COMPETITION ROOM
Major contests are promoted or co-promoted – Saul Alvarez-Gennadiy Golovkin III, Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua II, Katie Taylor-Amanda Serrano, Dmitry Bivol-Alvarez, Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez III, Leigh Wood-Michael Conlan.
Positive – They are again the largest advertising group in the world, organizing events – mostly of a high standard – globally… Their leader, Eddie Hearn, remains the most charismatic of all advertisers and continues to garner loyalty from superstars like Saul Alvarez, Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor… Furthermore, Hearn is clearly a true boxing fan who is eager to host major events. The best of the sport… The Matchroom Boxing team continues to expand and is dominated by knowledgeable, passionate and friendly people… The current state of women’s boxing can largely be attributed to the building blocks that Hearn has built. set out a few years ago with the 2022 Taylor-Serrano blockbuster took that development to the next level… Matchroom focuses on categories like the super flyweight class, where some excellent matches are made. , deserves more credit than it gets.
Negative – Regardless of Hearn’s feelings behind the scenes, his attempts to promote Chris Eubank Jnr-Conor Benn, while knowing the latter failed two separate drug tests, left an indelible mark… DAZN’s failure to pull off the numbers Hearn is so proud of at Sky Sports is not his fault – nor necessarily DAZN’s – but has certainly affected its appeal. His lead, both to the boxers and to the general public… The spat with Lawrence Okolie was unpopular with Matchroom and underscores the difficulty they face in retaining all members of a great team. . happy stability… The fall of Anthony Joshua means that their influence in the sport’s heavyweight, glamorous division, has waned when compared to Queensberry… Hearn’s ego is both a curse and a curse is a blessing in 2022… Although Hearn will speak admirably to all the outlets at a press conference, he can only access IFLTV when he needs to ask tough questions…Continued ignore the Ringside Charitable Trust, the UK’s only registered charity to help former boxers.
Outlook for 2023 – DAZN’s continued growth is crucial to Matchroom’s progress, but for now, they’re still the biggest player – fight for fight – in world boxing. However, what if Canelo loses to Dmitry Bivol, Joshua fails to regain his motivation to compete and Katie Taylor retires?
Verdict – Eddie Hearn of 5 to 10 years ago is showing signs of aging. The young and fearless schtick that served him well on his way to the top, as he quickly mocked his advertising rivals, came back to bite him once in 2022. Hearn was unable to wash his hands before a fight in which the boxer who twice failed a drug test insisted that the sport and its fame did not come as close to his heart as we had hoped. hope. However, in his view, to some extent, the need to protect a future PPV star boxer was well understood. Hearn and Matchroom are the top organizers of 2022 if you just judge them based on the action in the ring.
Eddie Hearn (James Chance/Getty Images)
boxer
Major contests are promoted or co-promoted – Claressa Shields-Savannah Marshall, Kell Brook-Amir Khan, Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall, Chris Eubank Jnr-Liam Williams.
Positive – Considering that they have started a year with barely any boxers in their stables, Boxxer’s progress in 2022 is both remarkable and admirable… Ben Shalom, just 29 , remain modest and actively stay away from public infighting with advertising rivals that do not do anything for the development of the sport. Instead, Shalom has stated that he is willing to work with other promoters from day one… Strengthening his reputation as a ‘boxer promoter’ by nurturing behind-the-scenes trust with burgeoning prospects like Adam Azim, Ben Whittaker, Caroline Dubois, Frazer Clarke and a few others… Likewise, the growth of local talents like Chris Billam-Smith , Natasha Jonas and Dan Azeez have highlighted his value as a promoter in the usual sense of the word… They have benefited from the underrated wisdom of John Wischusen and Carl Greaves in behind the scenes… Although there was much to be desired at the beginning of some establishments, the quality improved as the years went by with a number of excellent competitions being carried out, especially at the domestic level…In the end, it was Overcoming Brook-Khan is a huge achievement… Mature action when the Board of Directors ruled that Shields-Marshall should be postponed. back due to the Queen’s death and then created one of the events of the year when it was rescheduled… The only ‘big’ promoter seemed to understand that boxing needed a major overhaul to become one a true mainstream sport… Always quick to say that an advertiser is only as good as their broadcast platform and Sky Sports has, once again, proven to be the best in what they do.
Negative – Missing an established ‘superstar’ in his advertising cage… The eagerness to add Frazer Clarke’s debut to Brook-Khan in February led to one of the worst matches of the year. when Olympic medalist was allowed to beat heavyweight Jake Darnell… The ‘growing’ nature of his stable meant some matches were promising and didn’t get a chance to show. featured on TV events… Singers blasting mid-show tunes doesn’t seem to be suitable for the hardcore… Eubank Jnr-Liam Smith’s place on PPV is an early groan of 2023 … Has not shown any support for the Ringside Charitable Trust.
Outlook for 2023 – Much of it was very positive when Boxxer started running with the goal of going further. However, the reality is that many of his ‘stars’ have yet to realize their potential, so 2024 could be the year of real reckoning.
Verdict – So far, so good, when people see where Boxxer started and where they are now. The biggest compliment to them is that in Ben Shalom, they have a young man who, by far, seems to consider integrity the most important of all values.
Ben Shalom (Tom Dulat/Getty Images)
PROMOTION QUEENSBERRY
Promoted or co-promoted major contests – Tyson Fury-Dillian Whyte, Joe Joyce-Joseph Parker, John Ryder-Zach Parker, Fury-Derek Chisora III.
Positive – Queensberry showed their financial might as they outbid Matchroom to host the biggest boxing event of the year, Fury-Whyte, at Wembley Stadium in April… Fury is arguably the biggest draw in The current world boxing scene and his ongoing relationship with Hall of Fame promoter, Frank Warren, is a giant feather on Queensberry’s hat… Warren is by far the most prominent promotional figure. the most influential in the banner division alongside Fury, Joe Joyce, Daniel Dubois in his books and the amateur’s December signing, Moses Itauma, as one of the sharpest pieces of business in 2022 … Frank is always on the lookout for emerging talent and his current team includes potential future stars like Hamzah Sheeraz, Nick Ball, Dennis McCann and Sam Noakes… Development of Liam Davies at Telford is the best way to promote old school… George Warren is an underrated but very important link in the Queensberry machine, one who (fortunately) was keen to push aside his father’s old grudges with advertising rivals. idea… Frank’s experience as an elite promoter is second to none in the UK… Having a BT Sport platform ensures their matches receive considerable attention. … Guaranteed Artur Beterbiev’s January 2023 visit for their light-heavyweight, Anthony Yarde, is a major coup and even better, it won’t be on the PPV… Never be afraid to put the stars their biggest stars against each other if that makes business sense.
Negative – Staging Fury-Chisora III, the most famous mismatch of 2022, while knowing that ‘Del Boy’ was shot to pieces is not a good look… Due to the evolving nature of the film… most of their stables, some standard disappointing TV shows… Sensitivity to any criticism that is supposed to create a slightly toxic ‘us against the world’ mentality.. They did not respond to the Ringside Charitable Trust’s request for help.
Outlook for 2023 – If Queensberry (along with Top Rated) can win Fury-Oleksandr Usyk in March, they’ll take a little pause, especially if Tyson wins. However, if Fury loses, suddenly there’s a lot of pressure on a largely unproven stability.
Verdict — Frank Warren, soon 71, continues to show exactly why he has long been considered one of the world’s best promoters. With George Warren on the rise and becoming more visible by the day, it looks like Queensberry is in good hands. But, please, there is no terrible mismatch in football stadiums.
Frank Warren
WASSERMAN BOXING
Promoted or co-promoted major contests – Chris Eubank Jnr-Liam Williams, Josh Kelly-Troy Williamson.
Positive – Even though he only had one lone fight, Chris Eubank Jnr continues to prove he is one of the most marketable British boxers out there… They have hosted many shows that air on Channel 5, ensuring boxing retains its place on British television’s free-to-air broadcasts… Both Kalle and Nisse Sauerland are intelligent and creative figures in the boxing scene… The comparison of one ‘ their star’ Josh Kelly with Troy Williamson emphasized that they weren’t afraid to take the risk… That particular event drew 1.8 million viewers, making it one of the most watched events. most watched in the UK in 2022… Although Channel 5 is considered inferior to broadcast rivals Sky Sports and BT Sport, their boxing events often draw the largest audience… The Sauerlands always willing to cooperate with other promoters and gradually grow, have a healthy relationship with their competitors… Especially, Kalle can reach out to all the media and do not shy away from difficult questions.
Negative – Struggling to attract the biggest names in exclusive deals and forced to ‘share’ their precious asset – Eubank Jnr – with other advertisers and networks… Unlike BT, Sky and DAZN, Channel 5 just joined and withdrew from boxing, giving some of their interests airing a somewhat chaotic feeling… Like Eddie Hearn, Kalle Sauerland pushed ahead with plans to stage Eubank-Benn while in the know. that Conor failed two drug tests… And like Hearn, he continued to beat the drums to rearrange Eubank-Benn before the latter had even cleared his name… Sauerlands involvement with Misfits Boxing, which is essentially staging battles between ‘influencers’, a far cry from the days of the World Boxing Super Series… Has not shown any support for the Ringside Charitable Trust.
Outlook for 2023 – If Eubank Jnr defeats Smith (big ‘if’) and Wasserman can win an aging Gennadiy Golovkin for their quest, then a really big event awaits. It is expected that production on Channel 5 will increase as Wasserman is a talent acquisition tool for the broadcaster, whether on a long-term contract or per war.
Verdict – Without a doubt, Sauerlands’ reputation in the world of boxing would have declined without the WBSS tournaments. Their involvement in Misfits Boxing is seen by many as evil, but in reality, they are just tapping into a much more lucrative and manageable market than WBSS has ever been. It’s a sad reflection on sports, not them. Harder to forgive is Benn’s failed test management. However, they are still promoters capable of driving innovation.
Kalle Sauerland (Leigh Dawney/Wasserman Boxing)
