DAZN acquired the rights to Álvarez's next 11 fights.GETTY IMAGES
DAZN Group, the sports media group owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik's Access Industries, struck a $365M deal with boxer Canelo Álvarez to screen his next 11 fights in one of the "largest commercial deals for a single athlete in sporting history," according to Murad Ahmed of the FINANCIAL TIMES. The internet streaming service said on Wednesday that it secured a five-year agreement to screen the fights organized by Golden Boy Promotions, the company that promotes the 28-year-old Mexican boxer. The move "builds on DAZN's efforts to grow its streaming service," particularly in the U.S. In May, it signed an eight-year, $1B deal with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing -- the promoter of British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua -- to stream a series of fights on a new U.S. subscription service. DAZN Exec Chair John Skipper said that acquiring the rights to Álvarez's next 11 fights was "a truly transformational moment for our business and the entire industry." A source close to DAZN said that the deal is worth $365M in total, while DAZN and Golden Boy claimed it represents the "richest contract for an athlete in sporting history." However, there are a "handful of comparable recent examples." Floyd Mayweather earned $275M from his boxing bout against the UFC's Conor McGregor last year, according to Forbes (FINANCIAL TIMES, 10/17).
