Tag: dazn

5 things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday

There is a lot to be grateful for in boxing. Here are five things that make me feel fortunate on Thanksgiving.

We all have a lot to be grateful for on this Thanksgiving. Here are five things in the boxing world that make me feel fortunate.

  1. A heavyweight who can knock out a Tyrannosaurus rex. I can understand where the purists are coming from. Deontay Wilder doesn’t have the sublime skill set that normally separates the great fighters from the rest. All I know is how I feel when Wilder lands those bombs to end his fights instantly. There is nothing like it in sports. I’m going to enjoy him as long as he’s around.
  2. The spirit of the underdog. The oddsmakers generally know what they’re doing when they make one fighter a favorite – sometimes a prohibitive favorite – over another fighter. Thank goodness not every underdog buys into the prevailing wisdom. I think we’re all inspired by the fighters who overcome the odds, the “Rockys,” if you will. I’m thinking of you Andy Ruiz Jr. and Julian Williams.
  3. The talent at the top: Non-fans ask me occasionally, “What happened to boxing? Where are the great fighters?” They’re there. Uber-talents like Vassiliy Lomachenko, Terence Crawford, Canelo Alvarez, Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk, Gennadiy Golovkin, Errol Spence, et al would’ve been successful in any era and are a joy to watch. I just wish more sports fans were aware of that.
  4. An abundance of dates. The dying sport certainly produces a lot of shows, both on television and streaming services. ESPN, ESPN+, Fox, Showtime, DAZN and others have made major investments in the sport. And the quality of the cards has generally been very good. If we could only keep MMA fighters and YouTubers out of the picture.
  5. The fighters themselves. They will always be what I’m most grateful for. These young (sometimes not-so-young) men and women risk their very well being to pursue their dreams and entertain us every time they step through the ropes. From the superstars to the journeymen, they need to know that we appreciate them and what they do. I’ll always admire them.

Dillian Whyte to fight on Ruiz-Joshua II card in wake of PED scandal

Dillian Whyte will take on Mariusz Wach on the undercard of the Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua rematch, despite his ongoing drug scandal.

Dillian Whyte has been quieter than a church mouse for the past several months but we’ll hear from him soon.

The British heavyweight contender will take on Mariusz Wach on the undercard of the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia, it was confirmed in a release today. The news comes as Whyte has been embroiled in a PED scandal that has seen him disappear recently from the public eye.

Whyte tested positive for a banned substance before his July 20 fight against Oscar Rivas, in which Whyte survived a ninth round knockdown to win a unanimous decision. The test was administered by UK Anti-Doping.

Whyte’s “A” sample reportedly showed small amounts of epimethandienone and hydroxymethandienone, which are metabolites found in the banned substance Dianabol.

It was revealed afterward that the British Board of Boxing Control, as well as Whyte and his promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, had been notified of the results before the fight while Rivas and his team were kept in the dark. Hearn said he couldn’t share his knowledge of the test results because of confidentiality requirements.

The BBBofC reportedly conducted a hearing before the fight, which included UKAD, and Whyte was cleared to participate in the fight against Rivas without Rivas’ knowledge.

Whyte isn’t the only fighter on the card to have failed a drug test. Wach, Alexander Povetkin (who takes on Michael Hunter) and Eric Molina (who faces Filip Hrgovic) also have tested positive for banned substances.

Ruiz-Joshua II will stream on DAZN.

DAZN hits 8 million global subscribers, according to report

Sports streaming service DAZN has nearly eight million global subscribers, according to a report,

Sports streaming service DAZN is up to nearly 8 million subscribers worldwide, according to a report.

DAZN, which is offered in nine countries, doubled its number of subscribers since June – by roughly four million – after it launched in Brazil and Spain, according to London-based SportsPro Media. DAZN’s key selling point for its international customer base is its rights to European soccer leagues.

DAZN’s U.S. operations account for nearly 10 percent of its global subscriber base, or around 800,000 subscribers, according to SportsPro. DAZN streams boxing, Bellator and a wrap-around Major League Baseball talk show in the U.S, where it launched last year. Its long term plans are presumed to include rights to major sports leagues like the NFL and NBA.

By comparison, it was recently announced that ESPN’s streaming app ESPN+ – which is available only in the U.S. – had surpassed 3.5 million subscribers. That number is expected to spike after the unveiling of Disney+, the streaming app produced by ESPN’s parent company. Along with Hulu, the apps are offered in a bundle at a low cost.

In a recent interview, DAZN’s Executive Chairman John Skipper, who formerly ran ESPN, said the company does not plan to release its subscriber numbers.

 

Mikey Garcia vs. Jessie Vargas? A few thoughts on that concept

Does talk of a fight between Mikey Garcia and Jessie Vargas on DAZN mean Manny Pacquiao plans to fight Danny Garcia?

A welterweight fight between Mikey Garcia and Jessie Vargas for the first quarter of next year has been discussed, according to The Athletic. The fight would be streamed on DAZN.

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who works with DAZN, has been courting Garcia for some time in hopes of signing him to a multi-fight deal, The Athletic reported. If he’s successful, a meeting with Vargas could kick off the relationship.

Two takeaways from that report:

One, Garcia told me a few years ago that he had no interest in signing a long-term deal with anyone after his relationship with then-promoter Bob Arum soured. Garcia sat out 2½ years waiting for his contract with Arum to end and become a free agent.

Of course, things change. The guaranteed money might be too tempting to resist now for whatever reason. We’ll see.

Two, Garcia has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Manny Pacquiao. I’m guessing that Pacquiao has decided to keep it in the PBC family and fight the other Garcia, Danny, a legitimate 147-pounder who might be seen as a more legitimate threat than Mikey. Mikey Garcia is coming off a one-sided loss to Errol Spence.

Again, we’ll see.

Floyd Mayweather is a wildcard. If he’s serious about a comeback, a rematch with Pacquiao would be a bonanza for both fighters. Pacquiao certainly would jump at the opportunity.

Would Mayweather, 42, really risk his perfect record? Doubtful. Exhibitions or another “fight” against an MMA star, maybe; a sanctioned boxing match, no.

That said, “Money” loves money. Anything is possible.

Callum Smith faces pressure against John Ryder because of what lies ahead

There are heightened stakes and perhaps some additional pressure on Callum Smith on Saturday in a super middleweight bout as critical as any in his unbeaten career. He faces John Ryder. But it is more than just another fight. It’s a projected …

There are heightened stakes and perhaps some additional pressure on Callum Smith on Saturday in a super middleweight bout as critical as any in his unbeaten career. He faces John Ryder. But it is more than just another fight.

It’s a projected springboard for Smith (26-0, 19 knockouts), who has hopes for bigger names, bigger crowds and bigger money in 2020.

You’ll find Smith’s name on a list of possible opponents for Canelo Alvarez, who figures to fight again in May. A fight at light heavyweight against Sergey Kovalev has also has been mentioned.

Mostly, there’s been talk about a 168-pound showdown with U.K. rival Billy Joe Saunders in March or April at Anfield, a Liverpool soccer stadium with a seating capacity of about 54,000. Promoter Eddie Hearn foresees a huge crowd for that one. But there’s already talk that Saunders, who failed to impress in a stoppage of Marcelo Coceres on Nov. 9, isn’t a big enough name.

“It’s an opportunity, and we will see what happens,” Smith trainer Joe Gallagher told The Mirror, a U.K. newspaper “But we don’t want Anfield with just 10,000 there. We want Anfield with a proper dance partner.

Callum Smith (right) is coming off an impressive knockout of Hassan N’Dam in June. Timothy A. Clary / AFP via Getty Images)

“From what I hear about Billy Joe Saunders, he either wants to move back down to middleweight or get the Canelo fight. But I don’t think Billy Joe Saunders would bring 30-40,000 in.

“Just look at his last fights. We will just have to wait and see. But, first and foremost, we have to take care of John Ryder, and he’s in the form of his life.”

Gallagher knows about the perils of looking ahead instead of focusing on the immediate. Ryder (28-4, 16 KOs), a mandatory challenger for Smith’s belt, has some momentum. He’s won four straight since dropping a split decision to Rocky Fielding on April 22 ,2017.

Smith fights Ryder at the 11,000-seat Echo Arena, also in Liverpool, Smith’s hometown, on DAZN in the U.S. and Sky Sports in the U.K.

“We haven’t see the best of Callum Smith yet,” Gallagher said. “That’s the frightening thing. Against George Groves (on Sept. 28, 2018), I was really annoyed that he stopped (Groves) in the seventh round because he had so much more to show in terms of shot selection.

“Listen, he’s still got huge potential and hopefully John Ryder will be able to bring another skill set out of Callum for everyone to sit back and say he is the real deal. We did testing last week and everything is the best it’s been. His weight is down. That tells you everything that he won’t take any challenge lightly. He’s absolutely on it.’’

Andy Ruiz’s trainer: ‘You’ll see a better fighter’ in Joshua rematch

Andy Ruiz Jr’s trainer, Manny Robles, says his fighter will be better prepared when he faces Anthony Joshua again on December 7.

Trainer Manny Robles repeatedly watches the video of Andy Ruiz Jr.’s upset of Anthony Joshua. But not to celebrate. That party is over. His critical eye is searching for what to do next.

Turns out, there’s plenty, more than enough to make Robles happy at the chances Ruiz can do it all over again on December 7 in Saudi Arabia on DAZN.

“Sitting back and looking at the fight on numerous occasions, I feel like he wasn’t at his best,’’ Robles told iFL TV. “I feel like we had more to do. More work to do mentally and physically. I feel you’ll see a better fighter, mentally and physically, this time around.’’

The key difference is that Ruiz isn’t a late stand-in for the rematch. For the June 1 bout in New York, Ruiz got the call after news of Jarrell Miller’s positive PED test. Ruiz said sure. He took the fight. Then he heard the jokes about his flabby upper body and his chances. He had nothing to lose, so he won it all.

Andy Ruiz Jr. (right) did fine in his first fight with Anthony Joshua but his trainer insists he can do better. AP Photo / Frank Franklin II, File

Now he’s in a new role, although he is still the betting underdog, yet by a much smaller margin than the 25-to-1 odds he faced six months ago.

“I think he’s still the same person outside of boxing, but this time around, I think he’s got a bigger responsibility, boxing-wise, knowing he’s a world champion,’’ Robles said. “He’s got that sense of responsibility.

“We talk about that from time-to-time. I tell him, ‘Look, this isn’t just about you anymore. You got a whole country behind you, here and in Mexico.’‘’

Taking the fight to Saudi Arabia was Joshua promoter Eddie Hearn’s decision. In effect, Robles said, it makes Ruiz feel like the challenger, even though he has three of the belts.

“We’d be fighting in America, maybe Las Vegas or Southern California,’’ Robles said. “With that said, we’re coming in as challengers. We understand we’re not the favorites.

“So we’ve got to prove the world wrong, and everyone that does not still believe, we’ve got to make them believe.”