STEVE’S SOAPBOX
athlete took a step up,” duBoef told The Ring. “They elevated their game, and they couldn’t have done that without those early rounds. Without those early fights in their system, they couldn’t have done it without the great maturity that they got. That’s all part of the overall packaging and developing that we did with them.” duBoef admits that it’s a source of pride to have Top Rank charges win battles against boxers represented by rival promoters. Included in the pitch deck he presents to networks is a chart that shows Top Rank’s record versus the likes of Matchroom, Golden Boy and PBC. “It’s something like 40 to 9 – it’s really lopsided,” he stated. Finally, on March 18, it was formally announced that Top Rank would be entering into a multi-year deal to air fights on DAZN, which now means that just about every major promoter of note in the sport is under its umbrella. But for months leading into this, both duBoef and the founder of Top Rank, Bob Arum, made it clear that unlike their previous deal with ESPN, they would not be exclusive to just one entity. “That was a big piece we had to get over,” admitted duBoef of their talks with DAZN. Top Rank’s philosophy is that the other major sports have multiple rights deals that range from traditional television to streaming options. It’s clear that it wants to have multiple portals to place its stable of fighters. All duBoef would say at this moment was: “We announced the cornerstone to our deal, which was DAZN. We did discuss that it’s not an exclusive deal. There is room for all of us to grow. I don’t want to talk about the other stuff, because it’s ongoing. I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes.” But regardless, he believes that they don’t have to do a hard sell on their roster. To him, it’s the best in boxing. “I mean, do you have to say it?” duBoef said with a chuckle. “Maybe if you’re on another planet and you don’t know it. We whipped some ass and took everybody out.”
Shu Shu Carrington dazzled in his victory over Carlos Castro.
winter months. The Top Rank brass lined them up, and they kept knocking them down. On November 22, Abdullah Mason traveled to Saudi Arabia and won a hard-fought decision over Sam Noakes for the vacant WBO lightweight title. Then on January 24 on a Matchroom Boxing card in Las Vegas, Raymond Muratalla outpointed betting favorite Andy Cruz for the vacant IBF belt. The following week at Madison Square Garden, Bruce Carrington captured the vacant WBC featherweight crown by stopping Carlos Castro in nine. On that same bill, Keyshawn Davis stopped Jamaine Ortiz in 12 rounds in his junior welterweight debut. That very same evening in Puerto Rico, Zayas became a unified titleholder, defeating Abass Baraou to add the WBA strap to his collection (this would be the only show promoted and streamed by Top Rank). Then, to top it off, on February 28 in another Matchroom event, Emanuel Navarrete chopped up Eduardo Nunez in 11 to unify two junior lightweight titles. On the same card, The Ring’s 2025 Prospect of the Year, Emiliano Vargas, scored a ninth-round TKO of Agustin Quintana, one of two victories he notched since the ESPN breakup. Ironically, the only Top Rank-branded
boxer to suffer a defeat during the company’s time between broadcast partners was Teofimo Lopez, who lost to his former promotional stablemate, Stevenson. Regardless, the company could not have asked for better results. But Moretti was not surprised by what transpired. “They were all built the same way to get to that point, and to win the fights,” he said. “Whether it’s on your platform or another platform, the bell rings, and you can’t really do much after that. You just have to trust your fighter wins – and it’s up to the fighter. So I wouldn’t say it was a big shock. It’s more of the result of the last seven years with these guys being built a certain way. They say, ‘Ford Tough’ … well, they’re built ‘Top Rank Tough.’” When asked about the success of his fighters, duBoef stated that it was a “combination” of factors. He was quick to point out that they were talented, but he wanted to laud his matchmakers for the part they played in the process. “The cream rose to the top, and that’s all part of the development, and each
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