“This is a hugely proud moment for Queensberry, as we join forces with leading platform DAZN on an exclusive basis,” the CEO of Queensberry Promotions, George Warren, Frank Warren’s son, said after inking a multi-year media rights agreement with DAZN. The English promotion company founded by Frank Warren joined the likes of Matchroom Boxing, Golden Boy Promotions, and Misfits, making the sports entertainment platform the exclusive broadcast rights holder for all their boxing events.

DAZN’s new deal with Queensberry is expected to start officially from April next year and would see the likes of Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, Zhilei Zhang, Fabio Wardley, Moses Itauma, Hamzah Sheeraz and female boxer Chantelle Cameron fight exclusively on the sports entertainment platform. For DAZN, the deal with Queensberry is the final step towards making itself the premier boxing broadcaster, having signed with the topmost promoters in the sport. 

TNT out, DAZN in for Queensberry Promotions

This move spells bad news for existing broadcasters like Sky Sports and TNT, who were at the forefront of the biggest boxing broadcasts in the UK for years. Queensberry is currently contractually tied to TNT Sports in the UK—the deal first began back in 2016. Since then, Queensberry has emerged as one of the world’s leading boxing promoters. Their resurgence saw a sharp upward trend since they started working with Saudi Arabia’s ‘Riyadh Season’ one year ago.

It landed Warren’s company in the middle of all the biggest fights in the sport, including Tyson Fury vs. Oleksandr Usyk, Anthony Joshua vs. Daniel Dubois, and Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol. George Warren is well aware of his company’s rapid growth, as he said, “Queensberry has undergone an unprecedented growth period over the past 18 months, and firmly established ourselves as a leading promotional and events company.”

Meanwhile, DAZN Group CEO of DAZN boxing business, Pete Oliver said, “This deal makes DAZN the undisputed global home of boxing… With Queensberry joining our roster and a guaranteed 150 fights per year, fight fans will not need to go anywhere else from April 2025.” Interestingly, fans have expressed concerns for that exact thing— ‘they don’t have to go anywhere else.’

Fans Celebrate the Unlikely Alliance of Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn

Back in 2021, Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing ended its 25-year association with Sky Sports to join hands with DAZN in a deal worth over $100 million. Queensberry Promotions and Matchroom Boxing have been fierce rivals for over 40 years, so seeing the two gradually set aside their differences to promote events on the same platform offered a reassuring glimpse of unity for this fan. “Crazy how far Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn have come in such a short time. It’s great for boxing,” the user noted. Earlier this year, Matchroom and Queensberry faced off in an epic 5 vs. 5 showdown, but Warren’s fighters turned it into a wipeout. Since then, the former rivals have become close friends.

Meanwhile, this user joked about the two promotion companies eventually merging. The user asked, “How long before Matchroom and Queensberry merge?” Matchroom and Queensberry are behemoths in the industry, so it’s unlikely they will merge. 

Another user rang alarm bells for TNT Sports. “Bad news for @tntsports then. They’ll have zero boxing on the platform,” the user wrote. While they might not have the biggest bouts, they can partner with smaller promoters to organize events. 

Someone else shared the same concern for Sky Sports. “Sky Sports are fuming,” the user commented. However, competition has always been there, a change in approach and strategic partnerships can put them back in a similar running. 

The next user described the situation perfectly. “Turki and DAZN have taken over boxing and I think that’s a good thing…,” the user celebrated. This deal will allow Queensberry to reach the far ends of the globe and market its events even better. 

While DAZN’s takeover is promising for DAZN Boxing and Queensberry Promotion, there’s a real concern that, rather than fostering healthy competition, this shift could mirror what happened to HBO and Showtime. Still, it may be too early to worry about such drastic changes. What are your thoughts?