Sky Sports reveals new chapter in boxing, new fighters and winter boxing schedule

• Josh Taylor v Jack Catterall (18th December), Vasiliy Lomachenko, Chris Eubank Jr., Savannah Marshall and Olympian Caroline Dubois coming to Sky Sports
• 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 Teófimo López, 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 Rank's 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 amateur boxing events on the broadcaster’s platforms.

The Tokyo Olympics and the heroics of Team GB showed once again how crucially important the amateur game is – whether at elite or at club level – where boxing gyms can act as youth centres.  Sky Sports and BOXXER are committed to supporting grass roots boxing and will feature a series of amateur tournaments and an exciting new annual Cup match.

BOXXER Series events are one-night tournaments which provide opportunities and exposure for boxers across the UK, as part of a commitment to supporting the sport at a grassroots level in the UK. In partnership with Sky Sports Boxing, BOXXER Series events will be staged in every major UK city. Sky Sports and BOXXER have confirmed a BOXXER Series event for Saturday, 6th November at the M&S Bank Arena Liverpool. Sky Sports has announced that award winning TV and Radio presenter Vick Hope has joined the Sky Sports Boxing team and will be the face of the BOXXER Series events.

BOXXER founder Ben Shalom said: "We’re excited to continue the rich Sky Sports Boxing legacy and take it into a new era. We founded BOXXER to make the professional sport more accessible and create better opportunities in the sport for fighters.

"This long-term deal with Sky allows us to take that mission to the next level. The strategy will put fans first; showcasing the best fights from around the world and building the sport in the UK.”

Top Rank President Todd duBoef said: “Sky Sports has been the home to the biggest sporting events throughout UK for decades, and we look forward to bringing the world’s biggest boxing events and star talent from around the world to UK boxing fans.”

Sky Sports Managing Director Jonathan Licht said: “We’re thrilled to announce the first phase of our exciting new boxing schedule and we look forward to working closely with Top Rank and BOXXER to deliver the best fights to Sky Sports Boxing viewers, and to showcasing some of the best up-and-coming fighters in the UK. Sky Sports customers will have more access to boxing than ever before.”