Matchroom will kickstart 2025 with a doubleheader direct from the UK and USA on Saturday, January 25th – live worldwide on DAZN. That date features streams of two separate events and an unrivalled twelve hours of action – streamed by the global home of boxing, DAZN. It starts at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena where Dalton ‘Thunder’ Smith (16-0, 12 KOs) begins his charge towards greatness as he challenges Walid Ouizza (19-2, 8 KOs) for the European junior welterweight championship. On the undercard, Ellie Scotney (9-0) defends her IBF super bantamweight world title against Mea Motu (20-0, 8 KOs), whilst Conah Walker (14-3-1, 5 KOs) challenges Harry Scarff (13-3, 3 KOs) for the British & Commonwealth welterweight championships. Mark Dickinson (7-1, 2 KOs) challenges Reece Farnhill (11-0, 4 KOs) for the English super middleweight belt, whilst undefeated rising homegrown stars Ibraheem Sulaimaan (6-0, 4 KOs) and Hamza Uddin (3-0, 1 KO) return to action.

 

Then it is over to the US, where Diego Pacheco (22-0, 8 KOs) is in a super middleweight tilt against Steven Nelson (20-0, 16 KOs) at The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas – with Cuban Olympic star Andy Cruz (4-0, 2 KOs) taking on Mexico's Omar Salcido (20-1, 14 KOs) and Pomona's Ernesto Mercado (16-0, 15 KOs) facing former champion Jose Pedraza (29-6-1, 14 KOs) on his Matchroom debut.

 

And the big nights keep coming in Q1, as Matchroom delivers an evening of NXTGEN drama on Saturday, January 31st when 10-0 middleweight George Liddard (10-0, 6 KOs) co-headlines in London against Birmingham's Derrick Osaze (13-2, 3 KOs) and Rotherham's Junaid Bostan (10-0, 8 KOs) battles Bilal Fawaz (9-1, 2 KOs). Plus, a crop of exciting Matchroom talent will bid to extend their 100% starts to the professional ranks as Jimmy Sains (8-0, 8 KOs), Giorgio Visioli (5-0, 4 KOs), Leli Buttigieg (6-0, 1 KO), Taylor Bevan (1-0, 1 KO) and Jesse Brandon (4-0, 1 KO) feature in the capital.

 

Eduardo ‘Rocky’ Hernandez (36-2, 32 KOs) will return to action on Friday, February 28th, when he takes on Rene Tellez Giron (20-4, 13 KOs) at the Auditorio Guelaguetza in Oaxaca, Mexico.  KO artist Hernandez is back after an accidental head clash in his showdown with Thomas Mattice caused a cut to his left eye in Hermosillo back in September, ending a contest that was bubbling nicely with a technical decision win.  Giron (20-4 13 KOs) is a fiery Mexican who gave undefeated Floyd Schofield a real scare when he floored him in the eleventh round of their clash in Las Vegas in November in a spirited performance.

 

A Fight Night awaits in Belfast one day later on Saturday, March 1st, when local favorite Lewis Crocker (20-0, 11 KOs) and Limerick's Paddy Donovan (14-0, 11 KOs) light up the SSE Arena in a huge all-Irish battle.

 

And March ends with the professional debut of Olympian Pat Brown as the cruiserweight standout headlines at Planet Ice Altrincham on the outskirts of his hometown Manchester on Saturday, March 28th.

 

Further blockbuster nights are still to be announced for February and March across the globe – and excited promoter and Chairman of Matchroom Sport, Eddie Hearn, said: “This is how you get things started. “2025 is guaranteed to be our biggest year yet – and it’s all exclusive to fight fans on the global home of boxing, DAZN. Going back-to-back on January 25th underlines our strength worldwide with two incredible shows.

 

“Our January 31st we have a stacked night of NXTGEN boxing in London to look forward to, which leads us to a string of exciting events across the world up until March – with plenty more blockbuster nights and unmissable fights still to be announced. Watch this space.”

 

"We are incredibly excited to be announcing our first shows of 2025," said Alfie Sharman, VP DAZN. "Featuring some of the biggest names and best prospects in the sport, these shows will kick off an action-packed year for the platform. In 2025, DAZN promises to bring our subscribers an unrivalled schedule of world class boxing and closer to the action than ever before".