Dazn, the two-year-old premium sports streaming service has signed a five-year deal with boxing group Golden Boy Promotions, including an exclusive 11-match, $365m deal with multi-time champion Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo, who had won his last match in September to become the unified middleweight champion, had signed a $365m multi-match deal which has been billed as the largest single-athlete deal in the sport's history.
Also included in the deal, Golden Boy and Dazn have agreed to stream 10 fight nights per year exclusively on the platform in the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan. Golden Boy has also delivered over 7,000-hours worth of fights from owner Oscar De La Hoya's career as multi-time champion and match promoter, with two live studio shows
John Skipper, Dazn group executive chairman, said: “By bringing Canelo’s fights to Dazn, we will turn his pay-per-view success into a growth engine for subscribers – a truly transformational moment for our business and the entire industry.”
De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions chairman and chief executive, said: “We are committed to making this sport as accessible as possible and at an affordable price for all the fans. My dream has been to make boxing a sport for all. Dazn has the perfect platform to make this dream come true, and with the biggest star in the sport at the helm of this journey, I have no doubts that we will succeed in unimaginable ways.”
This announcement builds on Dazn’s push into boxing and mixed martial arts, striking a nine-figure deal with Bellator MMA, and a $1bn deal with Matchbook Boxing. The Drum has recently spoken to the UK-based streaming service on its plans to take over the US live sports space.