TFC or a TFC-chosen sublicense will broadcast the lightweight world title fight between George Kambosos Jr. and Teófimo López.
Triller Fight Club Grabs Rights for López Lightweight Bout
The Triller Fight Club (TFC) has secured the broadcasting rights for the upcoming fight between George Kambosos Jr. and Teófimo López, displacing bids by Matchroom and Top Rank, ESPN reported. Triller and Snoop Dogg own TFC, and the platform paid $6 million ahead of the mandatory unified lightweight title fight in which López will have to defend his belts against Kambosos Jr.
TFC swept in to claim the rights after it was agreed that the fight’s purse would be determined based on open market conditions. Matchroom reportedly placed $3.5 million for the bout through DAZN, the company’s US broadcast platform. Top Rank paid a much lower amount, deeming the event, not a “prime fight,” sources reported, with just $2.31 on the table. López turned down Top Rank’s offer, his usual promoter, arguing that it did not do the fight justice.
In light of these bids, TFC was the clear winner, offering a much higher price and making it worthwhile for the fighters. Kambosos and López will split $2.1 million and $3.9 million, respectively. This would be the first time TFC has had the right to broadcast a world title fight, but it’s not yet determined whether the company would do so itself or license the rights to a third party.
TFC Places Itself as Leader in Fighting Entertainment
During the show match between Roy Jones Jr and Mike Tyson in November, TFC chose to broadcast the fight on TysonOntriller.com and File. tv instead. Triller has little to worry about using its platform, as the bout generated 1.6 million pay-per-view (PPV) buys, making it one of the highest-performing fights in the history of boxing based on that metric, Triller boss Ryan Kavanaugh explained.
Triller is sparing no effort to amp up the hype around its platform, and it’s using different approaches to build up a loyal following. On April 17, the platform will be hosting a fight between Jake Paul, a controversial YouTuber-turned-fighter, and UFC fighter Ben Askren. Paying generously for the rights to broadcast the bout between Kambosos Jr. and López may signal TFC’s commitment to entering the professional fighting space as well.
“This fight will certainly go down as iconic, and TFC will make sure it is presented with entertainment for every audience, from the diehard to the casual fan,” argued Kavanaugh on the occasion of securing the rights.