A formal announcement of Golden Boy Promotions striking an agreement with DAZN on a multi-year extension is said to be “forthcoming,” a development that further strengthens the streaming network’s boxing coverage.

Officials including a DAZN spokesman and Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya did not immediately respond to messages left by BoxingScene on Friday following a first report of the looming agreement by Fights Around The World.

Another official told BoxingScene the deal was signed Friday.

Golden Boy’s past agreement with DAZN ended December 31, but the sides paired for two more California shows this year – a January card in Palm Springs and a Saturday show in Anaheim – as they continued to negotiate.

Earlier this week, DAZN – which already has streaming deals in place with UK-based Matchroom and Queensberry – announced a multi-year, non-exclusive agreement with Bob Arum’s Top Rank that is expected to launch later this spring. DAZN also offers Salita Promotions cards.

With Golden Boy, DAZN renews ties to the De La Hoya stable that includes new WBC welterweight titleholder Ryan Garcia, unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, recent title challengers Arnold Barboza Jnr and William Zepeda and unbeaten lightweight contender Floyd Schofield Jnr.

As for the hopes that the deal could revive the Vergil Ortiz Jnr-Jaron “Boots” Ennis bout, two individuals connected to the situation say that while that bout still has the potential to happen this year, there is more momentum now for DAZN to stage an Ennis title shot at WBO/WBA 154lbs champion Xander Zayas on June 6 in New York.

The renewed alliance could, however, prove pivotal in the effort to stop the current legal battle between De La Hoya’s company and Ortiz and his manager, Rick Mirigian, who failed to find a way to make the anticipated showdown with fellow unbeaten junior middleweight Ennis, a recently unified welterweight champion.

Ennis, 35-0 (31 KOs), appeared at the November second-round knockout victory by Ortiz, 24-0 (22 KOs), over Erickson Lubin, and the pair engaged in a spirited discussion in the center of the ring, appearing to agree they would fight next.

After De La Hoya quickly touted Ortiz as the clear “A” side, Mirigian and Ortiz grew disenchanted with Golden Boy’s $3 million offer for the fight, ultimately reporting in court records that Ortiz could earn at least $16 million for the bout from other promoters.

The case has been sent to arbitration, with a September due date.

Striking a settlement, however, could solve the crisis, and the assurance of DAZN funds over the time of this new deal may be the action that heals the divide and gets WBC interim belt holder Ortiz back in the ring.

Golden Boy and DAZN have been aligned since late 2018, when Golden Boy’s then-star fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez debuted for DAZN at Madison Square Garden versus England’s Rocky Fielding.

The relationship includes both pay-per-view cards and smaller shows such as Saturday’s, which offered Barboza defeating Kenneth Sims Jnr, strawweight titlist Oscar Collazo defending his belt and women’s champion Gabriela Fundora defending hers.

Ramirez’s title defense versus WBC light heavyweight titleholder David Benavidez will be shown on both Prime Video and DAZN pay-per-view.

BoxingScene will have more on this news as events warrant.

Lance Pugmire is BoxingScene’s senior U.S. writer and an assistant producer for ProBox TV. Pugmire has covered boxing since the early 2000s, first at the Los Angeles Times and then at The Athletic and USA Today. He won the Boxing Writers’ Association of America’s Nat Fleischer Award in 2022 for career excellence.