Former World Champion and Sky Sports commentator Jonny Nelson speaks in an exclusive interview Sarah Neish Why the world of boxing is offering an unprecedented opportunity for drinks brands.
There's no doubt that you can benefit from aligning your brand with a sports team, tournament, or athlete.
Rarely in less than a week Beverage Business It didn't report on new sports partnerships, such as California winemaker Kendall Jackson becoming the NBA's official wine sponsor, or David Beckham appearing in Stella Artois' new ad campaign.
AB InBev will sponsor this year's Olympics, tennis ace Roger Federer has teamed up with Moet & Chandon and Lionel Messi has partnered with Michelob Ultra.
But one sport has huge untapped potential when it comes to beverages, and it's becoming an increasingly attractive prospect for big brands.
Until now, luxury brands have not paid much attention to boxing: “You don't often see Rolex or Taittinger sponsoring boxing matches like you do with tennis,” says former cruiserweight world champion Jonny Nelson. Decibels In an exclusive interview.
But all that could change as Saudi Arabia becomes a bigger player in boxing, pumping billions of pounds into the sport and winning the rights to host high-profile bouts such as last weekend's heavyweight unification fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk.
Saudi Arabia prides itself on luxury services and is hoping to attract the “big money” to its private island, Sindara, due to open by the end of the year. The main guests being targeted are the wealthy and yachtsmen. With the prestige-conscious country starting to take a serious interest in boxing, it may not be long before brands follow suit.
“Boxing is definitely becoming more and more attractive to beverage brands,” says Nelson. “And it's because of the fan base. They love the drinks! Boxing is a people's sport. Going to watch boxing is an event, an occasion, it's not just two fighters stepping into the ring. If the boxers do well, they draw a lot of fans. That's why TV stations love them. And it puts your brand in front of everyone, rather than targeting a male or female demographic.”
A blank canvas
As with any connection between a drinks brand and professional sport, the exception is that the athletes themselves rarely drink alcohol. Is there any contradiction in having a drinks logo printed on the canvas of the ring when the boxers inside the ring shy away from alcohol?
“A professional boxer drinking is like a gas station attendant smoking a cigarette: If you go in there, you're going to get blown up,” says Nelson, who remained sober throughout his 19-year professional career.
“Abstinence from alcohol is one of the sacrifices you have to make if you want to do your job well as a professional boxer. But drinks companies aren't targeting the boxers, they're targeting the fanbase – they're piggybacking on that support, that party atmosphere. Boxers are a blank canvas onto which brands can project their story.”
Last week's Fury vs. Usyk fight drew more than 550 million viewers in 137 countries, plus a reported 20 million illegal streams worldwide, making it a blank canvas worthy of a brand name.
Is there a future for premium spirits in boxing?
Selling beer to boxing fans is a given, but is there a future for premium spirits being served in the bars of boxing's most beloved venues?
“Absolutely,” says Nelson, who recently teamed up with The Pugilist Rum, produced by the Warwickshire Gin Company in Leamington Spa. In many ways it's a match made in heaven, as Pugilist founder Dave Brick is keen to bring his premium rum to more boxing venues and Nelson, as a boxing commentator for Sky Sports, gets to fly the flag for the spirit at some of the sport's biggest events.
“Not everyone wants to drink beer. I don't like beer. I'll drink it at a barbecue if there's nothing else, but if not, I'll have a spirits drink with a bit of coke or orange juice. Actually, sometimes there's too much beer so people can drink more spirits,” he says.
According to Nelson, it was a mutual friend who first told him about The Pugilist and its connection to the story of 1950s boxing legend Randolph Turpin. Surprisingly, it was Nelson who contacted the distillery, not the other way around.
“It's nice to see a company trying to raise awareness of Randolph and at the same time successfully monetize their product, so I approached them and asked to be involved with the brand,” he says.
“Randolph is one of the unsung heroes of boxing and he doesn't get the recognition he deserves. It was unthinkable for a black man to do what he did in England at that time. [beat Sugar Ray Robinson to snatch the world middleweight title in 1951]”Nobody like him has ever done that,” said Nelson, the longest-reigning cruiserweight world champion of all time.
He also appreciated that The Pugilist's base spirit is Guyanese rum, paying tribute to Turpin's heritage.
“I'm glad they kept it authentic and as close to his traditions and stories as possible. It's an added tribute to his name.”
Does he think the high price of rum (£38 a bottle) could make it difficult to secure on-trade listings at boxing venues?
“No. If you want good rum, you're going to pay for it. If you want cheap rum or cheap beer, people will get whatever…” he says.
But Nelson stresses that the brand would be equally at home in high-end bars outside of boxing venues, such as luxury hotels and restaurants, perhaps even Sindara in Saudi Arabia, where it could sit alongside premium rums like Zacapa, Diplomatico and Eminente on the back bar.
Would Nelson consider releasing his own spirits in the future?
“I would love to be involved. Although it's still early days as a brand, being involved with The Pugilist is a first step for me into the drinks industry and an opportunity to learn. There's always an opportunity…”
He wouldn't be the first boxing star to launch his own drinks range.
As Decibels According to reports, MMA star Conor McGregor has landed a major on-trade deal to put his Forged Irish Stout in over 500 bars and pubs across the UK in November 2023 through a partnership with LWC Drinks.
This follows McGregor's sale of a majority stake in Proper Number Twelve Whisky to Proximo Spirits for a deal valued at $600 million.
Mexican boxing superstar Canelo also launched his VMC (short for Viva Mexico Cabrones) series of tequila-based ready-to-drink beverages in the United States last year.
You can check out db See the top 10 sports drink partnerships for 2023 here.
