Eddie Hearn signed a deal with DAZN in April 2021. The president of Matchroom left his role at Sky Sports in the UK to enter the US market and provide a new way for boxing fans to watch fights.
Unlike other broadcasters, DAZN offers a subscription service where paying a monthly fee allows you to watch most boxing matches at no additional cost. In the UK, DAZN now costs £8.99 a month, while in the states it’s priced at $9.99.
However, DAZN was forced to introduce a pay-per-view model for the most lucrative fights so that boxers and all other parties would be paid enough. Canelo Alvarez vs. Dmitry Bivol was part of the UK DAZN subscription, but it cost US residents an additional $59.99.
Also, despite its growing number of subscriptions, DAZN is considered a failing business right now. Billionaire investor Sir Len Blavatnik was forced to pump an additional $4.3 billion into DAZN to avoid bankruptcy in February.
On the plus side, Hearn has managed to sign some of the world’s most prominent boxers to boost DAZN’s reputation. Alvarez recently signed a two-fight deal with Matchroom that includes his recent loss to Bivol and a possible trilogy fight against Gennadiy Golovkin in September.
The biggest women’s boxing fight of all time between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano took place on April 30 and was also broadcast on DAZN and received high ratings.
There is no love lost between Eddie Hearn and Leonard Ellerbe
The feud between Hearn and Ellerbe has been going on for several months and the Mayweather CEO’s comments are another jab at the British promoter.
When asked about Ellerbe in a recent interview, Hearn had his own harsh words for the American promoter.
This is what Hearn had to say in an interview with Pro Boxing Fans:
“This guy is hilarious, he’s so mad he’s lost his mind. I think I need to buy him a nice cup of tea. How can you say ‘this guy doesn’t know what he’s doing’? I. We’re the biggest in the game, what are you? You work for Floyd Mayweather.”