Thursday marked a key day for the sport and Matchroom Boxing, as they have completed a huge deal with media company Perform Group. This joint venture between the two is at 1 billion dollars and is the biggest deal in boxing history. This deal will have a lifespan of eight years and will see the joint venture, Matchroom Boxing USA, stage 16 fights a year featuring some of the sport’s biggest stars at the best venues across America. Perform Group’s live and on-demand streaming service, DAZN, will be the exclusive US broadcast partner for the 16 US fight nights plus Matchroom’s existing 16 fight nights in the UK.

The announcement came forth in a press conference in New York City as Eddie Hearn, who is the Managing Director of Matchroom Boxing, and Simon Denyer, CEO of Perform Group were present to announce the deal.

“This is a historic moment for Matchroom and the sport of boxing,” Hearn stated at the conference. “Since our expansion to the US, we have been looking for a partner that shares our vision and that can give us the volume of dates and rights fees required to build the strongest stable in world boxing and take it to a new level.”

“This is a dream scenario for us, we can build a formidable team of fighters and also put our stamp on events from production to talent to in arena experience. Our plan is to make DAZN the home of boxing and with 32 big fight nights already confirmed from the US and UK we are nicely on our way.”

Denyer also made comments about the partnership with them and Matchroom. “Perform Group has a rich history of long term strategic partnerships with the best rights holders in world. I’m excited about working with Matchroom; we share the same passion and vision for reigniting boxing in the US and it’s time for DAZN to provide an exciting new platform for these great events. It’s a better deal for everyone – especially fight fans.”

Perform Group, one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world, is a sports media company that produces digital content for fans worldwide. It was established in 2007 in London and partners with the biggest rights holders to help them commercialize and grow their sports around the world including the NFL, the English Premier League, FIBA, MLS, and UFC. They added John Skipper as their executive chairman on Monday.  Skipper was the president of ESPN from 2012 to 2017 and will be heading the operations of Perform Group in New York City.

“DAZN has already proven itself in Japan, Germany and Canada as the best platform for delivering great live sport to passionate fans,” Skipper stated. “It’s time to bring DAZN to America and the amazing events we have planned with Matchroom is a great place to start.”

Matchroom and Perform Group, who have worked closely together for over 10 years, will construct an on-demand service for customers to watch these events. They will be available for one monthly fee and no long term contract.

Cover Photo by Ed Mulholland