Anthony Joshua is reportedly set to part ways with Sky Sports and sign a highly lucrative deal with streaming platform DAZN, as he prepares for his pivotal rematch against Oleksandr Usyk this summer.
Throughout his career, Joshua has been exclusively featured on Sky Sports, with his promoter Eddie Hearn having previously secured an exclusive arrangement with the broadcaster for his fights. However, Hearn has since brokered a £100 million-per-year deal with DAZN, which has seen him shift his entire stable of fighters to the streaming service.
Joshua had been the exception to this deal, due to a separate contract ensuring his fights aired exclusively on Sky Sports. That contract expired following his first bout with Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September. Now, the heavyweight star has reportedly decided to join DAZN.
According to reports, Joshua has been the target of a bidding war ever since his contract with Sky Sports ended. However, he is now expected to commit to DAZN, with his upcoming rematch against Usyk—set for August in Saudi Arabia—being his first fight under the new deal.
Sky Sports initially believed they had secured Joshua’s re-signing as recently as last month, with DAZN feeling they had lost the battle to secure his signature. Both Sky Sports and DAZN declined to comment on the situation when contacted by Sportsmail.
Sky Sports has enjoyed many iconic moments with Joshua, including his dramatic win over Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium in 2017, which drew over 1.5 million pay-per-view viewers. Fans also witnessed his triumphant victory over Andy Ruiz Jr in Saudi Arabia in 2019 on the platform, a win that saw him reclaim his world titles and become a two-time world champion.
Joshua, who has fought all 26 of his professional fights under the Matchroom Sport banner, signed a lifetime contract with the promotional company last September. His partnership with Hearn has been instrumental in propelling him to become one of the world’s top fighters.
