Ben Shalom: “I think Sky are committed to the sport more than ever.”

Ben Shalom: “I think Sky are committed to the sport more than ever.”

The framed artwork on the wall behind him is a little reminder of just how far Ben Shalom has come. A piece of art of his first big night in the sport. It was the long-awaited fight between Amir Khan and Kell Brook in February 2022 that had proved a bridge too far for other promoters that, in many ways, was a statement of intent for Ben Shalom and his Boxxer promotional company.

It was a blistering start to the new working relationship with Sky. A partnership born out of Eddie Hearn taking his entire stable to DAZN leaving the Sky devoid of any boxing content but opening the doors for a new beginning. They turned to Shalom and his new fledgling Boxxer to begin the new generation when they joined forces in 2021. An empty stable of fighters was steadily filled with fighters who could develop into something very special over the coming years.

Like everything, it takes time for anything to grow. Boxxer and their Olympic-loaded stable was no different. After a highly promising start in 2022, the following year was a mixed bag that was blighted by incredible bad luck with injuries greatly affecting their on-screen product. The online critics came out in force, especially when several high-profile signings didn’t quite hit the heights expected of them.

It was a difficult year, although nowhere near as bad as some would like you to believe and despite the frustration of many things there was still plenty for Shalom to be happy about in twelve months that he describes as a learning period.

“From a business point of view, we signed fighters that we always wanted to sign. We put on stadium events and probably the two biggest shows on British soil with the two Chris Eubank Liam Smith events. We hit a lot of milestones, but we also had injuries,” Shalom told me over Zoom. “The issues with the purse bids stuff with Frazer Clarke that caused a lot of criticism, so it was definitely a growing year, so to speak, and a learning year. I think up until then, the business has grown so much over the last few years. But last year, I think we had five main events that we lost through injuries and dealing with all of that. It was definitely a gruelling year, but it was a year where a lot of out fighters established themselves like Ben Whittaker, Caroline Dubois, and Adam Azim. Chris Billiam Smith became a world champion. Obviously, Joshua Buatsi signed for us, and Dan Azeez did really well. Savannah Marshall became a world champion again. So there were some incredible success stories, but with the injuries and a few injuries outside of the ring, it definitely made it a learning year, and the business had to take on a lot of changes.”

There does seem to be a change in direction in the early stages of 2024. Boxxer and Shalom have certainly hit the ground running with two big shows already behind them. Two main events that are early fight-of-the-year contenders in Natasha Jonas vs. Mayer and Joshua Buatsi vs. Dan Azeez. All concerned can be extremely happy with their work so far, and with a long-awaited British heavyweight title fight to follow, the signs are good. Very good.

“If you are ambitious and you want to keep on growing, you want to take on the world and do this and do that and be as big as other promoters,” Shalom says in reflection of what has gone and what more importantly, what is to come. “But to take a step back and think what do the fans really want and what can we deliver, and it is big domestic nights and big domestic fights. Sometimes less is more. I think we are looking at if we can do one massive show each month in the UK. But when you start with no stable, it takes time for your fighters to develop. They are not going to be in the main events that people want to see straight away. It does take time. A lot of the other promoters have mature stables with fighters who have been with them for five, maybe ten years. But I definitely think the focus is now on the big British nights. There was a lot of learning last year, but the stable was maturing and is now in a much better place. We have had a great start to the year. An unbelievable start to the year, and I think the focus will now be on the big nights in this country.”

2024 does seem to be the year when the Boxxer stable starts to show what it is capable of. A period where all that early investment starts to show a return.

“I think so. If you look at our first year, we had Khan-Brook, Eubank-Williams, and Taylor-Catterall. Stand-out nights, but really, we were putting on big events for fights that were not ours. Fighters who were free agents or coming to the end of their careers, going to the highest bidders, but it is definitely different now, we are delivering for our own fighters,” Shalom relayed to FightPost. “The whole dynamic of the business changes. At the start, it was how do we prove we can put on a PPV show. How do we prove we can deliver world titles. There are so many question marks you have to tick off. But you will definitely see the talent that we have signed and have invested in over the last two years coming to fruition. It’s a year where our fighters are going to be tested, and we’ll see just how good they are.”

Shalom is aware of the rumours of their broadcast partnership Sky walking away from the sport when their initial deal ends in 2025, although I am of the understanding that isn’t the case, but Shalom seems relaxed despite the ongoing online speculation regarding his future with Sky.

“I’ve had that since we started with Sky. There were rumours that Sky was going to pull out of boxing when Matchroom left. It did look like that, and we had to work hard to make sure that they didn’t. Nobody can ever question their commitment to boxing, but it’s a different market now. We have others who are spending absolute fortunes in the sport, which is great for the sport. I do interviews all the time asking are Sky going to do this or do that ever since we got the deal. But if you look at our stable and our product and the shows we are able to put on now, we are in a completely different place from when we started. I think if you look at the trajectory of young talent coming through, the future stars of British boxing, we are in an extremely healthy place. I think Sky are committed to the sport more than ever. I think they want to continue to invest in women’s boxing as well. For us, we are at the very start of our journey. it comes with the territory, but we will come under criticism. But all we can do is concentrate and focus on what we need to do. When I look back on that first year and look at how far we have come, it is remarkable, and I think people in the industry see that.

“I think when you look back then, it was becoming like a monopoly with Sky and Matchroom. Frank Warren was trying to start Boxnation, which didn’t quite work out. But right now, the market is completely different. You’ve got a broadcaster in DAZN, who is basically a boxing broadcaster and spending millions and millions around the world, which, as I say, is great for boxing. You’ve got another broadcaster in TNT who love their boxing as well. It’s a completely ball game now. They are never going to be the only show in town which they were for many days, and they accept that. But if you look back at comparisons and what we have done in the last few years, and it is still very early days, for me, it is exciting what we have achieved. We have been a little inexperienced at times, and I think Sky recognises that.”

The highly promising start to the year continues later this month when Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke will finally settle their differences at the O2 Arena in London on a show that is almost certainly the most stacked card Shalom has put on to date. But the show comes at great risk for his fighter, something that Shalom readily accepts.

“It’s an extremely risky fight. For both fighters. Frazer, for me, wanted to be at this level ever since he turned pro, from an amateur experience point of view he has fought the very best, so he was always going to move really quickly. On March 31st, he could become the fastest-ever British heavyweight champion of all time. When the purse bid happened last year after six fights, I still can’t believe the Board ordered it after he had been in mainly six-rounders when there were four or five other fighters ahead of him in the queue. There were people who said how disgraceful that was. They said he was an Olympian and he should be ready, and this and that, and now they are saying it’s too soon for him now. It is very easy, but that shows the confidence in him. Frazer needs the big fights to get up for because that is what he used to do, and I believe that will show on March 31st. But Fabio is no ordinary British champion, in my opinion. The way he has come through, his grit, his determination, his ability to knock people out that he has shown time and time again. He will be a very tough opponent for Frazer. But ultimately he has to be looking at Fabio Wardley, if he shows anything like he did in his amateur career and if he carries that through and matches Fabio for grit and determination and all the other things Fabio will bring, then he should be winning this fight comfortably.”

Shalom is no stranger to the online hate and rumours that seem to follow him around on a daily basis. One of the most high-profile Boxxer signings was the highly-touted Olympian Ben Whittaker. After a slow injury-hit start to his career, Whittaker is now showing signs of showing all the potential that promoted Boxxer and Sky to splash the cash several years ago. But there is the online mischief that Whittaker will one day be a Matchroom fighter or he will be leaving imminently and fight in America

“You see that stuff, and you have to laugh,” Shalom says of such rumours. “But I don’t mind it. I want Ben to get attention. He could have blown up like this in his first fight. There is something very special about Ben. He is a superstar, and other people can see that. I think he can be a star over here and in the US. So, of course, he will get attention, but we are in a long-term relationship with him, and we have a long-term vision together. Hee is someone I am proud to be associated with. Not just because of what he does in the ring but because of who he is. The key is to keep him active now.”

Despite the fast start to the year, Shalom is already planning for more. A big domestic light-heavyweight showdown between Joshua Buatsi and the Frank Warren-signed Anthony Yarde is edging ever closer, a fight which Shalom is confident will happen.

“My understanding is that both promoters want the fight. Both fighters want the fight. We go back and forth a lot. I’m speaking to George Warren a lot. We are going through the finer details, and I expect it to happen in May or June this year. It’s a huge fight for them both and for British boxing.”

If the fight gets over the line, Shalom says it will be the demand and the quality of the first fight that will determine if there is a rematch.

“I don’t expect there to be a rematch because I don’t think either fighter wants a rematch,” Shalom told me. “But if there is demand for it and it is a great fight, you can never say never. Ultimately, it is for Buatsi’s number one position, and I don’t think either fighter wants to restrict themselves.”

At the time of writing, who will broadcast the fight is still to be decided Shalom says.

“It is still up in the air. Sometimes, it comes down to which broadcaster wants to support it the most. We are fairly relaxed in many ways. We want the biggest stage possible and the biggest commitment from whichever broadcaster gets it. It’s a huge fight, and it needs to be done justice.”

Caroline Dubois is another future star. A fighter who seemingly would trade blows with any fighter anywhere near her weight. With ongoing issues around her IBF world title aspirations, her situation appears complicated, but Shalom is still hopeful her next fight will still be for a world title.

“Caroline was announced on the February show, I think in November. She then agreed to fight Rhiannon Dixon after getting an offer. Then we had all the pull-out situation. But for her, it’s better to be active. We are talking about a fighter who will win world titles and fight any opponent out there, and she will become a multi-weight world champion. Caroline is top of the list when you look at the future of women’s boxing. Caroline is incredibly ambitious, and hopefully, she will fight for a world title in her next fight. She is ready now.”

Savannah Marshall is currently trying her hand on the PFL MMA circuit, but Shalom says she will return to the sport that made her name later this year.

“I was with Peter Fury, and we were talking about that. Savannah will have a PFL fight in May or June, and then she will be back,” Shalom told me. “She loves boxing, which is where she became a star. There are big fights out there for her, but the big one is the Claressa Shields fight. Savannah wants that fight, and she wants that fight at 168 and possibly over three-minute rounds as well.”

Natasha Jonas is fresh off her win over Mikaela Mayer in January and Shalom says a return later this year is his preferred option, with FightPost being of the understanding that Boxxer hopes her return will be against Lauren Price who looks set to challenge Jessica McCaskill for a world title on April 20th in Wales.

“I think we are looking at something very big in September,” Shalom says. “Tasha just wants the big names. She has achieved everything now in her career. Probably achieved more than she thought she would a couple of years ago in terms of the amount of world titles she has amassed and the big nights that she has had. For me, that Mayer night was everything. It was a big name and in her hometown, and now it is only the big names that she is interested in. They are the likes of Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron. The money fights. As a promoter, would I love to see the Mayer rematch? Yes. But Tasha, especially with only a fight or two left, has earned the right to choose the best option for her.” 

If the Lauren Price Jessica McCaskill fight does indeed get announced in the coming days, it could be the start of something special for the Olympic champion.  

“I expect her to break records,” Shalom says of his unbeaten world title hopeful. “If Lauren develops the way she should, everyone is going to struggle with her. With how talented she is, Lauren is going to have some major nights and that welterweight division if you think about it with Natasha Jonas, Sandy Ryan, Jessica McCaskill and Mikaela Mayer they are all big fights and she will fancy herself against any of them.”

Ben Shalom will hope all the problems of last year are now firmly behind him. A difficult year in many ways. But the signs are that 2024 will be anything but. Boxxer, Sky, and Shalom, despite a different narrative from elsewhere, do seem in a very good place indeed.

Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig/Boxxer