Great story Tris, a lot to unpack there. One concern for me, was when you asked him about the quality of fights. He says they have final approval but also said, “..I’m not going toe to toe with the promoters..that”s why we pay them..” I would argue that DAZN absolutely has to push back hard on promoter matchups, because they have conflicting interests. Hearn, Warren, Top Rank, etc, want to take the least amount of risk for their fighters, while DAZN should want the best matchups that excite fans.
They currently have all the leverage with the major promoters, let’s hope they demand better matchups.
Agreed - they really need a better vision of what they want to be. They've basically cornered the market on the major promoters and fighters (except a few with Zuffa or the women's fighters with MVP). Now let's shape the programming like HBO did - put on the premiere matchups in the sport and make it special. Let's have the big fights lead to other big fights. How about dictating what fights they want in 2027 and making them happen (instead of waiting on what Turki wants to happen)?
Also, interested to know how big the deals are with promoters like Top Rank, PBC, and Golden Boy. The number of shows those promoters have scheduled for the balance of 2026 is not clear. BoxRec is only showing one or two shows at most for each promoter for the rest of 2026. Hopefully, we'll see a lot more in 2027. With the rosters they have and the matchups that can be made between them, there should be a banger of a main event every weekend and a PPV level show once a month.
Cracking chat Tris
Thanks for checking it out, Matt
Good interview Tris, thanks.
Thanks for checking it out. Much appreciated.
Great story Tris, a lot to unpack there. One concern for me, was when you asked him about the quality of fights. He says they have final approval but also said, “..I’m not going toe to toe with the promoters..that”s why we pay them..” I would argue that DAZN absolutely has to push back hard on promoter matchups, because they have conflicting interests. Hearn, Warren, Top Rank, etc, want to take the least amount of risk for their fighters, while DAZN should want the best matchups that excite fans.
They currently have all the leverage with the major promoters, let’s hope they demand better matchups.
Agreed - they really need a better vision of what they want to be. They've basically cornered the market on the major promoters and fighters (except a few with Zuffa or the women's fighters with MVP). Now let's shape the programming like HBO did - put on the premiere matchups in the sport and make it special. Let's have the big fights lead to other big fights. How about dictating what fights they want in 2027 and making them happen (instead of waiting on what Turki wants to happen)?
Also, interested to know how big the deals are with promoters like Top Rank, PBC, and Golden Boy. The number of shows those promoters have scheduled for the balance of 2026 is not clear. BoxRec is only showing one or two shows at most for each promoter for the rest of 2026. Hopefully, we'll see a lot more in 2027. With the rosters they have and the matchups that can be made between them, there should be a banger of a main event every weekend and a PPV level show once a month.