Bob Arum has taken Top Rank to DAZN after years of publicly questioning the platform’s value and reach.
The new agreement, announced on March 18, confirms Top Rank will bring its events and fight archive to DAZN worldwide after spending months without a long-term broadcast home following the end of its ESPN run.
As World Boxing News reported earlier this week, Top Rank had entered a broadcast “dead zone” after eight months in TV wilderness. That gap is now over, with DAZN emerging as the destination.
Arum’s DAZN Criticism
Arum was one of DAZN’s most vocal skeptics during the platform’s early push into the United States. In a 2019 exclusive with WBN, he argued that Anthony Joshua’s ties to Eddie Hearn and DAZN were limiting his ability to grow in the American market.
“You have to understand what’s happening now. Eddie Hearn has put Joshua in the position in where because of his ties to DAZN, which isn’t involved in PPV but has streaming networks, has isolated him,” Arum exclusively told WBN.
He then delivered the line that has come back into focus this week.
“He’s fighting in the US against Miller but it’s on DAZN. Nobody has DAZN.”
That position now looks very different with Top Rank heading to the same platform.
Arum continued to question the platform in later interviews. In comments carried by WBN in 2021, he described DAZN as having started on a “shaky premise” and raised doubts about its long-term structure.
Top Rank Lands on DAZN
Despite those reservations, Top Rank has now signed a multi-year partnership with DAZN that will place its events on the global platform across more than 200 markets.
The deal gives DAZN another major promotional partner alongside existing relationships in boxing, while also adding Top Rank’s six-decade archive featuring names such as Muhammad Ali, the Four Kings, George Foreman, Oscar De La Hoya, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Top Rank’s current roster will feature on the service, including Keyshawn Davis, Xander Zayas, Abdullah Mason, Emanuel Navarrete, Raymond Muratalla, O’Shaquie Foster and Bruce Carrington.
Arum described the agreement as a natural step for the company’s future.
“Since the day I started Top Rank 60 years ago, our focus has been simple: sign the best fighters, develop them into champions and make the best fights possible. DAZN’s position as the global home of boxing makes this a natural partnership. I’m confident it will be tremendously beneficial for fighters, fans and the future of the sport,” said Arum.
After years of questioning DAZN’s place in the sport, Arum now finds Top Rank at the center of it.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.
