Boxing Wire

Tag: Matchroom Boxing

  • Katie Taylor Says September 5 Bout Will Be Her Last

    Katie Taylor Says September 5 Bout Will Be Her Last

    Katie Taylor has confirmed in her own words that her September 5 fight at Dublin’s Croke Park will be the last of her career, framing the homecoming as “the perfect way to end it.”

    The bout offers her the chance to retire as a three-time undisputed super lightweight champion in front of more than 80,000 fans at Ireland’s national stadium.

    With the event now official, Taylor will defend her WBO, WBA, IBF, and Ring Magazine super lightweight titles against undefeated French contender Flora Pili, according to Matchroom Boxing. The vacant WBC title is also on the line, giving Taylor the opportunity to become undisputed once again.

    “This seems like the perfect way to end it, by becoming Undisputed Champion again in our national stadium, which has such a special place in Irish hearts,” Taylor said. “I’m so grateful that it’s happening, and I can’t thank the people of this country enough for the support I have received over the years.”

    Taylor enters the bout with a 25-1 record. The event will stream live worldwide on DAZN.

    A Historic Night At Croke Park

    The September 5 card will mark the first professional boxing event staged at Croke Park since Muhammad Ali fought Alvin Lewis there in 1972. The venue has returned to prominence in major boxing circles, also serving as the reported site for Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua later this year.

    Taylor made clear she is not overlooking Pili, who brings an unbeaten 12-0 record into the biggest fight of her career.

    “I’m under no illusions that Flora will present a very tough challenge; she’s undefeated as a professional and has a good amateur pedigree, so I have the utmost respect for her,” Taylor said.

    The Icing On The Cake

    For Taylor, closing her career at Croke Park carries a meaning beyond titles.

    “I’ve been blessed to achieve more than I could ever have dreamed in this sport, but fighting at Croke Park really is the icing on the cake,” she said. “I hope it’s the kind of event that will inspire a whole new generation to take up sport and follow their passions.”

    Tickets go on sale June 12 through Ticketmaster, with pre-sale access beginning earlier in the week. The fight streams on DAZN, whose relationship with Matchroom has drawn recent attention across the broadcast landscape.

    If successful, Taylor would walk away as a three-time undisputed champion. Other women’s stars have circled her name, with Alycia Baumgardner among those calling for a superfight, though Taylor has set her sights firmly on a Dublin send-off.

  • Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Set for July 25 in Riyadh

    Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga Set for July 25 in Riyadh

    Anthony Joshua has his comeback opponent, and there is now a title at stake. The Olympic gold medallist and former two-time unified heavyweight champion will return to the ring on July 25 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, against unbeaten Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga, with the official press release billing the bout for the WBC World Heavyweight Championship.

    The fight, dubbed “The Comeback,” was confirmed Monday by His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. It will headline a card at the Esports World Cup at Boulevard City and stream live worldwide on DAZN. The bout opens a new multi-fight Saudi deal for Joshua, and crucially, it is the warm-up that activates a long-rumored showdown with Tyson Fury reportedly targeted for late 2026.

    Anthony Joshua Comeback Poster

    The WBC Title Billing

    The official Matchroom Boxing press release describes the fight as being for the WBC World Heavyweight Championship. That billing carries some complications. Oleksandr Usyk currently holds the full WBC heavyweight title and is scheduled to make a voluntary defense against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza, while Agit Kabayel holds the WBC interim title and has been waiting on a mandatory shot. Whether Joshua vs Prenga is sanctioned for a vacant version of the belt, a secondary WBC title, or pending further clarification from the sanctioning body, the press release does not specify. Further details from the WBC are expected.

    Joshua’s First Fight Since Tragedy

    This will be Joshua’s first appearance in the ring since his sixth-round stoppage of Jake Paul on December 19, 2025, in Miami. Ten days after that fight, Joshua was involved in a car crash in Lagos, Nigeria, that killed his close friends Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele. He sustained only minor injuries, but at one point was reportedly believed to be retiring from the sport.

    Joshua, 36, broke his silence weeks later in an emotional video confirming his intent to fight on. The July 25 booking is the first concrete step on that road back. He enters with a professional record of 28-4 with 25 knockouts, his most recent win coming via knockout against Jake Paul.

    “It’s no secret I’ve taken some time to consolidate and rebuild to be ready for stepping back into the ring, and today is the next step on that journey,” Joshua said. “I’m delighted to have agreed a multi-fight deal starting with July 25th in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I’m looking forward to competing and picking up where I left off. As I said. The landlord will collect his rent. That is certain.”

    Joshua’s Heavyweight Résumé

    Matchroom’s release leaned hard on Joshua’s career résumé to frame the comeback. Over the past eight years, Joshua has been central to some of boxing’s biggest heavyweight events, with wins over Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, Kubrat Pulev, and Andy Ruiz Jr., and high-profile defeats against Oleksandr Usyk, Daniel Dubois, and a stoppage of Francis Ngannou. He has headlined stadium events at Wembley Stadium and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

    Who Is Kristian Prenga?

    Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) is a 35-year-old Albanian heavyweight based in New Jersey who carries a perfect knockout ratio. He turned professional in 2016, and his only loss came on points back in 2017. The July 25 bout will be the highest-profile fight of his career and his first major international main event. He has never been beyond eight rounds in a scheduled bout, and he has not faced anyone near world-level opposition.

    “Anthony Joshua is a great fighter, but he made a terrible miscalculation in picking me as his opponent,” Prenga said. “This is the kind of fight that changes everything in my life and his. I know they have big plans ahead after this fight. I know they are overlooking me. I’m happy about that. I will derail their plans and shock the world this July in Saudi Arabia.”

    The Fury Fight Is the Real Prize

    The subtext to Monday’s announcement is unmistakable. Promoter Eddie Hearn has openly said Joshua wanted a tune-up before facing Fury, and reporting from The Ring confirms that if Joshua comes through Prenga unscathed, he will finally meet Fury at the end of 2026 in what would be the most anticipated fight in British boxing history. That super-fight is expected to land on Netflix.

    Joshua and Fury have been on a collision course for more than a decade without sharing a ring. Tensions spiked earlier this month when Fury called Joshua out from the ring after beating Arslanbek Makhmudov, leading to Hearn confirming a two-fight structure built around a July warm-up and a Fury showdown later in the year.

    For now, the rent will be collected on July 25. The bigger payday is waiting on the other side.

  • Jarrell Miller Outworks Lenier Pero, Calls Out Deontay Wilder

    Jarrell Miller Outworks Lenier Pero, Calls Out Deontay Wilder

    Jarrell Miller outworked previously unbeaten Lenier Pero over 12 rounds to win a unanimous decision Saturday night in a WBA heavyweight title eliminator at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, then immediately turned his attention to Deontay Wilder.

    Two judges scored the bout 117-111 for Miller, with the third turning in a 115-113 card. Miller improved to 28-1-2 with 22 knockouts. Pero fell to 13-1, suffering the first loss of his professional career.

    The win positions Miller as the WBA mandatory challenger, putting him in line for a shot at unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk or, depending on how the picture shakes out, Daniel Dubois.

    Volume Carries the Night

    Miller and Pero combined to throw 1,652 punches in what ESPN described as a toe-to-toe slugfest. Miller alone threw 1,003, landing 290, per CompuBox. Pero was the more accurate man at 39 percent to Miller’s 29 percent, but he could not match the Brooklyn fighter’s pressure or volume.

    Pero started fast, using his southpaw jab and clean counters to outbox Miller from range through the early rounds. Miller, who weighed 305 pounds to Pero’s 251, turned the fight into a phonebooth brawl from the third round on, walking the Cuban down to the ropes and trading on the inside.

    By the 11th round, an exhausted Pero was barely able to come out of his corner. He tried to rally midway through the 12th, but Miller closed the fight strong, trading power shots until the final bell. No knockdowns were scored.

    Miller Wants Wilder Next

    Miller wasted little time once he had the microphone, naming Tyson Fury, Wilder, and Pero’s brother Dainier Pero as targets. Wilder, who returned this month with a controversial split decision over Derek Chisora, drew the most pointed words.

    “Deontay, he said a long time ago that he doesn’t want to fight ‘Big Baby’ because I hurt his feelings,” Miller told DAZN. “If you don’t shut your pie a** up and come fight me, boy, we’re going to see.”

    Promoter Eddie Hearn quickly endorsed the matchup.

    “For me, when I look at the fights in the division, as a promoter, you want a fight with great build-up, you want a fight with jeopardy,” Hearn said. “The American fight is Deontay Wilder against Jarrell Miller. Run it in New York.”

    Miller, 37, has now strung together back-to-back wins for the first time since 2022, building on the form he showed in Saturday’s WBA eliminator main event. Asked about his trimmer appearance, he kept it light: “Every time I drop five pounds, I get to eat a cheesesteak.”

    His preferred next move, he said, is a slot on the Xander Zayas vs. Jaron Ennis card on June 27 in Brooklyn.

  • Top Rank Nearing DAZN Deal Amid Matchroom Tensions

    Top Rank Nearing DAZN Deal Amid Matchroom Tensions

    Top Rank is closing in on a new broadcast home. Front Office Sports has confirmed that DAZN is finalizing a multiyear streaming deal with Bob Arum‘s promotion, with an official announcement expected later this week. The news was first reported by Ring Magazine, which has since deleted its original story.

    Update: Top Rank and DAZN’s new partnership is official

    DAZN declined to comment directly. “As company policy, we do not confirm, deny, or comment on market rumours or speculation regarding M&A, partnerships or rights deals,” a DAZN spokesperson told FOS.

    Per The Ring’s original reporting, the deal calls for eight to 10 events per year at license fees of $1 million to $1.25 million per card — a steep drop from the roughly $85 million annually ESPN paid Top Rank under their eight-year partnership, which ended in July 2025.

    DAZN Seeking More Content Amid Matchroom Frustrations

    The Top Rank pursuit isn’t just about adding fights. According to FOS sources, DAZN has grown frustrated with Eddie Hearn‘s Matchroom Boxing and is actively seeking to expand its events inventory as it plays defense against the rising threat of Zuffa Boxing.

    At the heart of the friction is a perception within DAZN that Hearn has been “double-dipping” — placing Matchroom fighters on outside cards while collecting nine figures annually from DAZN. Fighters including Anthony Joshua, Dmitry Bivol, Conor Benn, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, and Jai Opetaia have all competed on Riyadh Season and/or Ring cards. Katie Taylor fought Amanda Serrano twice on Netflix cards under Jake Paul’s MVP banner. Benn and Opetaia have since departed Matchroom for Zuffa.

    In a notable case, Hearn told Alalshikh’s Ring Magazine that a Callum Smith vs. David Morrell fight was expected in Saudi Arabia — only for it to later be announced as a Matchroom card in Liverpool on April 18. DAZN holds a 40% stake in Matchroom.

    A DAZN spokesperson pushed back on the friction narrative. “There’s absolutely no truth in the suggestion that DAZN is frustrated with Matchroom. We have just signed a new five-year deal with Matchroom, and we are very happy with our strong relationship and long-standing partnership.”

    The Broader War: DAZN vs. Zuffa

    The move for Top Rank comes as the boxing broadcast landscape grows increasingly combative. Zuffa Boxing — the joint venture between Saudi Arabia’s Sela and TKO Group Holdings, with leadership including Turki Alalshikh, WWE president Nick Khan, and UFC CEO Dana White — launched on Paramount+ in January and has been aggressively signing talent.

    Zuffa signed Opetaia away from Matchroom in January and made a move on Rodriguez before Matchroom exercised a matching clause. It then signed Benn on a one-fight deal reportedly worth $15 million that Hearn declined to match. The bidding war has spilled into public sniping: White said Hearn “works for his dad,” while Hearn fired back that White’s “dad for many years has been the Fertitta brothers, and now he’s got a new daddy called Turki Alalshikh.” Alalshikh himself weighed in on social media, writing to Hearn: “I am always here for you. And if you call me, unlike Conor Benn, I will answer the phone.”

    Adding Top Rank and its deep roster would give DAZN more leverage in that fight. Arum, 94, famously called DAZN a “Dead-Zone which nobody watches” back in 2022. By late 2024, he had softened considerably: “DAZN are doing a great job in boxing and the people who run DAZN are friends of ours.”

    Top Rank’s Roster Ready to Return

    Top Rank’s stable gives DAZN significant upside despite the modest license fees. Xander Zayas, Emanuel Navarrete, Keyshawn Davis, Bruce Carrington, Emiliano Vargas, and Abdullah Mason headline a roster that has been largely sidelined from consistent live streaming since ESPN’s exit. An official announcement from both sides is expected this week — BoxingWire will update this story when confirmed.