By William Lloyd: Eddie Hearn said Anthony Joshua is NOT part of his new five-year deal with DAZN in the UK. Joshua still has one fight remaining on his Sky contract, and they’ll be looking to extend it into the future.
For fans tempted to sign up for DAZN in the UK, it’s not going to be as appealing if they’re unable to see Joshua as part of that deal. Look at it this way.
If Joshua chooses to sign an extension with Sky, boxing fans will need to keep their subscriptions rather than abandon them to move over to DAZN.
Besides wanting to bring Joshua (24-1, 22 KOs) over to Sky, Hearn will want to keep him with Matchroom Boxing.
He says they’ll have an announcement soon on that end, as Hearn wants to keep Joshua with Matchroom for the remainder of his career.
Joshua still has one fight left on Sky contract
“Outside of Anthony Joshua, all Matchroom UK shows will sit on the DAZN service,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV. “All Matchroom UK shows outside of Anthony Joshua will sit on the DAZN platform.
“Anthony Joshua has one fight left with Sky, and then we’ll work together as a team. This deal that we’re announcing today does not include Anthony Joshua, and there will be an announcement for his future due course when that time comes.
“That would be on Sky,” said Hearn when asked what platform would Joshua vs. Oleksandr Usyk be televised.
“He [Joshua] has one fight left on Sky,” said Hearn. “There will be discussions about an extension. I have a good relationship with those guys [Sky Sports].
“They’re an outstanding platform, they’re an outstanding group of people, and we’ll continue to do business with them for a long time.
“When I had that honest discussion with them [Sky], and I made them aware of the structure of this deal [with DAZN for Matchroom], I think even those guys said, ‘Good luck to you,'” said Hearn.
It’s got to hurt Sky that Joshua lost out on the Tyson Fury fight on August 14th, as that would have been a great final if he chooses to leave them to go to DAZN.
If Joshua does choose to leave Sky after one more fight, it’s better for them if he faces someone popular like Andy Ruiz Jr or Dillian Whyte rather than Oleksandr Usyk.
Sky will get more bang for their buck if AJ vacates his WBO title to swerve Usyk in favor of a trilogy match against Ruiz Jr or a rematch with Whyte.
Hearn hoping to bring Joshua to DAZN
“Firstly, from the Matchroom side of things, we expect to have a relationship with Anthony Joshua until the days he hang up the gloves,” said Hearn.
“There will be an announcement on that deal soon. It’s an interesting deal. It’s a major move for us and our business, our family business, and he [Joshua] is part of the family.
“We expect to be working with Anthony Joshua until the day he hangs up his gloves. He’s had a great relationship with Sky, and I’m sure those talks will continue.
“It’s not just a case of trying to bring Anthony Joshua to DAZN. It’s what is the best scenario for Anthony Joshua as an individual, and we’ll see where those discussions go.
“Well over 30 shows,” said Hearn about the number of Matchroom shows per year in his new five-year deal with DAZN. “As we continue to grow, we’d like to bring you a new fight night every week,” said Hearn.