PROFESSIONAL promoter Mark Neilson discusses the latest news in the world of boxing.
Saturday saw Matchroom’s first broadcast event since ending it’s lengthy and mutually successful deal with Sky Sports last month. The first of three ‘Fight Camp’ shows, which take place in the garden of Matchroom’s Essex HQ over a three-week period seemed to have been a big success.
Now shown exclusively on digital platform DAZN, described by viewers as the “Netflix of sport”, the £1.99 monthly subscription price tag appears to be gaining viewers.
The production looks as slick as ever and with a completely refreshed presenting team, the new set-up looks likely to be a winner with fight fans.
With only about 250 tickets available, they were available at a fixed price of £750 which made them out of reach for most fight fans.
However, those who could afford and also get hold tickets to the sold out show, seemed to unanimously praise the concept, with a top-end VIP experience and even selfies with promoter Eddie Hearn, Matchroom have once again shown why they are certainly the best at promotion in this country.
The card itself took a blow when main event Conor Benn went down with Covid-19 in fight week and chief support Leigh Wood vs Can Xu was elevated to prime spot. It didn’t disappoint either with British outsider Wood sensationally stopping Xu Can in 12th round to win the WBA featherweight title. The six-fight card featured a decent mix of match-ups with some other big names and debuts.
The interesting part though, is as it’s now a subscription-based model, there is now no longer the pressure for the promoter to really push the PPV (pay-per-view) sales.
Historically, this paid for the main event, and constantly drew negative comments about the price of watching boxing on top of the usual Sky subscription.
If this were a PPV show, it would have been a promotional nightmare to lose your main event days before the show, but with DAZN paying Matchroom regardless of views, it seems that pressure has gone.
The number of views has not been published, nor has the number of new subscribers, but one thing is certain, the landscape has definitely changed.
Hearn was tight-lipped about rumours that BT Sport, which has a deal with his main domestic competitor Promoter Frank Warren, is about to be bought by DAZN.
If that happened, who knows how that would affect Warren’s current deal or the rest of the UK fight scene.
It seems Hearn and Matchroom’s ambition of world domination is gaining pace and hopefully fight fans will be the ultimate winners.
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