Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya (third from left) is partnering with Facebook Watch on live boxing. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions is partnering with Facebook to produce five live fight nights. The events will air exclusively on Facebook Watch. The first bout on Saturday, Aug. 11 is headlined by WBA World Featherweight champion Jesus Rojas defending his title against Joseph “JoJo” Diaz Jr. at the Avalon Theater in Hollywood.
De La Hoya himself will be executive producer for both the fight cards and complementary programming that will include replays of old bouts with commentary from the fighters, expert analysis, and celebrity-driven content. Those episodes will debut on Facebook Watch on Friday, Jul. 13 with an as-yet-unannounced opener. Kathy Duva’s Main Events will help promote the series of fights.
“This game-changing deal for the sport of boxing places Golden Boy Promotions and its stable of fighters at the intersection of live sports mega-casting and ultimate fan engagement,” De La Hoya said in a statement. “Our team is now positioned to present world-class boxing from Silicon Valley, to Madison Avenue, to Hollywood and to the rest of the world. The reach of Facebook is just incredible, and our sponsorship conversations will truly resonate with brands across all categories.”
The second fight card will include light heavyweight contender Sullivan Barrera on Saturday, Aug. 18. The dates of the remaining three fight nights have not yet been disclosed. Facebook is building on the heels of similar recent rights deals to show weekly MLB games, CrossFit competitions, and other live sports.
“We’re thrilled to team with Golden Boy Promotions to make Facebook a home for championship-caliber boxing this year,” Devi Mahadevia, Facebook’s North America live sports programming lead at Facebook, said in a statement. “Through this unique partnership, a global community of sports fans will have free access to some of boxing’s most exciting live bouts and be able to interact with the action like never before.”
SportTechie Takeaway
What we are seeing is the democratization of boxing. This announcement for free social streaming comes on the heels of DAZN’s entry into the fight sports market. While DAZN requires a monthly subscription charge, its content will be far more extensive: 16 fight nights in the U.S. through Matchroom Boxing, plus 16 more in the U.K., as well as the World Boxing Super Series (and Bellator MMA).
The DAZN price point is expected to be far less than a pay-per-view fee, and the Golden Boy Promotions fights require only a free Facebook account. In both instances, we’re seeing the boxing business model change to make more content accessible to a larger swath of fans rather than cater premium nights to only the hardcore fans willing to shell out for PPV.
