Last Thursday, promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom announced a $1 billion broadcast partnership in the United States with global sports media company Perform Group.
Hearn will run the venture through his sub-company, Matchroom Boxing USA.
The deal is for a span of eight years - with 16 events a year being staged in America, plus Matchroom’s existing 16 dates in the UK, shown on Perform’s live and on-demand streaming service, DAZN.
Hearn, who handles some of the biggest names in the UK, began to branch out to America last year, when he signed former world champion Daniel Jacobs to a promotional agreement.
Now Hearn has his sights set on signing some of the top talent in the United States - including boxers who don't exactly have a promotional agreement in place.
Several of the biggest names in the United States market are advised by powerful manager Al Haymon, but they are not under a promotional agreement - and Hearn plans to target some of those names.
"Look at Deontay Wilder – it's embarrassing that he's sitting on Instagram filming himself trying to build his profile off Anthony Joshua's name," Hearn said. "They need help, these guys, the Charlo brothers, Wilder, all these sorts of people. And when we come here in full, starting in September, these guys are all on the radar for Matchroom Boxing USA.
"For fighters, it’s open season. Any fighter out there, any world-class fighter that doesn’t have a promotional contract, that feels like they’re not getting enough activity and wants to be promoted properly and wants to be involved in the big fights, we’re here, and there’s going to be a lot of interesting conversations going on over the next few weeks.
"We need to bring the existing world championships to the platform as well and the guys on the verge of shots. It’s going to be a massive recruitment process over the next two or three months. Championship fighters need to box three times a year, and we can do that for these guys, but more importantly we can build from the ground the young fighters coming through. Young heavyweights need to box eight times a year, not three or four."