Who will commentate and present Matchroom Boxing on DAZN? Full team line-up and details revealed

DAZN and Eddie Hearn announced in June that Matchroom Boxing would air worldwide on the global sports streaming service beginning July 31.

The game-changing deal means DAZN will now be the only place to catch Matchroom events, including in the UK and Ireland, ending a decades-long partnership (and a nine-year exclusive run) on Sky Sports in Britain.

However the question remains: who will present and commentate the Matchroom UK coverage from now on?

Introducing the DAZN and Matchroom on-air line up::

Mike Costello, legendary boxing commentator

Costello is BBC's long-standing boxing correspondent, and brings his passion and expertise to the DAZN/Matchroom partnership. Read more about Costello here.

Maya Jama, TV and radio broadcaster

Television's Jama is the co-presenter of BBC One's Peter Crouch: Save Our Summer alongside Peter Crouch and Alex Horne and has also presented major awards shows including the MOBOs, BRITS and 2020 BAFTA red carpet. Read more about Jama here.

Laura Woods, sports presenter and broadcaster

Woods is a regular weekly broadcaster on national radio and TV. She hosts one of the most listened to sports breakfast radio shows in the country and covers Premier League football from across the country at the weekends.

Tony Bellew, former WBC cruiserweight world champion

Bellew was WBC cruiserweight champion in 2016 and had famous battles with David Haye, Oleksandr Usyk, Nathan Cleverly and more. Bellew also starred as a main protagonist in Rocky Balboa spin-off movie Creed, and has served as a pundit and commentator on numerous Matchroom events since retiring in 2018. Read more about Bellew here.

Andy Lee, former WBO middleweight world champion

Lee won the WBO middleweight title in 2014, losing it to Billy Joe Saunders in 2015 and retiring after bowing out with a win over KeAndrae Leatherwood at Madison Square Garden in 2017. Since then, Lee has become a reputable trainer, working with Tyson Fury, Joseph Parker and more. Read more about Lee here.

Chris Lloyd, Matchroom commentator and analyst

Lloyd is well-known as the main presenter of Matchroom's pre-fight press conferences and weigh-ins, alongside his regular partner-in-crime Darren Barker. Lloyd and Barker will bring their double act to the DAZN and Matcrhoom partnership. Lloyd also co-hosts a boxing podcast, Inside Fighting, with former world champion Carl Frampton. Read more about Lloyd here.

Darren Barker, former IBF middleweight world champion

The sight of Barker and Eddie Hearn jumping for joy and embracing as Barker was announced the winner and new IBF middleweight champion over Daniel Geale in 2013 is an iconic one in Matchroom history. Barker retired later that year due to a hip injury sustained in his first defence, a title loss to Felix Sturm, and has been a part of Matchroom's on-screen team ever since. Read more about Barker here.

 

 

Will there be Matchroom commentary changes from Sky to DAZN?

While the line-up includes some fresh faces, some of the team played a role in Matchroom Boxing's UK and Ireland YouTube coverage during the Sky Sports era. Some have also been involved in DAZN presentations outside of the UK and Ireland.

When does Matchroom on DAZN start in the UK and Ireland?

The first event of the new era is the return of Matchroom's Fight Camp series, which debuted last year as a necessary concept in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with no fans being allowed at events. This year, there will be 500 fans at Matchroom's Mascalls HQ in Brentwood, Essex for the triple-header of shows.

What is Fight Camp? When does Fight Camp 2 start?

Fight Camp is a mini-series of boxing events staged on consecutive weekend's from the grounds of Eddie Hearn and Matchroom's own headquarters. Conceived in 2020 in order to break a four-month absence of boxing due to the pandemic, Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn admitted to DAZN that the amount of pride he had for putting the event together in the face of adversity is up there with his biggest shows, such as Carl Froch vs. George Groves 2, Anthony Joshua vs. Wladimir Klitschko and Canelo Alvarez vs. Billy Joe Saunders.

In 2021, the concept returns — with fans in attendance — and the first show airs live on DAZN July 31, with the next show the following Saturday, August 7, and the third and final part of this year's series on August 14. For more details on who is fighting on each show, click here.

Where can I stream DAZN?

Here is a list of devices where DAZN is available, including web browsers on DAZN.com:

Note: In Argentina, Chile and Colombia, new users can sign up via devices only, and not via web. Download the app via Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign up from there.