Jake Paul-Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Set For June 28th On DAZN PPV

Press Release: April 18, 2025  By DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions - Golden Boy’s Mexican WBO and WBA unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez vs. Cuba’s former IBF and WBA cruiserweight world champion and WBA mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticós join Paul vs. Chávez Jr. in the co-main event

 

Fans can sign up for presale for Paul vs. Chávez Jr. HERE

 

ATLANTA, GA – April 18, 2025 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced that boxing’s biggest disruptor, international superstar Jake “El Gallo” Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) takes his next step towards world champion against Mexico’s former champion Julio César Chávez Jr. (54-6-1, 34 KOs) on Saturday, June 28, at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Paul vs. Chávez Jr. will be a standard 10-round men’s professional bout with three-minute rounds and 10oz gloves, contested at 200lbs. The historic fight, an MVP Event, will air live globally on DAZN pay-per-view and is presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy. Golden Boy Promotions will serve as the official licensed promoter. Fans can sign up for presale HERE. The event will also feature an array of high-end VIP packages, including the return of the one-of-a-kind MVP Owner’s Experience. 

 

In the co-main event, Golden Boy’s 33-year-old WBO cruiserweight world champion and WBA Cruiserweight Super Champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs)—ESPN’s #2 cruiserweight in the world—will make a title defense against Cuba’s former WBA and IBF Cruiserweight World Champion, one of the best punchers in boxing and current WBA mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticós (27-2, 25 KOs) in a men’s world championship bout contested at 200lbs with 12, three-minute rounds.

 

The American pride of Puerto Rico, Jake “El Gallo de Dorado” Paul (11-1, 7 KOs), has shown tremendous growth as a boxer on his path to becoming a world champion, and now will look to prove he has what it takes against a former world champion in Julio César Chávez Jr. In just five years since turning pro, Paul has made his impact in the ring, earning high-profile victories over names like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva, and Nate Diaz. His viral knockouts and headline-grabbing performances have breathed new life into boxing, drawing millions of fans and setting records. In his latest blockbuster fight in November 2024, Jake Paul defeated the Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson in a heavyweight bout in the first-ever live professional sporting event on Netflix. MVP’s Paul vs. Tyson shattered records, becoming the most-streamed sporting event ever with 108 million live viewers globally. Paul has collected multiple accolades for his commitment to the sport of boxing, including ESPNRingside’s 2021 Knockout of the Year, Sports Illustrated’s 2021 Breakout Boxer of the Year, ESPNRingside’s 2022 Viral Moment of the Year, and was the cover of Sports Illustrated’s “The 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports” issue, awarded specifically for his groundbreaking work to revolutionize the sport through equitable pay, providing a platform for young fighters, and his support of female boxers. Paul also partnered with USA Boxing ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics, continuing his mission to elevate the sport and its future champions. 

 

“Five years ago, I stepped into the ring for my pro debut after a single amateur fight, and every fight since has been a step towards becoming world champion. I just defeated the baddest man on the planet, and now I’m going against a former champion who conman Canelo couldn’t finish,” said Jake Paul. “Chávez Jr. is Mexican, but I, El Gallo De Dorado, have the will and heart of the great Mexican fighters. On Saturday, June 28, live on DAZN pay-per-view, I will knock out Julio and make Chávez Sr. proud in ways Jr. never has. Another massive event from Most Valuable Promotions, with some Oscar De La Hoya seasoning added to the show. Viva La Puerto Rico.”

 

Julio César Chávez Jr. (54-6-1, 34 KOs) is a Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico native and son of former three-division world boxing champion Julio César Chávez, “El Gran Campeón Mexicano,” the greatest Mexican fighter of all time. Chávez Jr. began his professional career with an impressive undefeated streak across his first 47 fights. Chávez Jr. climbed the rankings and became the WBC middleweight world champion in 2011, before being defeated by Sergio Martinez in Chávez’s fourth title defense in 2012. Chávez Jr. went on to reclaim regional titles and later won the WBC Continental Americas Super Middleweight title, recently fighting in his hometown of Culiacan to a UD win over David Zegarra. In June 2021, Chávez squared off with MMA star Anderson Silva, suffering a narrow split decision defeat. He most recently returned to the ring to defeat MMA icon Uriah Hall by unanimous decision on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry in July 2024. Now, Chávez Jr. will have the opportunity to grow his legacy further within the cruiserweight division as he faces Jake Paul on Saturday, June 28. 

 

“First of all, I will show what I can do now that everything is in the right place in my life—mentally and physically,” said Julio César Chávez Jr. “I feel rejuvenated and 10 years younger. Second, I want to thank MVP for taking the risk of fighting me. Unfortunately for their Problem Child, they’re going to have a big problem this June—one they won’t know how to resolve. Hopefully when I beat him, people won’t underestimate this win.”

 

“Saturday, June 28 marks a defining moment in Jake Paul’s ascent to the top of the boxing world as he aims to show the 125 million people that watched him fight Mike Tyson that he is a real contender in the sport,” said Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. “Julio César Chávez Jr., a former world champion and the heir to Mexico’s most iconic boxing legacy, will be looking to cement his legacy by definitively defeating Jake, something no opponent has been able to do. Add to that the co-main event, which has the return of Mexican Zurdo Ramirez, the WBA and WBO champion, defending his titles against the dangerous Cuban Yuniel Dorticós, and you have the ingredients for a night full of fireworks. Most Valuable Promotions is honored to present this momentous card in partnership with Golden Boy Promotions, live from Honda Center in Anaheim, and we are proud to continue delivering groundbreaking moments for the sport on DAZN pay-per-view.”

 

Golden Boy’s Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez (47-1, 30 KOs) has over a decade of experience under his belt, debuting as a professional in 2009 and embarking on a career that would see him make boxing history multiple times. In 2016, Ramirez won the WBO Super Middleweight title, defeating “King” Arthur Abraham by unanimous decision in a dominant performance. This victory cemented his status as one of the top fighters, and he became the first Mexican-born fighter to win a world title in the division. Ramirez successfully defended his belt multiple times, defeating tough opponents such as Jesse “Hard Work” Hart and Roamer Alexis Angulo. After five defenses of his title, Ramirez moved up to light heavyweight, where he went on a five-fight winning streak before facing Dmitry Bivol in a unification bout in November 2022. Although Ramirez’s undefeated streak ended in this contest, the fight showcased his resilience, heart, and determination to the sport. Turning that loss into a lesson, Ramirez returned to the ring 11 months later as a cruiserweight this time around. In November 2024, Ramirez made boxing history once again, becoming the first Mexican-born unified cruiserweight champion in an all-action-packed war against Chris Billam-Smith in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Ramirez’s legacy as one of the most skilled and dangerous fighters of his era continues to grow, and he is widely regarded as one of Mexico’s best current champions.

 

“I’m excited to step back into the ring this June to defend my WBA and WBO titles. This fight marks my WBA mandatory, and I know I need to get past this opponent to stay on track in my journey toward greatness—and ultimately, to become the undisputed champion,” said Zurdo Ramirez. “I’ve been training non-stop and feel sharper than ever as I continue to grow and mature in the sport. The goal hasn’t changed. I’m locked in, and I’m proud to be featured on this card alongside Jake Paul and my good friend Julio César Chávez Jr. A big thank you to my team, Golden Boy Promotions, MVP, the WBA, the WBO, and all my fans. I can’t wait to put on a show you won’t forget.”

 

WBA mandatory challenger Yuniel Dorticós (27-2, 25 KOs), known as "The KO Doctor," is a Cuban professional boxer renowned for his explosive punching power and success in the cruiserweight division. Born on March 11, 1986, in Cienfuegos, Cuba, he enjoyed a strong amateur career, finishing as a national runner-up multiple times and competing in the Boxing World Cup before defecting to the United States in 2009. Turning professional the same year, Dorticós quickly gained attention by winning his first 17 fights by knockout. He captured the WBA interim cruiserweight title in 2016 and went on to become the WBA (Regular) champion in 2017, defending the title until a loss to Murat Gassiev in 2018. In 2019, he claimed the vacant IBF cruiserweight title with a knockout victory over Andrew Tabiti during the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS), ultimately reaching the WBSS final, where he lost a close decision to Mairis Briedis. Known for his aggressive style and knockout power—evidenced by a record of 27 wins (25 by KO) and just 2 losses—Dorticós remains a respected force in the ring. He resides in Miami, Florida, where he continues to train and represent the proud tradition of Cuban boxing.

 

“I want to thank MVP, my promoters and Golden Boy for this opportunity,” said Yuniel Dorticós. “My goal is to become a three-time world champion, and now by fighting Zurdo Ramirez I have been granted the chance to accomplish my goals on Saturday, June 28.”

 

“Once again, Golden Boy is proving that we’re willing to work with anyone to deliver the biggest and most exciting events in boxing. We’re thrilled to partner with Jake Paul, Nakisa Bidarian, Most Valuable Promotions, and DAZN to bring this blockbuster night to fans around the world," said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman and CEO of Golden Boy. "Now the WBA and WBO Unified Cruiserweight Champion, Zurdo has made history not once, but twice—first as the first Mexican-born fighter to become a super middleweight world champion, and now as the first-ever Mexican to claim a cruiserweight world title, holding championships in both divisions. Ramirez is ready to light up the ring once again—this time against the dangerous Yuniel Dorticós, who’s coming in with everything he’s got to steal the spotlight in this mandatory matchup. But make no mistake: Zurdo is built for moments like this. It’s going to be an unforgettable night celebrating the best of Mexican boxing!”

 

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Jake Paul back to DAZN against a championship-caliber opponent in Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.” said Jared Kass, SVP North America, DAZN. “We are grateful to our partners at MVP and Golden Boy for delivering an unmissable night of action from start to finish. So tune in Saturday, June 28, only on DAZN.”

 

Paul vs. Chávez Jr. is produced and marketed by Most Valuable Promotions, with Golden Boy Promotions serving as the official licensed promoter, and is distributed by DAZN pay-per-view. The event is presented by CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, also sponsored by Fansly and Event Ticket Center. Additional information, including additional bouts, will be announced in the coming weeks. 

 

For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions, @GoldenBoyBoxing and @DAZNBoxing on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions, @goldenboy, and @daznboxing.

 

 

About Most Valuable Promotions (MVP)

MVP was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last six global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Perry match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. MVP made history again in November 2024 with Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2, the first-ever live professional sports event on Netflix. MVP’s Paul vs. Tyson streamed live globally on Netflix and shattered records, becoming the most-streamed sporting event ever with 108 million live viewers globally. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of Paul vs. Tyson and the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.

 

About DAZN

DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). We are building the ultimate sports entertainment platform, based on premium sports rights, world-leading tech, and multi-platform distribution. DAZN believes that fans from across the globe should be able to watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.

 

For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit dazngroup.com.

 

About Honda Center  

Located in the heart of Orange County, Honda Center has remained a premier entertainment and sports venue since its opening in 1993. Home to the 2007 Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks, the arena hosts a variety of events, including sold-out concerts, family entertainment, and thrilling sports competitions. Over the past three decades, Honda Center has remained an iconic and beloved destination for live entertainment in Southern California with over 4,500 events and 45 million guests, paving the way for an even more exciting future. It will anchor the innovative OCVIBE, a 100-acre one-of-a-kind, immersive district designed to bring people together through shared experiences.

Material Courtesy of: DAZN and Most Valuable Promotions Used with permission 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Follow-Up: DAZN's Three Upcoming Pay-Per-View Cards Now Available For Purchase

In a follow-up to the recent column discussing DAZN’s upcoming three pay-per-view Boxing cards, which will take place within a seven day period. All three events are now available to purchase on DAZN’s website. The first event, which will take place on Saturday, April 26th will be headlined by a long-awaited grudge match between sons of Hall of Fame rivals Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, Sr., two-division world champion Chris Eubank, Jr. and Conor Benn, which will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England is available here in the United States for $24.99. This will be followed by back-to-back events on May 2nd and 3rd. First on May 2nd a tripleheader will take place outdoors in Times Square in New York City, NY featuring Ryan Garcia facing Rolando Romero, former two-division world champion Devin Haney facing former Jr. Welterweight world champion Jose Ramirez, and current WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Teofimo Lopez defending his title against number one WBO contender Arnold Barboza for $59.99. On May 3rd, Super-Middleweight world champions Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and William Scull will meet in Saudi Arabia for the Undisputed Super-Middleweight championship of the world, which is also priced at $59.99. DAZN, however, is offering an option for both the May 2nd and 3rd events by offering consumers the option to either purchase both events separately at the aforementioned $59.99 per event or as a bundle for $89.99. All three events are available for purchase at DAZN.com We will have coverage of all three events in the coming weeks here on Stay tuned.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, to subscribe, and for region-specific pricing for select pay-per-view events please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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Will DAZN's Three PPV Gamble Be Too Much For Boxing Fans?

Longtime readers know that one of the most consistent topics this observer has discussed over the many years that I have covered the sport of Boxing has been the pay-per-view model and more specifically, the increasing need for the sport, those who promote it, and networks that televise it to move away from a model that no longer benefits the sport and rarely offers value to consumers who support it. While I have at times been criticized for my stance that Boxing would be much better off in the long-term picture by adapting a reasonably priced subscription-based approach like what has already been established by digital streaming networks DAZN and ESPN+, my motivation has always been what will benefit the sport and help it grow and be more accessible to anyone who wants to see it regardless of economic scenarios one might find themselves in rather than any vested interests as I do not write or otherwise work for any other outlet or network outside of the one I own and operate here at The Boxing Truth®.

Even as my stance seems to have been increasingly validated as years have gone on as networks that have relied on the pay-per-view model have exited the sport since 2018, coincidentally the same year ESPN+ launched here in the United States and DAZN also entered the U.S. market, despite the sport being in the midst of a transition to being almost exclusively available via streaming, both in response to consumers looking to move away from traditional cable/satellite pay television, as well as general decline continuing in regard to pay-per-view buys, the model still remains more of an issue for the sport rather than a beneficial solution both for Boxing as well as consumers. Although I have been supportive of both DAZN and ESPN+ for each’s introduction of subscription-based alternatives to the model, I would not be objective if I said I have not also criticized both when they have ventured into pay-per-view, despite the evidence that it is not a profitable strategy for either in the now largely streaming-based era.

Many likely remember that when DAZN entered the U.S. market, the main pitch to consumers was pay-per-view quality Boxing events “Without The Pain of Pay-Per-View!" Their reasoning for eventually venturing into pay-per-view starting in 2022 was as a means to attract fighters and promoters who have insisted on the model to the negotiating table. It should also not be overlooked that at the time, much like many others businesses globally, DAZN was in the process of recovering from the effects of the global COVID-19 epidemic, so the move to what they insist is a “Selective/Sporadic" use of pay-per-view may have been seen and justified by some as a necessity.

As the pay-per-view model has continued to decline with the latest casualty being pay-per-view distributor InDemand preparing to cease operations by the end of 2025 ending 40 years as a primary pay-per-view distributor across cable/satellite providers in the United States and in recent years streaming via it's PPV.com platform, even as DAZN and platforms like Prime Video have continued doing periodic pay-per-view events, despite the evidence that it is not being embraced by consumers, one may be tempted to ask when will common sense enter the equation? More specifically, when will it no longer be ignored that things need to change as no doubt such stubbornness has to negatively impact the bottom line.

Perhaps the next example that will be used to illustrate the need to change will come in the coming weeks as DAZN will present three pay-per-view events in a span of one week.  First, on April 26, DAZN will air the highly anticipated grudge match between sons of Boxing legends Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, two-time world champion Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn, which will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, which will be available for $24.99 here in the United States.

While that price point on it's own is certainly budget-friendly and a throwback to a time where most Boxing pay-per-view cards were priced under $30 and were less frequent throughout the 1980’s and part of the 1990’s, one might wonder how consumer-friendly the price might be when one considers that on May 2nd and 3rd back to back pay-per-view cards will be held also on DAZN.

First on May 2nd, a card headlined by a triple header featuring Ryan Garcia facing Rolando Romero, Devin Haney facing Jose Ramirez, and WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion Teofimo Lopez defending his title against Arnold Barboza will take place outdoors in Times Square in New York City. This will be followed on May 3rd when Unified WBO/WBA/WBC Super-Middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo" Alvarez will be attempting to become a two-time Undisputed Super-Middleweight world champion when he faces undefeated IBF world champion William Scull in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Beyond the latter being the first time Alvarez has fought in the increasing hotbed of Boxing in Saudi Arabia and a significant shift in Alvarez not fighting on Cinco De Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, and the Times Square event bringing the overdue return of Hall of Fame broadcaster and longtime HBO play by play voice Jim Lampley to calling Boxing for the first time since HBO exited the sport in 2018, one would be justified in questioning if one or both of these events will be priced consumer-friendly considering that there will be a pay-per-view card just days before.

Although it should be pointed out that like any sporting event, some events will draw more eyes than others, the question here is will this gamble for DAZN be too much for Boxing fans given the state of economic conditions and whether these events will fit into one's budget. While it needs to be noted that all three of these cards are being promoted in part by the Riyadh Season group that has largely established Boxing’s footprint in Saudi Arabia and who has generally began to price their pay-per-view cards in a more consumer-friendly approach, the question that needs to be asked is how much is too much?

How much is too much not only in regard to the frequency of when these cards take place, how closely they are placed on the schedule to each other, and finally the price points to not only draw in the interest of the hardcore Boxing enthusiasts, but also the casual sports fan? For DAZN, the question should also be whether the value of a monthly or annual subscription to their network is going to be diminished by not only doing pay-per-view a bit more frequently than the pledge of “Selective/Sporadic?" Furthermore, is it a disservice to their network that is still growing to not include these events as part of a subscription to the network for existing subscribers? 

While price points for the May 3rd and 4th events have not been announced as of this writing, I do believe that if pay-per-view is going to continue to be used by networks/platforms that already have established subscription-based models that it should be used as a way to draw in consumers who may not be subscribed to try these networks. For existing subscribers, it should be either included with their subscriptions, which would be the more common sense approach, or should be offered to subscribers at a reduced price that should not exceed $30 regardless of who might be on the card. 

Under circumstances like this with three cards occuring within a week’s time, perhaps selling the three events as a package bundle with a budget-friendly price with a cap of under $60 should be something DAZN should consider. Unfortunately, numbers will continue to generally decline only with rare exceptions without adapting to the changing landscape. This includes folks who get on social media platforms and boast about how they will look for not so legal walk-arounds to access events that either do not fit within their budget or they simply have no interest in paying for.

Although I discourage such practices and pay the same fees as the average consumer to ply my trade, though I do sympathize with those who feel they have no other options to watch the sport they love, the way to reach those folks is not by continuing to rely on a model that consumers continue to reject and perhaps in spite of evidence continuing to resist change, which whether networks or promoters want to admit it or not will ultimately benefit them and the sport. Unfortunately until such realization occurs with networks having left the sport largely due to their over reliance on pay-per-view, with one network in ESPN perhaps either nearing an exit itself or a significant revamp in terms of their commitment to the spot by the end of 2025, it will be up to DAZN, who despite their growth, will have to make the decision as to how long they want to walk a tightrope by using a model that they were insisting on changing at the risk of alienating their subscribers not just here in the United States, but globally. At the risk of being unpopular, that is a gamble that may not be worth taking.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth." 

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DAZN LAUNCHES POWERHOUSE SPRING SCHEDULE FEATURING 15 MARQUEE EVENTS IN 9 WEEKS

Press Release: March 26, 2025 By DAZN - Blockbuster, back-to-back nights of boxing exclusively on DAZN during Cinco de Mayo Weekend with superstars Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia headlining separate cards brought to you by Riyad Season and Ring Magazine respectively

From April 2025, content featuring Queensberry Promotions’ star-studded stable of fighters will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN to fans worldwide 

For the very first time Frank Warren’s Queensberry and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing will be united on the same broadcaster

UK fight fans can sign up now to access DAZN’s unrivalled boxing coverage and save 30% on annual subscriptions before April 7 at DAZN.com/boxing

LONDON, 25 March 2025 – DAZN Group, the global sports entertainment company and leading destination for boxing fans worldwide, today unveiled a blockbuster run of 15 major events across nine weeks cementing its place as the global home of boxing. The schedule includes back-to-back fight nights over Cinco de Mayo weekend, featuring Mexican superstars Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez on a Riyad Season card and “King” Ryan Garcia, as well as two-division champions Devin “The Dream” Haney and Teofimo “The Takeover” Lopez, all in separate bouts on a Ring Magazine card. These events will be available exclusively on DAZN.

The spring calendar shows DAZN’s deep commitment to unifying the sport in one place with one subscription. It includes a wide range of content and strong partnerships with top boxing promoters such as Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions, Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, and Misfits Boxing.

In total, 19 current and former world champions will feature, with events running every week through to the end of May.

DAZN now delivers more than 185 premium fight nights per year. Subscribers also get access to major pay-per-view events, exclusive shows, behind-the-scenes content, and free highlights across social media. DAZN’s partnerships with Queensberry and Matchroom ensure a packed few months of world-class action across multiple weight divisions in the UK.

“DAZN consistently delivers an unrivaled schedule of non stop boxing action to subscribers and fight fans all around the world” said Pete Oliver, CEO of Market Growth at DAZN. “And now with Queensberry and Matchroom united under the same banner – alongside our other world leading promoters Golden Boy and Misfits – and 30% off our annual subscriptions, there is no better time to sign up to DAZN.”

DAZN’s new global deal with Queensberry Promotions kicks off on Saturday 5 April. The card includes Joe Joyce MBE vs Filip Hrgovic, and David Adeleye vs Jeamie TKV for the British Heavyweight Title. From April, Queensberry events will air exclusively on DAZN worldwide. DAZN will use its global scale, innovative tech, and marketing strength to boost the reach and profile of the promoter and its fighters.

The partnership continues in May with Anthony Cacace vs Leigh Wood for the IBO Super Featherweight Title (Saturday 10 May), and Josh Taylor’s return against Ekow Essuman (Saturday 24 May).

Matchroom Boxing adds further firepower to DAZN’s line-up. On Saturday 12 April, Jaron “Boots” Ennis faces Eimantas Stanionis in a welterweight unification bout. It follows a strong start to 2025 from Matchroom, with stand-out performances from Diego Pacheco, Andy Cruz, and Dalton Smith.

Then on Saturday 26 April, Chris Eubank Jr. takes on Conor Benn in a long-awaited Ring Magazine event powered by Fatal Fury City of the Wolves. The undercard also features former world champions Liam Smith and Chris Billam-Smith.

On Friday 2 May, Times Square hosts a star-studded event headlined by Ryan Garcia vs Rolando “Rolly” Romero for the WBA Welterweight Title. Devin Haney will face Jose Carlos Ramirez, while Teofimo Lopez meets Arnold Barboza Jr. in a clash of unbeaten super lightweights. This historic “FATAL FURY: City of the Wolves” card is the first-ever Ring Magazine event in the US. It is presented in partnership with SNK Corporation, Golden Boy Promotions, and Matchroom Boxing.

On Saturday 3 May, Canelo Álvarez returns to the ring in Riyadh. He faces undefeated IBF Super Middleweight Champion William Scull at the Anb Arena, as part of Riyadh Season and powered by Fatal Fury City of the Wolves.. The fight marks his debut as a Riyadh Season ambassador.

To celebrate, DAZN is offering 30% off annual plans in the UK and US from 31 March. The offer includes access to fights featuring Joyce, Taylor, Cacace, Wood, Dalton Smith, and more — all as part of your subscription. Offer ends 7 April. Visit DAZN.com/boxing to sign up.

 

Key upcoming boxing dates on DAZN include:

March 29 Poliforum Benito Juarez in Cancún, Mexico

William "El Camarón" Zepeda (31-0, 26 KOs) vs Tevin "2X" Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) - 12 round WBC Interim Lightweight Championship Bout

April 5 Co-op Live Arena, Manchester, U.K. – Queensberry Promotions

Joe Joyce (16-3, 15 KOs) vs. Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KOs)—10-round Heavyweight Bout

David Adeleye (13-1, 12 KOs) vs Jeamie Tshikeva (8-1, 5 KOs) – 10-round vacant English Heavyweight Title

April 12 Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, N.J.  – Matchroom Boxing

Jaron “Boots” Ennis (33-0, 29 KOs) vs Eimantas Stanionis (15-0, 9 KOs) – 12-round IBF & WBA Welterweight Championship

Raymond Ford (16-1-1, 8 KOs) vs Thomas Mattice (22-4-1, 17 KOs) – 12-round WBA Continental North America Super Featherweight Bout

Arturo Cardenas (15-0-1, 8 KOs) vs Christian Carto (23-1, 16 KOs) – 12-round WBC Continental Americas Super Bantamweight Bout

Shakhram Giyasov (opponent TBA) – 10-round Welterweight Bout

April 12 X Series 22 – MFB Pro

Idris Virgo (4-0, 2 KOs) vs Ty Mitchell (1-0, 1 KOs) MFB Pro Light Heavyweight World Title

April 18 Boxlab Promotions

Dainier Peró (10-0, 8 KOs) vs TBC - Heavyweight Bout

April 19 Park Community Arena, Sheffield, UK – Matchroom Boxing

Dalton Smith (17-0, 13 KOs) vs Mathieu Germain (26-2-1, 11 KOs) – 12-round Super Lightweight Bout

Ishmael Davis (13-2, 6 KOs) vs Ryan Kelly (19-5-1, 8 KOs) – 12-round Super Welterweight Bout

April 26 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Tottenham, London – Matchroom Boxing

Chris Eubank Jr. (34-3, 25 KOs) vs. Conor Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) – 12-round Middleweight Bout

Anthony Yarde (26-3, 24 KOs) vs. Lyndon Arthur (24-2, 16 KOs) – 12-round Light Heavyweight Bout

Liam Smith (33-4-1, 20 KOs) vs. Aaron McKenna (19-0, 10 KOs) – 10-round Middleweight Bout

Chris Billam-Smith (20-2, 13 KOs) vs. Brandon Glanton (20-2, 17 KOs) – 12-round Cruiserweight Bout

Viddal Riley (12-0, 7 KOs) vs. Cheavon Clarke (10-1, 7 KOs) – 10-round Cruiserweight bout

April 26 Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship 

Chris Camozzi (3-1, 3 KOs) vs Lorenzo Hunt (11-2, 9 KOs) - Cruiserweight Bout

May 1 Sunbet Arena, South Africa – Legacy Boxing Promotions

Kevin Lerena (30-3, 14 KOs) vs Serhiy Radchenko (11-7, 5 KOs) – 12-round Heavyweight Bout

May 2 Times Square, NYC – Golben Boy Promotions & Matchroom Boxing

Ryan Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) vs Rolly Romero (16-2, 13 KOs) – 12-round Welterweight Bout

Devin Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) vs Jose Carlos Ramirez (29-2, 18 KOs) – 12-round Super Lightweight Bout

Teofimo Lopez (21-1, 13 KOs) vs Arnold Barboza Jr. (32-0, 11 KOs) – 12-round WBO Super Lightweight Championship 

May 3 Anb Arena, Saudi Arabia – SELA

Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) vs William Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) – 12-round Undisputed Super Middleweight Championship 

Badou Jack (28-3-3, 17 KOs) vs Ryan Rozicki (20-1-1, 19 KOs) – 12-round WBC Cruiserweight Championship

Jamie Munguia (44-2, 35 KOs) vs Bruno Surace (26-0, 5 KOs) – Super Middleweight Bout

Martin Bakole (21-2, 16 KOs) vs Efe Ajagba (20-1, 14 KOs) – Heavyweight Bout

Brayan Leon (6-0, 6 KOs) vs Aaron Rocha Guerrero (11-3-1, 7 KOs) – Light Heavyweight Bout

Marco Verde (Pro debut) vs Michel Galvan Polina (4-5-3, 2 KOs) – Middleweight Bout

May 3 Nottingham Arena, Nottingham, UK – Queensberry Promotions

Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) vs Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) – 12-round IBO World Super Featherweight Championship

May 17 Copper Box Arena, London, UK – Matchroom Boxing

Johnny Fisher (13-0, 11 KOs) vs Dave Allen (23-7-2, 18 KOs) II – Heavyweight Bout

May 23 Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster, Yorkshire, UK – GBM Boxing

Terri Harper (15-2-2, 6 KOs) vs Natalie Zimmerman (13-0, 3 KOs) – 10-round Women’s WBO World Lightweight Championship

May 24 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, UK – Queensberry Promotions

Josh Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) vs Ekow Essuman (21-1, 8 KOs) –12-round Welterweight Bout

 

For additional information, please visit DAZN.com/boxing.

 

Material Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission. 

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

 

Should Boxing Have A Price Cap If The PPV Model Is Going To Continue?

One of the themes that this observer has become known for over the many years I have covered Boxing has been my long-standing criticism regarding the pay-per-view model, both here on The Boxing Truth® ️ as well as numerous outlets both online and in print through the years. The primary reason behind the criticism is in two aspects, the overuse of the model in that cards that in years gone by that would have been featured on a sports centric network or as a Friday or Saturday night attraction on a premium cable network like HBO or Showtime, have instead been reserved for pay-per-view, rather than bouts of significant public interest that were heavily promoted and treated and viewed amongst Boxing fans as special events or occasions, which leads to the second aspect. The price points, which regardless of the perceived quality of a card or the main events have only gone up as time has gone on, which has led to declining buy numbers for most pay-per-view attractions. 

This in addition to now in an era dominated by subscription-based streaming at reasonable prices for consumers, has only continued to fuel my criticism and belief that Boxing needs to adapt to the changing landscape of media, in this case, how television is transitioning away from previous methods of distribution and embrace something that will be more budget-friendly for consumers. While I have long advocated for the sport to move away from the pay-per-view model, something which I still strongly believe in, one aspect I have touched on occasion in previous writings could be worth exploring and debating once again as we have entered the spring of 2025.

What aspect am I referring to dear reader? The subject of a price cap structure if the pay-per-view model is to continue. Before I delve into things further, I feel it important to state that I feel just as strongly that under a price cap structure, the issue and frankly danger of potential over use by promoters and networks would still exist and it would therefore be something that would need to be addressed.

Now, what exactly does this observer mean by implementing a price cap structure? In simple terms, putting a cap on how much a pay-per-view card could be priced regardless of what a main event might be. While some might laugh at such an idea, it is actually not a new concept and variations of a structure have been used before throughout the world with varying degrees of success. The most prominent example at least currently would be the pricing structure for pay-per-view events in the United Kingdom that are not priced above £25 (a little over $32 in U.S. dollars). By law, prices are kept at usually between £19.99-£21.99, but do not exceed that £25 mark, or at least I have never seen it done in various advertising materials I have observed that have circulated throughout the United Kingdom for various cards/events that were distributed via pay-per-view. While the United Kingdom did not get into the pay-per-view model until the 1990’s, such a pricing structure has proven to be successful in that it is not uncommon to see a card distributed via pay-per-view there do a million buys if not more there on a regular basis, which can be directly attributed to the affordable price points.

Here in the United States, there is no set price cap structure, but there have been times where the concept has at least been flirted with. Those of us of a certain age might remember a time where advertising and marketing for pay-per-view Boxing cards would not only promote an event heavily in the days and weeks prior to it, but depending on the cable/satellite provider and pay-per-view distributor, there would be a reduced price offered to customers if one chose to order an event prior to the day it was scheduled to take place. Throughout the 1980’s and much of the 1990’s, most price points, regardless of when an event was ordered, did not exceed $40.

During the mid-1990’s, a period of time when this observer was in his teenage years, but also the period of time I began my career as a writer covering Boxing as well as other combat sports, I spent time living in the New York area, and one thing about that time that sticks in my mind even over thirty years later, was the cable provider I had access to at the time did a few experimental things with regard to their Boxing pay-per-view offerings that should have been groundbreaking and somewhat of what I think could be achieved under a price cap structure if implemented properly.

At the time, Mike Tyson was in the midst of his comeback and seemingly after every Tyson card, which were often full top to bottom with competitive fights, there would inevitably be complaints that the fight did not last long enough to justify what was then seen as an expensive price point. (Between $34.95-$44.95 depending on cable provider/pay-per-view distributor.) Where I was at the time, my family and I had access to one of the numerous variations of cable providers that did business under the Cablevision banner. Both due to the length of time between back then and when this column is being penned by yours truly, I am unclear as to whether this was the main Cablevision provider in the New York area or an affiliate of that provider. I point this out for accuracy purposes. 

The concept that Cablevision came up with was a $9.95 per round idea. Before anyone misunderstands this idea, what it was, was one where say if a pay-per-view card was priced at $50, what they would do is have the concept that if the main event ended before round six, there would be a reduced price for the event. Meaning, if the main event ended in the first round the cost to those who ordered it would be $9.95. If it went five full rounds then they would pay the full $50 price, but it would be capped at that price point meaning that if a fight went six rounds or beyond, the price did not exceed $50. Cablevision was also the first cable provider in my recollection to experiment with the idea of packaging for pay-per-view events. For context, some may not remember that back in the mid to late 1990’s, both Showtime and HBO through their respective pay-per-view divisions Showtime Event Television (SET Pay-Per-View) and TVKO (Later renamed HBO Pay-Per-View) did cards on a seemingly rotating basis. If not every one to two months, it seemed as though they would at minimum rotate fiscal quarters where one would stage a pay-per-view card followed by the other in the next either month, bi-month, or fiscal quarter. 

In an attempt to follow up on their $9.95 per round concept for a time, Cablevision decided to offer pay-per-view Boxing events as a package. Say for example there were four separate pay-per-view cards on the calendar for the upcoming months. The cable provider would offer those events as a package for one price, while also giving the customer the option if they did not want to purchase the package to purchase them separately at each event’s respective full price. While I am not certain as to how long this concept lasted as I was in the process of moving at the time, it should show that there was at least the idea of offering value to the consumer for a single set price even as far back as thirty years ago long before the concept of streaming became mainstream. 

With that trip for this observer down memory lane concluded, the question is should a pricing cap structure be implemented here in the global streaming era as consumers move away from traditional cable/satellite television and towards subscription-based streaming and with pay-per-view distributors like InDemand (Formerly Viewer’s Choice) preparing to cease operations if pay-per-view is to continue to exist beyond 2025. The main hurdle obviously would be for promoters and networks to if not so much to agree to such a structure, but also to do so regardless of who might be on the card in order to put an emphasis on value for the consumer. While one would think the evidence of declining buy numbers and the issue of one aspect everyone including those of us who cover the sport do not like discussing, piracy, would be enough to bring all the above to the table both for their benefit as well as the overall health of the sport, it is a difficult task if nothing else because of each network’s and respective promoters vested interest. 

Recently, however, those behind the Riyadh Season-promoted Boxing cards staged in Saudi Arabia and throughout the world have seemed to gradually start implementing if not a price cap structure of it’s pay-per-view cards, at least a budget-friendly one for it’s pay-per-view cards with prices being under $30 in most cases. Although this is not a set structure as of this writing, at minimum, it shows that at least one promoter or brand is seeing the need to adapt. Adaptation, however, does not always mean that cards will be overwhelmingly successful even at a reduced/budget-friendly price point and should like everything else be viewed on a case-by-case basis. 

The recent pay-per-view card headlined by the rematch for the Undisputed World Light-Heavyweight championship between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol, which was priced at $26.99 on DAZN Pay-Per-View here in the United States reportedly did 45,000 total buys. While not a reflection or either fighter’s standing in the sport, it is important to keep in mind that their first encounter in October of last year was offered free in the United States via ESPN+, while the undercard was offered as a $19.99 pay-per-view on DAZN. Whether the fact that the first fight being offered free as part of an ESPN+ subscription negatively impacted buys for the rematch, despite the full card being available on one platform globally rather than split between two platforms with a combination of included with subscription and paid add-on, is subject to debate. 

This observer feels it is more an indication that the number of cards offered on pay-per-view needs to be reduced if not outright done away with, which the latter I maintain would be better both for the sport and consumers in the long run. The problem then becomes both how would the number of cards be reduced and would promoters and networks be willing to keep the remaining slate of cards on subscription-based models like the one DAZN has, regardless of who might be on the top of those cards in order to keep pay-per-view offerings to a minimum where the concept can be both budget-friendly and viewed as special occasions in the sport where folks might be more willing to pay for those events legally. 

Unfortunately, regardless of how budget-friendly events are priced there will always be those who will look for free access to events. Although I am not one who supports the mentality of looking for not so legal workarounds to access events, I do sympathize with those who feel Boxing pay-per-views has become to expensive, which is one reason why I am in favor of replacing pay-per-view with reasonably priced subscription-based alternatives, which offer more content and value for the price rather than a pay-per-view on a per event basis model. As far as how things can be reduced, I believe that those who insist on the pay-per-view model should look back at how things were done in the 1980’s and for part of the 1990’s where the vast majority of Boxing events were split between either free over the air broadcast television on networks like ABC, NBC, CBS, and for a time Fox, and premium cable networks like HBO, Showtime, and basic cable networks like USA Network and ESPN. Those that were reserved for pay-per-view were considered major events, to the point where if one of the aforementioned networks did not produce those events and have a prearranged agreement in place, saw lucrative deals for rebroadcast/replay rights, were reasonably priced and were not frequently used so the value to the consumer remained.

Even now in a digital streaming era, it is important to keep value to the consumer as the main priority. Perhaps what should happen would amount to a reset of the model back to what it was in the aforementioned period, but with the difference being it taking place on streaming networks/platforms rather than free over the air television or premium/basic cable networks. Whether that means pay-per-view being used four times a year, which would amount to once per fiscal quarter or maybe between six or eight times a year, subscription-based models should be seen as the main selling point where pay-per-view is used strictly for special occasions even though they will be hosted on the same platforms. It will come down to whether those in the sport can for lack of a better term, get out of their own way and realize that things need to change, if they can set their respective egos aside, they should also realize that it will benefit themselves, the sport, and the fighters that compete in it in the long run. In the meantime, I would like to see most of the Boxing pay-per-view offerings capped under $40 regardless of whether it is offered via DAZN, ESPN+, or Prime Video.

Although that $40 figure is only a suggestion from someone who truly cares about the sport and wants to see it grow and thrive, and obviously in the case of DAZN and Prime Video, would vary by country given that they are global network platforms, I believe if pay-per-view is not used too often and is capped at $40 and not used as a starting price point, but the cap that it will not exceed,, at minimum things might improve, despite subscription-based models, which already exist offering better value and will only benefit those networks in the long term.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”

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BREAKING: Whyte Forced To Withdraw From Joyce Fight Due To Injury

It has been reported by TalkSport out of the United Kingdom that Heavyweight contender and former world title challenger Dillian Whyte has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled April 5th bout with Heavyweight contender Joe Joyce due to what is at this time an undisclosed injury. The bout, which was due to headline a fight card at the Manchester Arena in Manchester England as part of Queensberry Promotions global debut on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN might be salvaged as Joyce is reportedly looking for a new opponent to step in for Whyte.

We will keep readers updated on developments as they become available.

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QUEENSBERRY AND DAZN ANNOUNCE HUGE OPENING SCHEDULE

Press Release: February 10, 2025 By DAZN-  

 

Dillian Whyte takes on Joe Joyce, while Lawrence Okolie and Richard Riakporhe look to settle their rivalry, in a huge British Heavyweight fight night at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday, April 5.

Anthony Cacace will square off against former Featherweight world champion Leigh Wood at the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Saturday, May 10.

New Queensberry signing and former undisputed Super Lightweight world champion Josh Taylor faces Ekow Essuman in Glasgow in May.

From 1 April 2025, DAZN will be the exclusive global broadcast partner of Queensberry Promotions, bringing its elite boxing events to fans worldwide for the first time.

 

LONDON, 10 FEBRUARY 2025 – Queensberry Promotions (“Queensberry”), a leading boxing promotion company founded by Hall of Fame promoter Frank Warren, can proudly reveal its bumper opening schedule with DAZN, the world’s leading sports entertainment platform, with the action starting with a heavyweight spectacular at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday, April 5.

 

The new Co-op Live will rock to the beat of the heavyweights when the popular former world title challenger Dillian Whyte (31-3, 28KOs) goes up against the “Juggernaut”, former interim WBO world title holder, Joe Joyce (16-3, 15KOs).

 

In the co-main event, two-weight world champion and now WBC Silver heavyweight champion Lawrence Okolie (21-1, 16KOs) will take on his big London rival and world cruiserweight title challenger Richard Riakporhe (17-1, 13KOs).

 

The heavyweight headline matchups are completed by English champion David Adeleye (13-1, 12KOs) facing Jeamie “TKV” Tshikeva (8-1, 5KOs) and Olympian Delicious Orie, who will be making his professional debut.

 

From Manchester, the Queensberry fight train will head to the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham on Saturday, May 10 and then Glasgow later in May.

 

A month later in Nottingham, Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8KOs) will defend his IBO super featherweight world championship against local hero and former featherweight world champion Leigh Wood (28-3, 17KOs). Another Nottingham favourite, WBC International light heavyweight champion Ezra Taylor (10-0, 7 KOs), will be on the card.

 

Then later in May in  Glasgow, new Queensberry signing and former undisputed super lightweight world champion Josh Taylor (19-2, 13KOs) makes a move up to welterweight, as he takes on former British champion and current WBO European title holder Ekow Essuman (21-1, 8KOs). Also on the card, Edinburgh’s WBC International champion Lee McGregor (15-1-1, 11KOs) will face fellow Scot Nathaniel Collins (15-0).

 

 

This trio of boxing events will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN, available to fans globally, as part of DAZN’s multi-year media rights deal with Queensberry.

 

“We’ve assembled a bumper lineup of cracking fights to celebrate the start of our relationship with DAZN,” said Queensberry Promotions Founder and Chairman, Frank Warren.

 

“We are starting as we mean to go on and, as you might expect, the heavyweights will play a big, big part in 2025 and beyond. Then Nottingham is the place to be the following month for a real banger of a fight between Anto Cacace and Leigh Wood. It is the sort of domestic blockbuster we will be seeing plenty of across the partnership between Queensberry and DAZN.

 

I am also so much looking forward to returning to Scotland with the nation’s biggest star and our latest signing, Josh Taylor, headlining and rebooting his career at welterweight, where I believe he can again do big things, but he will be up against it with Ekow Essuman in the opposite corner.”

 

Michael Ridout, EVP New Business at DAZN, said: “This schedule of fights will showcase the best of boxing talent across weight classes. As the global home of boxing, DAZN is committed to bringing the most exciting and nail-biting fights like these to fans around the world who love the sport. This is only the start of DAZN’s landmark partnership with Queensberry, and we look for forward to delivering more high-calibre bouts, while providing an unparalleled viewing experience.”

Material  and Photos courtesy of: DAZN  Used with permission. 

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Shields To Defend Unified World Heavyweight Crown In Homecoming

When the history of Boxing is written, one fighter who will be able to take credit for elevating the sport for female fighters to levels previously unthought of by many is undefeated five-division world champion Claressa Shields. If there is one word to describe Shields’ career up to this point in Boxing it would be “Dominant." First emerging on the mainstream scene as the only fighter in United States Boxing history female or male to have won two Olympic Gold medals in two consecutive Olympic Games in 2012 and 2016. Since turning pro late in 2016, she has continued to defeat all challengers compiling a record of 15-0, with 3 Knockouts and becoming an undisputed world champion as a Middleweight and Super-Middleweight, just part of an already Hall of 

Fame career that has thus far seen her win world titles in five weight divisions from Jr. Middleweight to Heavyweight.

It was in her last fight in July of last year where Shields became the unified World Heavyweight champion in scoring a second round knockout of WBC world champion Vanessa Joanisse in a fight where both the WBC and WBF World Heavyweight titles were on the line as well as the vacant WBO Light-Heavyweight world championship, giving Shields the added distinction of being only the second fighter behind the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard to have won world titles in multiple weight divisions in a single fight. An accomplishment that Leonard achieved in November 1988 when he scored a thrilling ninth round knockout of WBC Light-Heavyweight world champion Donny Lalonde, where the then newly created WBC Super-Middleweight championship in what was then a new division in the sport, was also on the line in what turned out to be regarded as one of the greatest fights of the 1980’s. While Shields’ accomplishment may not get the attention it should from some, primarily because, despite Women's Boxing having been active since the 1960’s, the sport is still very much growing and due largely to Shields’ stature throughout the entire sport, has finally been able to gain long overdue exposure and acceptance, which has in turn allowed for delayed growth with the introduction of new weight classes for female fighters.

While Shields has also ventured into the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) where she has compiled a record of 2-1, with 1 Knockout, her legacy in Boxing has continued as the subject of the recently released film The Fire Inside, which tells her life story. Shields’ story, however, will continue as she returns to her hometown of Flint, MI on Sunday, February 2nd to defend her unified World Heavyweight championship against undefeated contender Danielle Perkins at the Dort Financial Center. A fight that can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.

While this has the appearance of and frankly is a homecoming for the champion, there is an element of the unknown here that Shields will have to contend with in not only facing a taller and physically bigger opponent in the 6’0 Perkins, but also the question of whether Shields, who began her career in the 154lb. Jr. Middleweight division, will be able to take the punch of a Heavyweight. Although Shields was not tested in that regard when she won the unified Heavyweight crown in her last fight and frankly overwhelmed Vanessa Joanisse, at some point whether female or male, fighters who are not natural Heavyweights eventually hit a ceiling in terms of both how high or low they can go in weight as well as whether they can do so and continue to compete effectively. Though there is a significant difference between Women's and Men's Boxing in that female fighters tend to move up or down in weight more frequently due both to the sport still growing as well as for opportunities at different weight classes to fight for world titles as well as for financial incentives, much like their male counterparts, there comes a point where female fighters hit that ceiling. 

The champion will have an edge in experience over Danielle Perkins, who will enter this fight, her first challenge for a world championship, unbeaten with a record of 5-0, with 1 Knockout. Perkins turned pro during the global COVID-19 epidemic in the summer of 2020, but will be fighting for only the third time since a three year layoff began in 2021. A question the challenger will have to answer here, despite having the physical advantage over the 5’8 champion, is whether both a limited resume against relatively unknown opposition as well as only competing two times since her hiatus will be enough preparation to succeed against a fighter of Shields’ caliber. It will also be interesting to see how Perkins will deal with the combination punching of the champion, which often comes in volume and has proven challenging for previous opponents to combat even though Shields is not known for her punching power. The bottom line is Claressa Shields knows how to win rounds and with the majority of women's bouts still fought under rounds that are two minutes in length, Perkins will have to find a way to disrupt Shields and keep her from finding a rhythm if she wants to be successful in this fight.

Although there is not much more to say to build this fight up for the reader, it is the next chapter in the story of a great fighter, who through her achievements has been able to elevate her sport to new levels globally where fights featuring female combatants are not only featured regularly on Boxing cards here in the United States and around the world, but are now regularly featured in the main events on cards also featuring men's bouts. While the United States was late to the party in that regard as women's bouts had regularly main evented cards internationally for several years prior to Shields’ success in the Olympics as well as her professional achievements, the progress for women in the sport should not be ignored and this fight is another example of that progression for Women's Boxing.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

(* UPDATE: As this column was being prepared for publishing, it was learned that the vacant IBF, WBO, and WBA Women's World Heavyweight championships will also be on the line in addition to the WBC and WBF world titles currently held by Shields making the winner of this fight the first Undisputed Women's World Heavyweight champion in Boxing history.*)

Shields vs. Perkins takes place on Sunday, February 2nd at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, MI. The fight can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN beginning at 7:30PM ET/4:30PM PT (U.S. Times Only). For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

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DAZN TO BROADCAST HISTORIC “THE LAST CRESCENDO” BOXING EVENT LIVE WORLDWIDE

Press Release: January 30, 2025 By DAZN- 

Light Heavyweight Rematch Between

Beterbiev and Bivol Headlines an Unmissable Night on Saturday, 22 February 2025 

 

LONDON – January 29, 2025 – DAZN, the global home of boxing, can announce that

 it will broadcast The Last Crescendo, 

the fight card of the century, live on Saturday, 22 February 2025 worldwide. The PPV is available for purchase now

 from DAZN.com/boxing

 

 

This monumental event, part of Riyadh Season, will take place at the ANB Arena in Saudi Arabia and features a stellar line-up of championship bouts, headlined by the highly anticipated rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight World Championship. 

 

Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs), the reigning champion and one of boxing’s most impressive fights, is set to defend his perfect record in a rematch against Bivol (21-1, 11 KOs), who is determined to avenge his 2024 loss in what was one of the greatest bouts of the modern era. This headline fight promises to be another unforgettable chapter in boxing history. 

 

Also on the card, IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois will defend his title against former WBO champion Joseph Parker, in what many expect to be an equally exciting clash. Dubois,

 who shocked the boxing world with a stunning knockout victory over Anthony Joshua last September, looks to continue his meteoric rise. Meanwhile, Parker aims to reclaim championship glory. 

 

The night will feature an exciting slate of

additional bouts, including: 

 

·        

A WBC middleweight title showdown between

Carlos Adames and Hamzah Sheeraz, with

Sheeraz coming off a standout 2024. 

·        

Zhilei Zhang

 facing Agit Kabayel for the WBC interim heavyweight title after Zhang’s emphatic knockout of Deontay Wilder last year. 

·        

A super welterweight interim title clash between

Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Israil

Madrimov. 

·        

Shakur Stevenson defending his lightweight title against

Floyd Schofield. 

·        

British stars

Joshua Buatsi and Callum Smith battling for the interim WBO light heavyweight title. 

 

The card also highlights local talent with Saudi fighters Ziyad

Almaayouf and Mohammed Alaqel, whose opponents will be announced soon. 

 

“This is a night that truly encapsulates the spirit of boxing – the best fighting the best on a global stage,” said Pete Oliver, CEO of Growth Markets at DAZN. “We are proud to bring

 this extraordinary event to fight fans worldwide, as Riyadh once again proves itself as the premier destination for world-class sports and entertainment. From the blockbuster

Beterbiev-Bivol rematch to Dubois defending his crown,

The Last Crescendo promises to be a spectacle unlike any other. Fans will be able to watch every moment of the action on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing”. 

Material Courtesy of: DAZN Used with permission.

For more information about DAZN including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to subscribe and order this pay-per-view event and for specific pricing in your region of the world please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

BKFC Fight Night Pechanga January 18, 2025 Results From Pechanga, CA

Welterweight Evgenii Kurdanov scored a five round unanimous decision over former Bareknuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) World Welterweight champion Elvin Brito on Saturday night at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Pechanga, CA. A very tactical fight from the opening bell that saw both fighters trying to find openings and looking to counter each other in what were five very closely fought rounds, it was ultimately, Kurdanov’s better timing, combination punching in close, and ring generalship that ultimately proved to be the difference as Kurdanov scored the unanimous decision victory over the currently rated number five rated BKFC Welterweight contender in Brito.  Official scores were: 50-45 (On two scorecards) and 49-46 for Kurdanov. Evgenii Kurdanov advances to 5-2, with 0 Knockouts. Elvin Brito falls to 6-6, with 2 Knockouts.

Also on this card:

Lightweight Robbie Peralta scored a five round unanimous decision over Jordan Christensen. Peralta controlled the tempo of the combat early throwing jabs to the body and following it up with right hands to the head. As the fight progressed Christensen had periodic success, but was unable to break the rhythm and Peralta was able to secure the unanimous decision. Official scores were: 50-45 (On two scorecards) and 49-46 in favor of Peralta. Robbie Peralta advances to 4-2, with 0 Knockouts. Jordan Christensen falls to 3-6, with 2 Knockouts.

In a battle of unbeaten Welterweights, Ryan Petersen scored a five round decision over previously unbeaten Matt Sochlotiuk. Peterson dominated the first three rounds of this fight with combinations to the body and head as well as opening a cut under the right eye of Sochlotiuk. Sochlotiuk was able to turn the momentum slightly in rounds four and five by forcing the fight in close, which saw several heated exchanges, but he was unable to turn things in his favor.Official scores were: 49-46 (On two scorecards) and 50-45 all for Petersen. Ryan Petersen advances to 2-0 with 1 Knockout. Matt Sochlotiuk falls to 2-1, with 2 Knockouts.

Also in the Welterweight division,  Rodney Thomas scored a five round unanimous decision over Art Driscoll. Thomas scored a knockdown with a double left hook to the head in round two and floored Driscoll for a second time with a flush left hook the the jaw in round three that appeared for a moment to end the fight, but Driscoll was able to get up and made it to the final bell. Official scores were: 49-44 (On two scorecards), and 48-45 all in favor of Thomas. Rodney Thomas advances to 1-2, with 0 Knockouts. Art Driscoll falls to 0-3, with 0 Knockouts.

Lightweight Mike Andaya scored a second round knockout in his Barekuckle debut of Dan Godoy. A slow tactical first round where neither fighter stood out suddenly came to an end in the second round when Godoy was dropped by a jab to the eye that seemed to cause a delayed reaction and Godoy could not continue. Official time of the stoppage was :45 of round two. Mike Andaya advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout. Dan Godoy falls to 0-3, with 0 Knockouts. 

Heavyweight Caleb Avila scored the first win of his Bareknuckle career with a third round stoppage of Tylor Sijohn. Avila dropped Sijohn for the first time with a counter right hand in the first round, this would be followed by both fighters going down in the second round in what was ruled a slip. Despite landing wide overhand rights of his own that periodically stunned Avila, Sijohn would be sent down for the second time in round two by a right hook, left hook combination. At this point in the fight, Sijohn looked utterly exhausted by the pace of the fight and the punishment he sustained. Three more knockdowns of Sijohn that seemed in part due to his exhaustion followed in round three before the fight was stopped. Official time of the stoppage was 1:25 of round three. Caleb Avila advances to 1-1, with 1 Knockout. Tylor Sijohn falls to 0-2, with 0 Knockuts.

Also in the Heavyweight division, Iman Williams, son of former Heavyweight contender Jeremy Williams made his Bareknuckle professional debut with a first round knockout of Gabriel Mota. A jab opened a cut on the bridge of the nose of Mota and a left hook to the body caused Mota to go down in a delayed reaction for the count of ten.  Official time of the stoppage was 1:54 of round one.Iman Williams advances to 1-0, with 1 Knockout. Gabriel Mota falls to 1-3, with 1 Knockout. 

Middleweight Jeremy Sauceda scored a first round knockout of Luis Villasenor. Sauceda scored a knockdown with a counter right hand early in the first round and then dropped Villasenor for a second time with an uppercut. Villasensor took the ten count indicating an ankle injury. Official time of the stoppage was :38 of round one. Jeremy Sauceda advances to 2-2, with 2 Knockouts. Luis Villasenor falls to 1-2 with 1 Knockout. 

Flyweights Justyn Martinez and Alexander Gutierrez began the evening in a fight that saw two clinches where Martinez jumped on Gutierrez similar to an MMA grapple. On the second occasion, Gutierrez claimed a back injury and the bout was stopped with Martinez being declared the winner via technical knockout. Gutierrez was livid and contended that Martinez should have been disqualified. Official time of the stoppage was 1:05 of round one. Justyn Martinez advances to 1-4-1NC, with 1 Knockout. Alexander Gutierrez falls to 1-1, with 0 Knockouts. 

The first event for the BKFC for 2025 took place in the midst of the ongoing situation involving the wildfire disaster that has severely impacted the state of California. While sports is gradually starting to resume in the state the BKFC is among the first to offer a much-needed diviersion for those who have been impacted by the disaster. 

In terms of what took place inside the BKFC squared circle ring, we saw elements of a sport that is still very much growing under the modernized Bareknuckle format, which has seen several Bareknuckle-based promoters emerge as players in the Bareknuckle end of the sport of Boxing. For Evgenii Kurdanov, it will be interesting to see where he emerges in the upcoming BKFC Welterweight rankings, having defeated not only a former world champion, but one who was rated in the top five currently in the Welterweight division in Elvin Brito. How this will factor into the future plans of recently crowned BKFC World Welterweight champion Austin Trout, who has an undefeated record in Bareknuckle bouts since moving from traditional pro Boxing remains to be seen. Trout, who won the championship in October of last year with a unanimous decision over Ricardo Franco, currently has no bouts formerly announced to defend his title. With a Bareknuckle record of 3-0, with 1 Knockout, however, Trout will likely face at least one of the current top contenders in the BKFC Welterweight division at some point this year. Although the also unbeaten Carlos Trinidad (6-0, with 4 Knockouts) is the current BKFC number one Welterweight contender at the time of this writing, it will be interesting to see if Evgenii Kurdanov has made a strong enough argument to potentially get a shot at Trout next, or at minimum, possibly face the winner of a fight between Trout and Trinidad. He has certainly earned a place in the discussion of likely future challengers.  With the first event on the 2024 calendar in the books for the BKFC, as the promotion headed by promoter David Feldman prepares to travel to Philadelphia, PA for it’s Knucklemania 5 card on January 25th, which will be broadcast globally on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN, the goings of Evgenii Kurdanov, Iman Williams, and several other fighters who appeared on the first card of 2025, will be a likely topic of discussion throughout the sport as 2025 progresses.

“And That’s The Boxing Truth. “

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A Boxing Wishlist For 2025

Introduction:

It is that time of year once again. What has become a yearly tradition here at The Boxing Truth® ️ where this observer begins the new year by sharing his “Boxing Wishlist" with the dear readers who have followed my writings over the many years I have covered Boxing and by extension combat sports. By the title of this column for those who are unfamiliar with previous editions, this is a list of things that I would like to see happen in the sport of Boxing during the course of the new year. It also should be pointed out for those who may be reading the “Boxing Wishlist" put out by yours truly for the first time that this is not a standard list in the sense of a numbered list from 1-10 for example, but rather a condensed selection of topics that will be highlighted in Bold that I will try to discuss in both a detailed as well as a condensed form as possible within the context of a single column. While I always hope to add new topics that have not been featured before in previous years, unfortunately, circumstances do warrant some things to remain on the list, but will be obviously updated for present context as is necessary.

As has also become standard over the years as this list has evolved into a yearly tradition, this year's list is being compiled in the latter days of 2024 while yours truly is recuperating after what was a busy year for the sport and also a challenging one for me personally. For the purposes of this year's list, it is being composed before the World Heavyweight championship rematch between champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, which was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on December 21st. Delayed coverage of that encounter will be covered in a separate column that will be released on Tuesday, January 7th. Without any further ado, it is time to get into this year's “Boxing Wishlist." 

A " Boxing Wishlist For 2025”:

A Possible Consolidation Of Boxing’s Power Brokers (Promoters) Under One Broadcast Platform:

This is a subject that is both interesting and could be viewed as both good and bad for the sport depending on one’s perspective. One of the more consistent themes of this observer’s work over the last thirteen or so years has been the emergence of digital streaming networks and more specifically, how subscription-based streaming has the opportunity to bring Boxing into a new era that offers both better value and is more cost effective for consumers. A significant part of this particular theme since 2018 has been the inception of DAZN and ESPN+, two digital streaming networks dedicated exclusively to sports that quickly emerged as successors to previous broadcast powerhouses HBO and Showtime, two premium cable networks that have since both exited Boxing.

Although both networks have offered Boxing fans considerably more content than had previously been offered prior to the advent of streaming and have done so mostly under a subscription-based model, it has been DAZN that has grown significantly to house several promoters respective events all under their broadcast banner including Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Universum Box Promotions, Dmitry Salita’s Salita Promotions, and most recently Frank Warren's Queensberry Promotions to name a few of what is becoming a deep and global roster of promotional entities ranging from the top of the sport to promoters on the regional level worldwide.

While it is a testament to the growth of DAZN not just in regard to their involvement in Boxing, but also their ongoing investment in securing additional sporting rights as well as continued expansion of their network around the world, the network is poised to continue building momentum in 2025 and may further add to it's Boxing roster, which could increase the likelihood of the network becoming as close to a one stop destination for all things Boxing that is frankly uncharted territory. 

While this could also be seen as bad for the sport in the sense that it might limit competition if most of Boxing's major promoters and even regional promoters around the world will be openly seeking one platform, for the respective other platforms that exist in the sport, which in regard to here in the United States consist of in addition to ESPN/ESPN+, ProBox TV, Triller TV, Prime Video, and Peacock, like DAZN and ESPN, all of the above are largely streaming-based networks, but it will be interesting to see if ESPN for example, who is preparing to revamp their streaming offering to include access to the ESPN linear cable networks, without requiring a Pay-TV provider to access those feeds through the ESPN app, will be looking to either increase their involvement in the sport or potentially at minimum scale back as the network’s agreement with Hall of Fame promoter Bob Arum's Top Rank Boxing is due to conclude in the Summer of 2025, which has also fueled speculation that Arum could potentially be next to join DAZN’s roster.

Although as of this writing, the latter is speculation and yours truly does not like partaking in the practice of rumor gossip, if Arum is indeed preparing to switch platforms, it will be interesting to see what ESPN and the other networks involved in Boxing might do. Even though DAZN has built a roster of promoters and Boxing programming the sport has never seen before, there is always no shortage of promoters worldwide who will always be looking to make their footprint in the sport and it will be very interesting to see if ESPN and Arum do part ways if the network will look to a different promoter who is not currently signed to any of the aforementioned networks and give them a platform in which to try and make that footprint just as it allowed Arum to do initially beginning in 1980 when Arum’s Top Rank became the first major promoter to provide Boxing on a weekly basis on what was then a network in it's early stages in ESPN. There is also always the possibility given what has happened in the last decade with HBO and Showtime that ESPN, though sports centric, might opt to move in a different direction away from Boxing, which if that were to happen, would open a potential window of opportunity for the other networks that have been mentioned here outside of DAZN to potentially expand their involvement in the sport. How this will all play out obviously remains to be seen, but the question is how could this benefit consumers, which leads to the next and all too familiar item that remains a staple of this observer’s annual “Boxing Wishlist." 

The Need For Boxing To Finally Embrace Subscription-Based Models Over Pay-Per-View:

This one admittedly is the one item on the list year over year that has seen very little change, perhaps due to the stubbornness of those in the sport who are hell-bent on sticking with what has been an outdated and overpriced model for years, as well as yours truly’s refusal to stop speaking up on something I sincerely feel needs to change, not for the benefit of myself, but for the sport I have loved all my life and have covered for most of it.

The silver-lining to a significant amount of promoters all being under one broadcast platform in DAZN, which is a global network, however, just might give the network the opportunity to get back to it's original strategy upon its inception here in the United States in 2018, which in turn would ultimately benefit consumers. Top level Boxing cards under a reasonably priced subscription-based model without the need for subscribers to pay an additional pay-per-view fee to access the sport’s major events on DAZN’s platform.

Those who are knowledgeable on the subject know that DAZN, while remaining a subscription-based network, has deviated from their original promise and has offered Boxing cards including some “Influencer Boxing" events which have required an additional pay-per-view fee, which began in 2022 as a likely response to both coming out of the global COVID-19 epidemic in an attempt to recoup losses, which began for many in the television and streaming industries when the world was brought to a standstill in 2020, as well as a way to get fighters and promoters, who have insisted, despite the significant evidence of pay-per-view being in decline, to continue to use the model, to bring them to their platform.

Those who have followed my work going back to the mid-1990’s when I began my writing journey and entered the sport as a writer, but also spent several years covering the professional wrestling industry as well as periodically also covering Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)  in several online and print publications that predated The Boxing Truth®️, the outlet which I own and operate, know that I have frequently and unapologetically criticized the pay-per-view model, primarily over increasing costs as years have gone on as well as the frequency in which the model has been used in that a vast majority of pay-per-view events were put on pay-per-view as a requirement in contractual agreements and/or demands of promoters and even some fighters, more so than it being a significant event, deemed special that would draw a significant audience. Although I can be significantly more thorough, I will give a brief background into what ultimately convinced me that pay-per-view created more problems for Boxing than it solved. I came into this world in the 1980’s. Back then, pay-per-view as well as the cable/satellite industry as a whole were in its initial growing stages. In the context of Boxing and for a period of time Professional Wrestling, saw their major events shown on closed-circuit television in arenas, and theaters throughout much of the United States, but also on cable/satellite pay-per-view where it was available at that time. 

While there was also a difference back then in how those events were presented in that it was presented as a special event and featured a look and feel of something one would not see on standard television broadcasts of either medium at that time, the prices also were limited to between $15-$30 depending on the market you were in and those events were occasional, which made it feel more special, though pro wrestling was the first to eventually expand on the occasional special event to something that would evolve to one event per fiscal quarter by the time the 1980’s came to an end.

With the brief trip down memory lane now also concluded, I should not have to tell those who are knowledgeable that pay-per-view is no longer the budget friendly model that it once was and in regard to Boxing the feel of the true “Special Event" is at best a rarity. Despite this fact and the continued decline of the model with very rare exceptions, promoters still continue to use pay-per-view, even as evidence of the success of reasonably priced subscription-based models exist and could help the sport significantly in the long-term.

One need look no further than the recent event featuring social media influencer, turned aspiring boxer Jake Paul and 58 year old former two-time Heavyweight world champion and Hall of Famer Mike Tyson in November of last year. A controversial event for a few reasons, but one that, despite Mike Tyson's status as once the biggest draw in the sport in the 1980’s and more specifically throughout much of the 1990’s where the latter period saw most of his fights carried on pay-per-view, the Tyson-Paul event was not a pay-per-view attraction, but was instead offered on digital subscription entertainment network Netflix.

While the event was not without its share of controversy both for what occurred inside the ring, but more specifically relating to issues with the live broadcast stream of the event, which was significant, the event, which was also archived for on-demand viewing without any of the issues that plagued the live broadcast, drew an audience of 108 million subscribers globally for the network that has recently ventured into live sports including carrying two NFL football games on Christmas Day, which thankfully did not have any issues with the live broadcasts and also drew massive numbers around the world, but also signing a deal with WWE to broadcast its flagship Monday Night Raw weekly series in the United States as of this week (January 6, 2025), as well as becoming the global distributor of WWE Network internationally including all of the company's weekly programming, library of past events, as well as live premium live events, (Previously known as pay-per-view) which will likely include the United States market when the U.S. rights become available in 2026.

Although the agreements with both WWE and the NFL are clearly part of a much broader strategy by Netflix as it ventures into live sports and sports on-demand programming in expanding its content to grow it's subscriber base even further, the success of both the Tyson-Paul event as well as the NFL’s Christmas Day games which drew 65 million viewers in the United States alone, should serve as a wake up call to those Boxing hold outs as I call them that the time to move away from pay-per-view has come. Though we do not know as of this writing as to what plans might be in the works as for as Boxing is concerned for Netflix, these kinds of numbers could only be dreamed of via pay-per-view distribution even when the model was considered a bargain and budget-friendly for consumers. 

If one is looking for more evidence, longtime pay-per-view distributor InDemand, previously known as Viewer's Choice here in the United States when it launched in 1985, the leading pay-per-view distributor across cable and satellite television here in the United States as well as Canada announced last year that it will be ceasing operations by the end of 2025 ending forty years of service and for a lot of us who grew up with what was then Viewer's Choice as a pay-per-view provider, a lot of good memories of those “Special Events" as well as an alternative to movie theaters to view the blockbuster films of the day. While the distributor has said that it's streaming platform PPV.com will continue operating after the company closes, it should serve as yet another in a growing list of examples as to not only the lack of viability of the pay-per-view model in now 2025 at the time of this column's release, but of the decline of the cable/satellite industry as a whole. 

Although the possibility exists that a new distributor could emerge as cable and satellite providers look to survive in both their traditional forms as well as attempting to transition into offering live TV streaming packages and services rather than traditional cable or satellite service, the odds of both the pay-per-view model as well as cable and satellite models reverting back to an era of both being consumer friendly and consumer-embraced where both models are profitable for providers, distributors, as well as networks and promoters seems unlikely with subscription-based models easily accessible and consumer friendly on the market, which tends to offer considerably more content as well for the price.

Given all of this, it would seem logical that Boxing promoters and networks, rather than waiting for the inevitable collapse of what remains of cable, satellite, and pay-per-view, get out ahead of things and finally embrace subscription-based streaming as the future. In terms of the endless pursuit of seeking additional sources of revenue, which are always hoped-for, but rarely achieved by pay-per-view, the obvious route would be to both attempt lucrative broadcast agreements with streaming networks that would offer these (Pay-Per-View Quality) bouts to their subscribers as part of their subscription, something both DAZN and ESPN have done well when neither has deviated towards pay-per-view, but to also seek sponsorship deals and endorsements, which could effectively replace the pay-per-view model without forcing consumers all promoters attempt to draw to their events to incur additional costs. The bottom line is with much of the Boxing promotional landscape now either under one broadcast banner, or soon to be joining that banner, the argument of using pay-per-view as a way to draw fighters and promoters who insist on the model to the negotiating table, no longer holds water, nor does the excuse some promoters when confronted on the subject of “Market Changes" or blaming expensive prices, which often begin at a $70 price point as something that is the way things are done in the United States. There needs to be accountability of promoters and networks when decisions that ultimately do not benefit consumers are made. With the pay-per-view model suffering yet another blow with InDemands impending closure, one can only hope that common sense on the need to move away from an outdated model will finally come into the equation. On the subject of the implementation of “Common Sense" it coincidentally leads to the final item on this year's list that is also making a return.

To See Women's Boxing Moved To Three Minute Rounds And World Championship Fights Expanded To 12 Rounds:

Perhaps one subject besides the need for Boxing to move away from pay-per-view in order to make the sport more accessible to all as well as the need to seek new revenue streams as an effective strategy to effectively replace the model, which I am also proud to be associated with is my long-standing advocacy for Women's Boxing. To be more specific, wanting to see progress made for female fighters in the sport that would put women on similar footing to their male counterparts. In taking it a step further, two critical aspects, to see women's bouts moved from two minute rounds to three minutes, the same length as Men's bouts and to see world championship bouts in Women's Boxing go from a ten round distance to a twelve round distance, the same distance as men's world championship bouts.

Much like my stance on the pay-per-view model needing to be either significantly revamped, or outright done away with, this is something I will gladly continue banging the drum on until change occurs. With regard to pay-per-view, it's looking to and wanting to see the sport grow and be made accessible to more eyes regardless of economic level, my desire here for Women's Boxing can be summed up in a word “Equality." 

When Women's Boxing began to be featured on television in the mid-1990’s also coincidentally when I began my writing journey, to be frank, it was treated as an attraction more than it was regarded as the sport it was and still is. One of the main differences between women's bouts and men's bouts were that unlike men's fights,; where rounds were three minutes in duration, women were limited to two minute rounds.

Although the purpose in theory was first out of safety concerns and offered a selling point of “More Excitement" due to the quicker pace , women's combat sports has evolved and when one considers that in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) women's bouts are contested under either three five minute rounds for non-title fights or five, five minute rounds for world championship bouts, the same standards as what men's MMA bouts are contested under, the idea that women boxers should be limited to two minute rounds has less and less credibility.

To expand on this aspect, in the last two Olympic Boxing tournaments, women's bouts were held with three, three minute rounds and there were no instances of serious injury that could have been attributed to the length of time of a round. Furthermore, the additional minute not only allowed fighters time to pace themselves, but also it seemed to solve the the conundrum that often occurs in bouts held with two minute rounds that often result in close fights being scored draws by allowing the same round length as men's bouts, which allowed for more conclusive scoring.

On the professional side of the sport, some may remember the Women's world championship bout between Amanda Serrano and Danila Ramos, where Serrano put her unified World Featherweight championship on the line, which took place in October 2023 in Orlando, FL was contested with three minute rounds and also saw the bout extended to a twelve round distance, the same as men's world championship fights. There were no issues and Serrano was able to retain her championship with a convincing twelve round unanimous decision.

Despite Serrano wanting to continue competing under what is the standard format for men's bouts, three minute rounds and a twelve round distance for world title fights, unfortunately, there has not been a bout held in Women's Boxing since under the format. Frankly, I would like to know why? 

One of the benefits of Netflix' entry into Boxing with the Mike Tyson-Jake Paul event was the co-main event featured the highly anticipated rematch between Serrano and two-division world champion Katie Taylor. A delayed second encounter between two groundbreakers of the sport who made history in April 2023 when they met in Madison Square Garden for Taylor's Undisputed Lightweight championship of the world at that time. What was a great fight that brought tears to my eyes having long advocated for Women's Boxing, was the first Women's bout to main event a Boxing card in the main arena in Madison Square Garden and drew a sell out of over 20,000 people. As one who faced much criticism over the years and questions of why I covered women's bouts, it was a moment of validation not only for the two fighters, not only for the sport of Women's Boxing, but also for yours truly in a small way having long known what female fighters were capable of and holding firm in my stance that Women's Boxing needs to be under the same format as men's bouts. I will also concede that I had a similar emotional reaction during Serrano's fight with Ramos as the crowd in attendance at that fight gave the fighters one long steady standing ovation for the last several rounds of that fight, very similar to that which took place in Madison Square Garden when Taylor and Serrano met for the first time.

When I was informed that the Taylor-Serrano rematch would be taking place as the co-main event of the Tyson-Paul card, I immediately told anyone who asked me about the event or Tyson-Paul that irregardless of what happened in that fight, the Taylor-Serrano rematch would be worth the time to watch and would steal the show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Though it did not take long for me to be proven right yet again as the two fighters met again, this time for Taylor's Undisputed Jr. Welterweight world championship, I found myself a bit disappointed because like their first fight in Madison Square Garden, I feel an opportunity was missed here by not allowing the fight to be held with three minute rounds and with a twelve round distance.

Much like their first fight, a grueling and bloody back and forth battle occurred between Taylor and Serrano for ten hard rounds with Taylor once again emerging victorious by the slimmest of margins to retain her undisputed crown. Irregardless of the outcomes of those two fights, which had my votes for Fight of the year in 2023 and 2024, not just in Women's Boxing, but in the entire sport including men's bouts, I feel that style wise Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano could fight ten to twenty times and it would be closely fought from start to finish every single time. One should wonder, however, if the rivalry between these two trailblazers and future Hall of Famers would be even at one fight a piece or potentially even reversed with Serrano having two wins instead of Taylor if the two fighters had the benefit of three minute rounds and an extra two rounds that men who compete in world title fights are afforded. While the fights may have still ended up narrowly decided regardless of duration of round length or distance, simply based on the styles of the two fighters, they deserved three minute rounds and two extra rounds to try to determine a more conclusive outcome. 

My hope for 2025 for Women's Boxing is that those who have stood in the way of progress whether they be sanctioning organizations and/or state and international athletic regulatory boards finally realize that with more women's bouts being held around the world than ever before, with more and more women's fights being positioned as main events on cards also featuring men's bouts, there is no longer a reason to deny female fighters the opportunity to fight under a three minute round or to compete in a twelve round fight in a world championship fight. The time for further steps for equality has come and if top female fighters in the sport are not going to yet be given similar pay as their male counterparts, which they also deserve and is overdue, the least the powers that be in the sport can do is take one step forward by allowing women to compete under the same format as men even if the issue of similar purses for female fighters is a bridge yet to be crossed, but one that much like three minute rounds and the same distance as men's bouts needs to be crossed sooner than later. Female fighters do take the same risks as male fighters take by getting in the ring after all.

Conclusion:

As always by definition the items on this list for now remain “Wishes", but are not ones with the benefit of this observer in mind, but of the sport of Boxing as a whole, the fighters who compete in it and put their lives on the line, and the fans who support it in good times and bad year after year. While some items have remained on the list year after year as circumstances dictate, there are several other things that have been discussed over the years in previous editions of the “Boxing Wishlist" that are as relevant today as they were when they were featured and well likely be featured again in the days, weeks, months, and indeed years when appropriate. With frankly too many of those items to list in the context of one column, it is my hope that this condensed list will not only see progress made as 2025 moves along, but also that the powers that be in the sport take a look and realize that my goal is and has always been from the moment I began my writing journey 30 years ago to benefit Boxing, to advocate for the sport, the fighters, and the fans that support the sport. It is something that has not and will not change. 

With all the above now said and done, it is now time to see what 2025 has in store for the sport of Boxing.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

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