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Home » App platform trashed as light heavyweight returns to Sky Sports

App platform trashed as light heavyweight returns to Sky Sports

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An infamous app platform lost a light heavyweight star and potential future world champion this week to a rival he used to compete on.

Joshua Buatsi, an Olympic bronze medalist from 2016, stands on the verge of a world title shot. However, he doesn’t plan on challenging for a belt on the platform his old boss moved to controversially.

Eddie Hearn, head of Matchroom, switched all his fighters from Sky Sports to the DAZN app in 2018. The move was part of a multi-million dollar deal.

But it hasn’t been plain sailing for Hearn on DAZN. Several price rises by the app and a reversal of their mantra on Pay Per View have polarized audiences.

In addition, WBN has been unsubscribed from DAZN for some time now. The switch-off mimics several others, according to social media.

UK light heavyweight star signs with Sky

Buatsi re-signed a deal to once ain’t campaign on the network where his career began. The Briton left with a parting shot.

Joshua Buatsi said: “I want to get the biggest fights on the biggest, most accessible platform for sports fans, so that’s why I’ve signed with BOXXER and Sky Sports,” said Buatsi.

“I want people to say, ‘We know what channel to turn to.’ I won’t tell you to download an app or type in your email.

“My last fight, I asked myself, ‘How many watched it?’ I don’t think many people saw it,” he added.

Buatsi is the latest UK star-name addition to the BOXXER and Sky Sports stable. He follows world cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie in doing likewise.

The former British light heavyweight champion celebrated his 30th birthday yesterday. To mark the occasion, he signed an exclusive multi-fight, multi-year agreement with BOXXER.

With the ink dry on the contract, it will see his forthcoming world title quest air exclusively in the UK on the nation’s most prominent sports broadcast platform.

Joshua Buatsi returns

His first fight under the BOXXER banner will be live and exclusive on Sky Sports, in the UK and Republic of Ireland, on May 6 at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham.

Buatsi joins a roster packed with fellow Olympians, including Lauren Price, Ben Whittaker, Frazer Clarke, Natasha Jonas, Karriss Artingstall, and Caroline Dubois.

All those names would have almost certainly signed with Hearn if he hadn’t left Sky for DAZN. A big part of Hearn’s philosophy was signing British Olympic medalists while at Sky.

Josh holds sixteen professional wins and a two-year reign as WBA International light-heavyweight champion. Buatsi is now set on winning major world titles in one of boxing’s most competitive weight divisions.

Furthermore, BOXXER CEO and Founder Ben Shalom said: “We’re incredibly proud and excited to welcome Joshua Buatsi to the BOXXER stable.

“He is an exemplary role model and one of the most talented fighters in this country.

“Buatsi wants the biggest fights in front of the largest possible audience to achieve his unlimited potential.

“He feels he wants to make up for the lost time. We look forward to sharing this journey with him as he sets out to bring major nights and titles to Britain.”

News of Buatsi’s first fight under the BOXXER banner will be announced shortly. His last outing – a clash with Craig Richards in May last year – was widely considered one of British boxing’s fights of the year for 2022.

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