DAZN and CEO of North America Joseph Murkowski Following Sports Business Journal's first report on the split, a source connected to the decision confirmed to Boxing Scene on Friday that the two sides had mutually agreed to part ways.
A DAZN spokesperson said an official statement was being prepared on Monday.
Murkowski led DAZN's bold move into boxing, initially anchored by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and others associated with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions and Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. The company set itself apart from its competitors by streaming high-profile matches for an annual subscription fee.
When Alvarez made his DAZN debut by defeating England's Rocky Fielding in December 2018, there were voices at Madison Square Garden saying, “Pay-per-view is dead.”
With financial backing from Russia's Len Blavatnik, DAZN worked hard to emerge as the leader in boxing broadcasting, but many fighters remained loyal to ESPN's Showtime and Top Rank's Premier Boxing Champions. DAZN's ambitions were thwarted as it remained bound by vows, or contracts.
Eventually, DAZN entered the pay-per-view business, finally streaming the Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin trilogy fight in 2022. It happened three years later, when the time seemed most ripe.
Some say DAZN's entry into boxing has created a culture of rampant waste and reduced activity, and has failed to solve boxing's decades-old plague of protective matchmaking.
But DAZN has a lot to offer, including a stunning stoppage by Andy Ruiz Jr. in heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua's U.S. debut at Madison Square Garden in 2019, an upset of Dmitry Bivol over Alvarez, and a number of entertaining super-fights. It featured some classic matches from the Murkowski era, including a flyweight bout.
In recent months, Murkowski has been replaced by Alfie Sharman as the distribution company's public face during Fight Week, but DAZN has replaced IMG's Michael in a less publicized senior position overseeing rights deals.・This arrangement is expected to continue as the company announced that it will hire Mr. Ridou.
Murkowski, who has been with DAZN for 13 years, has not yet announced any future plans.
