Daily Mail: Sky Sports will not renew lucrative Boxxer deal when it expires

Story from Daily Mail:

Sky Sports will not renew boxing promoter Ben Shalom’s lucrative deal when it expires at the end of this month.

Mail Sport understands conversations remain ongoing about future collaborations between the broadcaster and Shalom, whose Boxxer company were plucked from relative obscurity in 2021 and handed a £36million, four-year contract in the wake of Sky’s split from Eddie Hearn.

But with Boxxer’s arrangement expiring on June 30, multiple sources have confirmed Shalom’s outfit will not be retained on an exclusive basis.

Sky Sports declined to comment. A Boxxer spokesperson said: ‘Boxxer has enjoyed a hugely successful partnership with Sky Sports in our first broadcast cycle, delivering a series of groundbreaking events and establishing as the UK’s fastest-growing and most innovative boxing promoter.

‘We are approaching the start of a new broadcast cycle and look forward to making a formal announcement very soon.’

It is understood that while Sky Sports are still in discussions with Boxxer, their future strategy will likely see them pick up individual rights for big fights from a range of promoters.

Shalom’s tenure has not been short of incident, which has included scrutiny of Boxxer’s links to the convicted cricket spot-fixer Mazhar Majeed, who advises Boxxer fighter Chris Eubank Jr.

There have also been eyebrows raised within boxing about the quality of Boxxer’s cards, though Sky sources insist they were satisfied, citing the recent Eubank Jr bout with Conor Benn and Kell Brook’s 2022 clash against Amir Khan.