Top Rank agreeing a broadcast deal with DAZN has revitalised them as a promotional organization and is very positive for the wider sport.
It was very concerning for me that they didn’t have a broadcaster for as long as they did after separating from ESPN – they appeared under threat.
Top Rank represent the old guard of boxing promotion. Bob Arum and Don King brought promotion into the modern era and Arum has remained very active – even without a broadcaster their fighters were appearing on other promotions, when winning and defending titles.
They’re also the best of all at developing talent. They have the best eye for talent, and they’re also the best at nurturing that talent until it realises its potential and their fighters become superstars. Their longevity – and the way Arum’s rivalry with King meant that they brought the best out of each other – perhaps makes them the best promoters we’ve ever seen.
There, increasingly, were whispers that Top Rank were destined for DAZN. Once that seemed an unlikely alliance, but what DAZN is attempting to do is increasingly important. It’s taken years for DAZN to figure boxing out – boxing’s a unique space – and they’ve now secured agreements with Top Rank, Golden Boy, Matchroom, Queensberry and more. The subscription fees they charge can certainly be justified.
When outsiders – like DAZN once were – enter the sport they typically attach to a single entity, and that’s what they did with Matchroom. Eddie Hearn’s another great promoter, but they weren’t the only show in town and DAZN has recognised the need to expand beyond one promoter for the good of the sport. DAZN’s taking the lead in attempting to grow boxing’s fan base and again make it a mainstream sport.
Some of Top Rank’s promotional rivals may have been looking forward to their demise, but they’ll instead see the opportunity to make big fights with them on DAZN. This is, after all, the four-belt era in which unifications are king – knowing who the number one is in each division is also good for the sport. Even Hearn and Oscar De La Hoya, who have had their own rivalries with Arum, would have seen Top Rank dissolving as a blow for the sport they operate in.
On one side of the fence there’s Zuffa Boxing, and on the other there’s Top Rank, Golden Boy, Queensberry and Matchroom. It was said that it was risky that Zuffa drew battle lines the way they once did when they entered the sport; they risked creating an island for themselves and perhaps don’t have the talent to succeed that way. They could become boxing’s junior-varsity division because of their refusal to work with others. Zuffa potentially showed their hand too early, and power in numbers, and pushback, exists on the other side of the fence.
Of Top Rank’s leading fighters, Xander Zayas is becoming a star. Keyshawn Davis is, alongside Shakur Stevenson, the future of boxing – they seem as close to unbeatable as can be. Abdullah Mason is coming up behind them. Emmanuel Navarrete, Rafael Espinoza, O’Shaquie Foster and Richard Torrez also offer value both in the future and now.
Golden Boy signing a new deal with DAZN was less surprising, because of their history with DAZN, but them doing so is also an important-and-positive development. There were plenty who had faith in Top Rank finding a way to survive, but that same faith wasn’t extended to Golden Boy – which meant that they risked losing Ryan Garcia and Vergil Ortiz Jnr.
Golden Boy and DAZN committing to each other could even lead to Ortiz Jnr-Jaron Ennis being revived. The fallout became personal, which is obviously a shame, but a good way to work past something like that is by making money together and the chance again exists for that to happen. We’re hearing talk of Ennis fighting Zayas but that looks a smokescreen to me – potentially one to force Golden Boy and Ortiz Jnr back to the negotiating table.
Boxing’s in a real upswing. We’re seeing more shows being made and more opportunities getting created. The business side of the sport is getting restructured – in both good and bad way – but I’m optimistic about the direction of travel.
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Jared Anderson signing with Queensberry is potentially a positive move. Physically, he has all of the tools he requires to succeed – it’s his psychology that will make or break his career. Recent footage shows him in fantastic shape and hanging around Keyshawn Davis and others who live in the gym. Being with Queensberry might be what he needs to revive his career, because it’s no secret he was unhappy with Top Rank.
I admire the way Queensberry are cornering the market with the heavyweights. Frank Warren and Turki Alalshikh, reportedly, are not on the same team. Warren’s a dangerous opponent – cornering the upcoming heavyweights is a brilliant move for him to have made.
