Exclusive: Michael Buffer Calls Matchroom Boxing Announcement “Massive” For The Sport
Legendary boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer is a big fan of Matchroom Boxing's recent announcement of its plans to further expand into the United States.
In the historic announcement made by Eddie Hearn, Matchroom Boxing will have 16 boxing shows in the United States per year for the next eight years streamed exclusively on Perform Group's DAZN streaming service, set to be launched this summer in the U.S. Buffer, who has been calling Matchroom Boxing fights in the United Kingdom for years, recently told Fightful that Hearn's vision will lead to a new age in boxing in the United States and how fans will be able to consume it.
“We’re seeing the future today. It’s going to be massive, it’s going to be great for the athletes, the fighters. The track record for both of these organizations is really excellent and for them to be partners, broadcasting and expanding here in the U.S. is a great thing for fight fans,” Buffer said.
Buffer, who has been ring announcing some of the most legendary boxing matches of the past few decades, credited Hearn's vision and energy which allowed Matchroom Boxing to undertake such a bold expedition.
“It’s a massive expansion. It really shows that there is a lot of energy at Matchroom. It’s not like they have 50 people just working there at the office. They know what they’re doing. The energy just goes down from Eddie and Frank Smith. They just have a handle on everything and they love what they do and they know what they’re doing. I can see this being a really good joint project with DAZN and streaming. Streaming is, without a doubt, the future of communications with the success of Netflix and Amazon Prime. It’s a massive network out there and everyone has the internet,” Buffer said.
The deal, estimated to go for $1 billion, is the largest such deal in boxing history according to Hearn. More details regarding DAZN and its U.S. release date and monthly price will be announced in the coming weeks.
