Matchroom Boxing has announced a new agreement with Rakuten Ticket and sports entertainment and marketing company Never Say Never (NSN) to bring a series of major events to Japan.
As part of the deal, Matchroom will stage three major events per year in Japan. The events will be available to watch live around the world on DAZN (excluding Asia).
A press conference will be held in Tokyo in the coming days to confirm more details on the partnership.
Rakuten Ticket is a ticket reservation and sales website managed by Rakuten Ticket, Inc., a Rakuten Group company. The site offers reservation and general sales of tickets for various events, including sports, live performances, concerts and theatre/stage performances.
NSN is a global company and was founded in 2018 as a representation and intermediary agency in football for players such as Andrés Iniesta, Brahim Díaz, Bojan Krkić, Sergi Samper and Junior Firpo. It has expanded more widely into the sports and entertainment market, with Rakuten among its clients.
Matchroom Boxing chief executive Frank Smith said: “The future of boxing in Japan is incredibly bright. We are delighted to seal this historic partnership with Rakuten Ticket, Inc and NSN.
“Japan is an important, strategic market for us to operate in and by bringing our world-class boxing events to this great country, we will not only showcase some of the finest fighters on the planet, but we will help establish some of the country’s leading domestic talents who will undoubtedly prosper on the world’s stage in years to come.”
Joel Borràs, president and founder of NSN, added: “It is a huge source of pride for our company, after three years installed in Japan, to be involved in such an important project that will allow the Japanese public to enjoy a first-class show.”
