
Opening UK Boxxer fights from Wembley on 2nd October and Newcastle on 16th October
Boxing fans to have access to more boxing content than ever before on Sky
Announcement follows four-year deals with promoters Top Rank and BOXXER
Sky Sports Boxing brand refreshed
Sky Sports has today announced details of its new generation of Boxing coverage following deals with promotional companies Top Rank and BOXXER, revealing the first fights in a busy new boxing schedule and fresh fight formats.
Sky Sports is now the place to watch live Top Rank events from the United States in the UK & Ireland, while the partnership with BOXXER will deliver fights from elite fighters from the UK. Following the partnership announcement in June, Sky Sports is also refreshing its boxing offering and brand with the aim of giving fight fans unparalleled access to the sport's leading pound-for-pound fighters from across the globe.
The first UK event of the new partnership with BOXXER takes place Saturday, 2nd October when Wasserman Boxing athlete Chris Eubank Jr meets Sven Elbir at London's SSE ARENA, Wembley. They top a stacked card which features David Avanesyan defending his European championship against the UK's Liam Taylor, unbeaten since 2015, and Cruiserweight contender Richard Riakporhe returning from injury layoff to get back on the world title hunt.
Two weeks later, on Saturday 16th October, Hughie Fury seeks to cement his position as a global top-ten Heavyweight when he faces the heavy-handed Christian Hammer on a card featuring WBO champion Savannah Marshall and hugely popular Newcastle fan favourite Lewis Ritson. Both events will air live and exclusively on Sky Sports, with tickets on sale from 10am tomorrow via boxxer.com/tickets.
Undisputed Super-Lightweight world champion Josh The Tartan Tornado Taylor will defend his crown against WBO No. 1 contender Jack El Gato Catterall on Saturday, 18th December from The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, live on Sky Sports and streaming exclusively in the United States on ESPN+. Taylor authored a boxing masterclass in May, defeating fellow unified world champion Jose Ramirez via unanimous decision in Las Vegas to become the first British boxer in the four-belt era to attain undisputed status. Ticket and undercard information for Taylor-Catterall will be announced shortly.
After 30 years in Boxing, Sky Sports boxing is starting a new chapter with Top Rank and BOXXER, with an exciting mix of elite-level and emerging fighters for Sky Sports boxing fans to watch.
Fight fans can also look forward to bouts from the likes of WBO Welterweight champion Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko, unified Lightweight world champion Te fimo L pez, unified Bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue, WBO Super-Featherweight champion Jamel Herring and Shakur Stevenson.
What's more, Sky's new coverage will feature some of boxing's best female fighters including a Super-Featherweight title unification showdown between Top Ranks Mikaela Mayer and Maiva Hamadouche. In addition, Olympian Caroline Dubois, the up-and-coming star fresh from her exploits in Tokyo, also joins the ranks of BOXXER, alongside WBO Middleweight champion Savannah Marshall and unified two-weight champion Claressa Shields. Claressa will be fighting on Sky Sports in the UK, after agreement with salita promotions to fight on Boxxer shows.
In addition to the new list of names, two-time unified world Heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is set to take on Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 25th September, Live on Sky Sports Box Office.
The Sky Sports Boxing schedule lines up as below, with more fights to follow:
11th September - FIGHT NIGHT INTERNATIONAL
OSCAR VALDEZ v ROBSON CONCEICAO - WBC Super-Featherweight Title
25th September - SKY SPORTS BOX OFFICE
ANTHONY JOSHUA v OLEKSANDR USYK - IBF, WBA & WBO World Heavyweight Titles
LAWRENCE OKOLIE v DILAN PRASOVIC - WBO Cruiserweight Title
2nd October - FIGHT NIGHT
CHRIS EUBANK JR. v SVEN ELBIR - 12 rounds Middleweight
DAVID AVANESYAN v LIAM TAYLOR - European Welterweight Title
RICHARD RIAKPORHE v KRZYSZTOF TWARDOWSKI - 8 rounds Cruiserweight
16th October - FIGHT NIGHT
SAVANNAH MARSHALL v LOLITA MUZEYA - WBO Middleweight Title
HUGHIE FURY v CHRISTIAN HAMMER - 12 rounds Heavyweight
24th October - FIGHT NIGHT INTERNATIONAL
JAMEL HERRING v SHAKUR STEVENSON - WBO Super-Featherweight Title
6th November - BOXXER TOURNAMENT
BOXXER TOURNAMENT
18th December - FIGHT NIGHT
JOSH TAYLOR v JACK CATTERALL - Undisputed World Super-Lightweight Title
The four-year US output deal with Top Rank gives Sky Sports access to the US promoter's current stable of nine of the top 18 pound-for-pound fighters and a minimum of 18 US fight nights while through a four-year promotional deal with BOXXER, Sky Sports plan to show around 14 UK fight nights plus Pay-Per-View fights and new formats.
As the new generation of boxing begins, Sky Sports, Top Rank and BOXXER are bringing fight fans a range of new formats with the aim of increasing competitivity in the ring. In addition to Pay-Per-View fights, viewers will have a feast of action in the form of Fight Nights and BOXXER Series Tournament shows. As well as high-quality boxing, the tournament shows will bring much more of an event feel to our screens in the hopes of attracting new audiences to the sport and they will also provide unparalleled opportunities for amateur boxers to fight on the big stage.
Alongside the British Boxing Board of Control, Sky is also furthering its commitment to grassroots boxing through a commitment to the development of up-and-coming fighters with plans to offer the live-streaming of amateu