NEW YORK – It only makes sense that Top Rank would ring in its new era at Madison Square Garden.
The Las Vegas-based promotion, which has brought top boxers like Muhammad Ali, Roberto Duran and Manny Pacquiao to the world stage, made its deal with DAZN official on Wednesday morning at a press conference at the arena where the company had promoted many of its biggest events throughout the decade. It’s the first broadcast deal for Top Rank since its relationship with ESPN ended last July after seven years.
Top Rank was represented on stage by company president Todd duBoef, plus four of its leading stars, including WBC featherweight titleholder Bruce Carrington, WBO lightweight titlist Abdullah Mason, former belt holder Keyshawn Davis and junior welterweight prospect Emiliano Vargas. Top Rank founder Bob Arum, the 94-year-old Brooklyn native who promoted his first fight 60 years ago with Ali vs. George Chuvalo, was not in attendance as he recovered from a knee injury, though event emcee Chris Mannix said he should be back ringside for fights by next month. DAZN was represented by Pete Oliver, its CEO of overseas markets.
Although Top Rank’s track record and deep roster are well-documented, the public-facing terms of this deal remain somewhat blurry, with duBoef only revealing that it is a “multi-year, multi-event commitment.” In a recorded statement, Arum revealed that not only its fighters and events would be coming to DAZN but also its fight library.
“I really believe this is just step one,” duBoef said. “We are really in a position where we can think of endless opportunities for all these fighters up on stage and endless opportunities for the fans around the world getting a top-quality event every Saturday night.”
Added Oliver: “We really wanted to bring Top Rank’s stable expertise into the mix of DAZN boxing so we can make the best fights. We also really wanted to strengthen our position here in the USA, as we had a great year last year. We had the FIFA Club World Cup, but we also saw our boxing business grow rapidly. We know Top Rank has an amazing history here, so we really wanted them to join the party.”
Carl Moretti, Top Rank’s vice president of Operations, said the company’s inaugural show is currently contingent on what happens with DAZN and the legally fraught Jaron Ennis-Vergil Ortiz fight, a longtime priority of the streaming platform that has been delayed due to litigation between Ortiz and Golden Boy Promotions, whose own deal with DAZN has expired but which put on a one-off show last weekend in California. Moretti added that the broadcasts will utilize DAZN’s current commentary team, which includes Mannix and Sergio Mora.
Asked about reports that Top Rank could seek a second broadcast deal to supplement its DAZN shows, Moretti was skeptical, saying most major networks in the United States are likely to be more focused on trying to bid for National Football League broadcasting rights, with the sports giant reportedly seeking to renegotiate its media rights deal before the next NFL season begins later this year.
Top Rank joins a growing list of promoters whose fights will air in the United States on DAZN, including the UK-based Matchroom Boxing (which has been with the streaming platform since it first arrived stateside); Salita Promotions (run by former Top Rank boxer Dmitriy Salita); UK-based Queensberry Promotions and the Riyadh Season events (which often bring various promoters together for larger events).
“For us, it's about making the best fights,” Oliver said. “We know that fans have been frustrated over the years because different promoters have been with different broadcasters. There's often been politics that have stopped the best fights from being made, and by having Top Rank join DAZN, we know we can make the best fights going forward. We want to bring our fans amazing fights, the best matchups and the best of boxing over the next few years.”
Carrington, 17-0 (10 KOs), had his most recent fight on DAZN, knocking out Carlos Castro in nine rounds to win his world title, and left with a good impression of what his future holds on the streamer.
“The amount of recognition that just boosted ever since that fight has been incredible,” said Carrington, a 28-year-old from Brooklyn, who said he should be back in the ring by the summer. “Obviously, I was fighting for a world title, but the fact that it was on DAZN, I think that played a major part, and it’s something that I’m really looking forward to in the next steps of my career. I really do believe that we are going to bring nothing but excitement, and I feel like it’s the perfect puzzle piece in order to continue making boxing great.”
Those sentiments were shared by Mason, a 21-year-old southpaw from Cleveland who figures to be one of the promotion’s biggest stars for years to come.
“The strides we've been making since I turned pro, being the brightest young star in boxing, I feel like we can do the same thing with DAZN,” Mason said. “Teamwork makes the dream work. I'm bringing the smoke to DAZN, and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Mason, who won his title in his most recent fight in November, got into a brief disagreement with Davis, 14-0 (10 KOs), who had previously held the belt that Mason now carries before losing it on the scales. The two exchanged displays of verbal machismo – interlaced with comic relief from Carrington – while Mason’s father, Valiant, challenged Davis to come back to 135lbs. Davis, whose previous fight was a final-round stoppage of Jamaine Ortiz in January, said he would be more likely to move to welterweight than to make lightweight again.
Davis said the Top Rank-DAZN announcement came as a welcome surprise.
“DAZN’s been carrying the torch for a while now,” Davis said. “They’ve been putting on major events, and now I feel that the whole world is starting to realize that.”
Vargas, 17-0 (14 KOs), who got a taste of mainstream attention when he was part of pop star Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance, was also optimistic about the new deal.
“This deal is going to give me a platform to shine on,” Vargas said. “I’m grateful to Top Rank and DAZN for this huge opportunity. There are no limits now; we can hop on any cards, so I’m excited.”
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for BoxingScene.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at ryansongalia@gmail.com or on Twitter at @ryansongalia.
