doing better for less.
In 2018, Hearn is at the pinnacle of the profession through his deal with DAZN, while Anthony Joshua looked like one of the wonders of the world at the top of the heavyweight ladder. The recent setbacks of its main star will certainly not have helped it maintain its monopoly.
Meanwhile, DAZN, which had caused many doubts in the boxing industry by arriving with a check for 1 billion to the service of Matchroom, to allow it to contract the best boxers and organize the largest gatherings.
Since then, the digital distributor has never looked back, nor questioned its involvement in boxing. It has settled all over the world. The Application is available in 200 countries. With the arrival of Queensberry, DAZN plans to present 150 boxing galas annually.
Finally, what we learn from this story is that in the sport of boxing, as in sport in general, a single athlete can make all the difference between indifference and fame.
Burst News
• To watch at the end of the week, the return of the gifted Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs) who defends his IBF welterweight title against his mandatory challenger Karen Chukhadzhian (24-2, 13 K.-O.) from Ukraine.
o This is Ennis’ second fight in a row at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. On July 13, there were nearly 20,000 spectators for the Philadelphian’s victory over David Avanesyan (30-5-1, 18 KOs) by retirement in the 5th.
o This was only the second time in the history of the Wells Fargo Center that boxing was presented there.
o If we go back it is the best proof of the previous success. Be wary of promoters who claim to have had success at a boxing gala but never return to the same venue.
o This is the second clash between Ennis and Chukhadzhian. The first was won by the champion by decision in 12 rounds.
o This time I predict a victory by knockout of Rocky Balboa’s fellow citizen around the 8th round.
• New Zealander Joseph Parker (35-3, 23 KOs) would be the next opponent of IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-2, 21 KOs), for his first defense, on February 22 at Riyadh.
o After the defeat of Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) by KO. at the fifth in London on September 21, his promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed that he would request an immediate rematch. I wrote to you in this column that I was very skeptical about it.
o Dubois-Parker is an excellent fight, dangerous for both boxers.
• Turki Alalshikh continues to invest heavily in professional boxing.
o He has just signed a pact of nearly 20 million with Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) for him to be an ambassador of “Riyad Seasons”. He is expected to participate in a gala of his excellence after his fight against Australian Sam Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs) in Tokyo on December 24.
o Alalshikh has also just acquired “La bible de la Boxe”, the Ring Magazine which had belonged to Golden Boy since 2007.
• Interesting the recent statement from Oleksandr Gvozdyk who compares the power of his former opponents’ punches. He claims that Adonis Stevenson possessed the most dangerous and explosive single punch of the boxers he faced, superior to Artur Beterbiev and David Benavidez.
• The veteran former two-time world champion and current NABO champion Jean Pascal (37-7-1, 21 KOs) from Laval has just been ranked in position 6 among the WBO light heavyweights, at following his victory against Terry Osias (13-1, 6 KOs).
• Next week this column will be devoted to the spectacle of the 58-year-old ex-heavyweight terror Mike Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) and the popular Jake Paul (10-1, 7 KOs. -O.) are preparing to offer us live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on November 15.
o The entire evening will be presented live for free for Netflix subscribers.
o The semi-final will offer us the best potential clash in women’s boxing at the moment, the unified welterweight championship between champion Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) of Ireland and the champion unified feathers Amanda Serrano (47-2-1, 31 KOs).
o A rematch in 2022 in front of 20,000 spectators at Madison Square Garden in New York, where the Irishwoman won by split decision.
o In preparation I invite you to watch the excellent documentary in 3 parts on Netflix: “Countdown: Jake Paul v. Mike Tyson.”
Happy boxing and see you next week.
