News, notes and observations from a busy week in boxing …
🥊 Boxing’s media consolidation continues
On Monday, Top Rank formally announced its new broadcast rights agreement with DAZN, the global streaming service that has invested heavily in boxing over the last decade (usual disclaimer: I call fights on DAZN). No terms were disclosed, but Top Rank president Todd duBoef called the agreement a multiyear deal that will move all of Top Rank’s stable to DAZN. On Wednesday, several of the company’s top stars—Bruce Carrington, Keyshawn Davis, Abdullah Mason and Emiliano Vargas—were in New York for the big announcement.
The deal brings some stability to Top Rank, which has been without a broadcast partner since its deal with ESPN ended last summer. It’s a non-exclusive agreement, according to duBoef, which means we could see Top Rank put on shows on another network, though the majority of its fights will air on the streaming platform. I’m told Top Rank and DAZN officials huddled for several hours at DAZN’s New York office on Wednesday mapping out a spring and summer schedule.
Among the fights is a big one: Xander Zayas, the unified 154-pound champion, in a title defense against Jaron Ennis. With negotiations between Ennis and Vergil Ortiz stalled, Ennis’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has pushed forward with other options. At the top of the list is a showdown with Zayas, a popular Puerto Rican star. I’m told the two could meet as early as June, with New York the preferred location.
🥊 Bam mulls next move
Unified 115-pound champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez is still considering whether to defend his titles or move up to 118-pounds to pursue a belt in a third weight class, Rodriguez’s manager, Robert Garcia, told me this week. Rodriguez remains committed to pursuing undisputed status in the super flyweight division; the final title is unavailable, with Willibaldo Garcia set to defend his belt against Andrew Moloney in April.
The most likely option is that Rodriguez will move up in weight to challenge for a title, with Antonio Vargas and Christian Medina the frontrunners to face him, according to a source. Rodriguez would then move back down to face the winner of Garcia-Moloney. Garcia has ping-ponged around the lower weight classes before. In 2022 Rodriguez jumped up two weight divisions to win a 115-pound title. A year later he dropped back to 112 to win two more, before returning to 115. Rodriguez is expected to return to the ring in June.
🥊 Zuffa making more moves
Zuffa Boxing, the nascent, Dana White–fronted promotion has landed another broadcast deal, inking a multiyear contract with British broadcaster Sky Sports to bring boxing to the network. According to White, in addition to airing Zuffa’s U.S. offerings the plan is to bring Zuffa to the U.K. for live events. While Zuffa has slowly grabbed a toehold in the U.S. market, the U.K. figures to be even more difficult to crack, with Matchroom, Queensbery and Boxxer already established in the country.
🥊 Will Devin Haney and Rolly Romero happen?
Negotiations remain ongoing between representatives for Haney and Romero, I’m told. While both sides are motivated to get a deal done—May 30 is the targeted date, with venues in New York and Las Vegas under consideration—I’m told the money on Haney’s side is still being worked out. The deal is primarily a revenue split of the pay-per-view pot, and while Haney-Romero is a solid 147-pound unification fight the chances of it doing a significant number on PPV is small. Frankly, many in the business see it as a PPV disaster. Stay tuned.
🥊 Small promoters face extinction
That was the message from Larry Goldberg, the owner of BoxingInsider.com who has been putting on club shows in the New York area under the brand’s banner the last few years. The Zuffa-backed—and let’s be honest, effectively Zuffa-written—amendment to the Professional Boxing Safety Act is set to come up for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives after clearing committee hurdles. Among the provisions in the bill is mandatory enhanced drug testing, a provision, Goldberg argues, “could single-handedly kill club boxing in America.”
On the surface, more testing is a positive. Boxing is a dangerous sport and fighters should have the peace of mind that they are competing on a level playing field. But enhanced testing is expensive. Prohibitively so for small promoters, who often don’t have the benefit of a lucrative broadcast deal. Goldberg estimates that the required testing could cost between $12,000 and $20,000 per show, a cost that exceeds the entire net revenue for most club-level events.
Passage of the bill with this language would be a catastrophe for club promoters, Goldberg says. I talked to two club promoters this week who agree with him. Anyone that has been around boxing knows that these shows form the foundation of the sport. Any further reduction of shows—or, worse, elimination—would be a disaster.
🥊 Arum on the mend
Finally, an update on Bob Arum, the 94-year old promoter who has been conspicuously absent from Top Rank’s shows the last few months. Arum recently underwent knee surgery, which has restricted him to his Beverly Hills home. I popped in to see Arum this week. He’s in good spirits and moving around with a walker. And he said to expect to see him back ringside next month.
More Boxing from Sports Illustrated
- “I Was So Messed Up”: How Austin Williams Turned His Dark Story Into Power
- Brandon Glanton is Viewing Jai Opetaia as 'Just Another Guy"
- Jai Opetaia is Chasing Undisputed Status as the Face of Zuffa Boxing
- Zuffa Boxing’s Rivalry With Matchroom Boxing Comes Into Focus
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Boxing Notes: Jesse Rodriguez’s Next Move, Future of Small Promoters.
