DAZN KICKS OFF 2022 IN STYLE WITH EIGHT BLOCKBUSTER FIGHTS

January 7, 2022: After 6 weekends of unrivaled boxing on the platform brought 2021 to a spectacular close, DAZN, in partnership with Matchroom Boxing and Golden Boy Promotions, announces EIGHT premium fight nights across the U.S. and UK to kick off a busy 2022 of global boxing on DAZN.

Saturday, February 05: Jessie Vargas vs. Liam Smith – Headlining the event is former two-weight world champion Jessie Vargas Vs. former WBO light-middleweight champion Liam Smith with Rungvisai Vs. Cuadras fighting for the vacant WBC Super-Flyweight title also on the card. The show will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Thailand).

Saturday, February 12: Daniel Jacobs Vs. John Ryder – Super-middleweight John Ryder looks to step up in 2022, taking on two-time middleweight world champion Daniel Jacobs in the UK. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Saturday, February 19: Jaime Munguía vs. D’Mitrius Ballard – Mexican middleweight Jaime Munguía takes on D’Mitrius Ballard in a rescheduled middleweight battle between the pair for the WBO Inter-Continental middleweight title. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Mexico).

Sunday, February 27: Lawrence Okolie – WBO cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie will defend his belt for the second time at the end of February with the opponent to be announced soon. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Saturday, March 05: Estrada vs. Chocolatito III – Juan Francisco Estrada and Román ‘Chocolatito’ González run it back once more for a highly anticipated trilogy fight for the WBA and The Ring Super Flyweight titles. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN.

Saturday, March 12: Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan – Leigh Wood defends his new WBA belt for the first time after producing a 12th-round knockout against Xu Can at Fight Camp, now facing WBA ‘interim’ featherweight champion Michael Conlan. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Saturday, March 19: Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Michael McKinson – Knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. looks to make it 19-0, taking on flawless British prospect Michael McKinson in the first defense his WBO International welterweight title. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN.

Saturday, March 26: Kiko Martinez vs. Josh Warrington II – Spanish two-weight world champion Kiko Martinez puts his newly acquired IBF featherweight belt on the line against old foe Josh Warrington – who actually beat the champion back in 2017. The rematch will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

“After a stacked fall fight schedule on DAZN to close out 2021, we’re committed as ever to maintain that pace with our partners and thrilled to announce an unrivalled start to 2022 – a year that will see new matchups constantly added as we continue to deliver nonstop boxing action to subscribers and fight fans all around the world,” said Ed Breeze, EVP Rights at DAZN.

“In addition to the live boxing schedule, we also look forward to ramping up our original content slate, featuring even more of the most compelling storylines in and around boxing, daily drops of The DAZN Boxing Show, and much more to be unveiled in the new year.”

“We ended 2021 with a bang and I can’t wait to get started in 2022,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. “It’s going to be such an exciting year for Matchroom and DAZN with massive events all over the world, and I’m delighted with the early schedule we’ve put together – unifications, World title action and career-defining nights; there’s so much drama packed into these nights, and we’ve got plenty more to add soon.”

“Golden Boy finished off 2021 with incredible, action-packed fights on DAZN headlined by some of the biggest stars in the sport, Vergil Ortiz, Jr., Jaime Munguia, and Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez. These fighters are the future of boxing and we are delighted to continue to work with DAZN in 2022 on the upcoming events of these fighters,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Chairman & CEO of Golden Boy.

“We are starting 2022 with the announcement of Jaime Munguia vs. D’Mitrius Ballard on February 19 and Vergil Ortiz, Jr. vs. Michael McKinson on March 19. These events are going to be full of non-stop action, featuring the fan-friendly styles of Munguia, Ballard, and Ortiz, Jr.’s incredible knock-out power. 2022 will be an exciting year of boxing for all fight fans.”

Further fights and full undercard details to be announced shortly.

About DAZN Group

DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK and with employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports; from production, through to content distribution and commercialisation. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the?leading global sport?destination, as well as the popular sport portal, DAZN News. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees affordable access on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is now live in more than 200 countries and territories after first launching in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan in 2016. Visit www.dazngroup.com for more information.

Eddie Hearn and Matchroom are delighted to announce a stacked start to 2022 in the USA and UK with seven blockbuster events to kick off a huge year on DAZN. •    Saturday, February 05: Jessie Vargas vs. Liam Smith  Headlining the event is former two-weight World Champion Jessie Vargas vs. former WBO Light-Middleweight champion Liam Smith with Srisaket Sor Rungvisai vs. Carlos Cuadras clashing for the vacant WBC Super-Flyweight title also on the card at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The show will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding Thailand). •    Saturday, February 12: Daniel Jacobs vs. John Ryder Super-Middleweight John Ryder looks to step up in 2022, taking on two-time Middleweight World Champion Daniel Jacobs at the famous Alexandra Palace in London. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia). •    Sunday, February 27: Lawrence Okolie vs. Michal Cieslak WBO Cruiserweight World Champion Lawrence Okolie will defend his belt for the second time at the end of February against Poland’s former World Title challenger Michal Cieslak. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia). •    Saturday, March 05: Estrada vs. Chocolatito III  Juan Francisco Estrada and Román ‘Chocolatito’ González run it back once more for a highly anticipated trilogy fight for the WBA, WBC Franchise and The Ring Magazine Super-Flyweight titles at the Pechanga Arena San Diego in San Diego, California. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN. •    Saturday, March 12: Leigh Wood vs. Michael Conlan  Leigh Wood defends his new WBA belt for the first time after producing a stunning 12th-round knockout against Xu Can at Matchroom Fight Camp in July, now facing WBA ‘Interim’ Featherweight champion Michael Conlan on home soil at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham. The event will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).•    Saturday, March 19: Vergil Ortiz Jr. vs. Michael McKinson  Knockout artist Vergil Ortiz Jr. looks to make it 19-0, taking on flawless British world rated contender Michael McKinson in the first defence his WBO International Welterweight title. The Golden Boy Promotions event will be live worldwide on DAZN. •    Saturday, March 26: Kiko Martinez vs. Josh Warrington II  Spanish two-weight World Champion Kiko Martinez puts his newly acquired IBF Featherweight belt on the line against old foe Josh Warrington at the First Direct Arena in Leeds. Warrington outpointed Martinez in a close contest at the same venue back in May 2017. The rematch will be live worldwide on DAZN (excluding New Zealand and Australia).

Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing Chairman, said: “We ended 2021 with a bang and I can’t wait to get started in 2022. It’s going to be such an exciting year for Matchroom and DAZN with massive events all over the world, and I’m delighted with the early schedule we’ve put together – unifications, World title action and career-defining nights; there’s so much drama packed into these nights, and we’ve got plenty more to add soon.” Ed Breeze, EVP Rights at DAZN, said: “After a stacked fall fight schedule on DAZN to close out 2021, we’re committed as ever to maintain that pace with our partners and thrilled to announce an unrivalled start to 2022 – a year that will see new matchups constantly added as we continue to deliver nonstop boxing action to subscribers and fight fans all around the world.”   ENDS  About Matchroom Boxing Matchroom Boxing is the world’s leading boxing promotional outfit putting on major stadium and arena shows across the globe. Headed up by boxing supremo Eddie Hearn, Matchroom has been among the world leaders in major boxing promotion and production for over a quarter of a century since its launch in 1987. With an unrivalled stable of world-class fighters, Matchroom’s unique expertise in promotion, staging and television productions cements its position as the No.1 promoter in the sport. About DAZN Group DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK and with employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports; from production, through to content distribution and commercialisation. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the leading global sport?destination, as well as the popular sport portal, DAZN News. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees affordable access on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is now live in more than 200 countries and territories after first launching in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan in 2016. Visit https://media.dazn.com? for more information.