Manny Pacquiao has had 73 professional fights to date, but there is one man who is grateful that his planned clash with the Filipino icon did not materialize, calling his withdrawal a “blessing in disguise.”

Many fighters, true legends of this sport, dream of sharing the ring with one of the greatest boxing fighters; the only boxer to win a world title in four different decades and the only world champion in eight divisions.

Pacquiao is now chasing another feat, hoping to break his own mark as the oldest welterweight champion of all time, having last held the WBA welterweight title at the age of 42 years earlier. he lost to Yordenis Ugaswho stepped in as a challenger when Errol Spence Jr. withdrew.

I keep talking Ward’s Art PodcastSpence admitted he was glad the fight with “Pac-Man” didn’t happen, fearing that the eye injury that caused him to withdraw could seriously impact both his career and life.

“The whole camp I felt bad, I felt really bad, I was screwed up. I’ll say it again, I don’t know if it’s life or God or whatever. I got hit in the eye while sparring and I was actually still sparring at the time and stuff like that.

“I went to Vegas and had to take an eye test, it was shadowy, I saw clouds, something was wrong, I went to the eye doctor and I think he saw it, but he wanted me to tell him, so he said, ‘Can you see any clouds?’ And I said, ‘No, I can’t see anything.’

“He said, ‘Are you sure?’ And I said, “No, I can’t see anything, everything is clear, everything is fine.” I wanted to get permission, but he said, “Man, your eye is messed up.”

“I tried to tell the doctor to let me fight and that everything would be fine, that I would sign whatever you wanted me to sign. I told him I would make sure he [Pacquiao] don’t hit me in the eye!

“He said, ‘No, man, if you get hit in the eye the right way, you can go blind in the eye. I can’t let you fight.’

“I think it was a blessing in disguise because if I had taken that fight and something had happened, I would be wearing an eye patch right now and I wouldn’t have had the fights that I had or made the money that I made.”

Spence returns to action against Tim Tszyu next month, ending a three-year period of inactivity with intriguing tests in the super welterweight division.

Details of Moses Itauma’s long-awaited return to the ring have finally been revealed.

While Oleksandr Usyk may be the current heavyweight king, Itauma is seen as the future of the division as he has won all 14 of his professional fights, 12 of which ended by knockout.

After gaining notoriety with victories over the likes of Dillian Whyte, Demsey McKean and Mariusz Wach, in March he scored the biggest victory of his career when he defeated Jermaine Franklin over five rounds at Co-Op Live in Manchester.

Following this victory, attention quickly turned to who the 21-year-old would have to face next to continue his journey to becoming a world champion in the near future.

It had long been rumored that the opponent was Filip Hrgovic, and indeed it turned out to be the case Sky Sports reported that he will actually face the Croatian, and the fight is to take place on August 29 at the O2 Arena in London.

Hrgovic has won 20 of his 21 professional fights, with the only blemish being a loss to Daniel Dubois in June 2024.

Since that defeat he has beaten a trio of Brits, scoring points over Joe Joyce and David Adeleye, before beating Dave Allen in the third round at the Eco-Power Stadium in Doncaster in May.

This has now led to a showdown with Itauma, with Allen himself revealing his predictions for the competition after getting a feel for what it’s like to share the ring with ‘El Animal’.

DAZN was once seen as a UK-focused platform, built largely around Matchroom boxing. For many fans, this alone wasn’t enough to justify the price.

In 2026, this argument becomes increasingly tough to make.

The addition of BOXXER means DAZN now works with eight major boxing promoters, expanding a lineup that already includes Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Top Rank, Salita Promotions, Eye of the Tiger and MF Pro.

Whether fans believe DAZN Ultimate represents value for money is a separate debate. It’s becoming increasingly clear that each promoter added to the lineup makes it harder and harder for boxing fans to avoid DAZN.

Outside Matchroom

When DAZN first entered the boxing market, many critics saw it as an extension of Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.

Golden Boy helped expand its appeal in the United States, but the arrival of Frank Warren and Queensberry changed the conversation more than any other movement. For the first time, fans who followed Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren needed the same subscription.

Riyad’s season only accelerated this trend, bringing together fighters and promoters who have traditionally operated on different platforms.

The effect of the highest order

If Queensberry changed the equation in the UK, Top Rank could be the biggest addition of all.

Bob Arum has questioned DAZN’s place in boxing for years, in 2019 in a eminent interview with World Boxing News he said that “Nobody has DAZN.”

Today, Top Rank is on the same platform as Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy and BOXXER. Perhaps this was the moment when DAZN stopped looking like a Matchroom platform and started looking like something that boxing fans could no longer ignore.

The addition of Salita Promotions further strengthened DAZN’s position in the United States, with Claressa Shields among the company’s main names, while Eye of the Tiger and MF Pro added an exclamation point to the list.

Ask about price

None of this automatically settles the dispute over DAZN Ultimate.

WBN has previously questioned whether a subscription costing more than $500 per year in the United States can actually justify that price, especially since the first six pay-per-view events of 2026 received mixed overall ratings.

These concerns have not disappeared. However, each promoter added to the lineup gives fans another reason to pay for it.

The number of promoters operating on the same platform has changed.

Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Top Rank, BOXXER, Salita Promotions, Eye of the Tiger and MF Pro now give DAZN a footprint that seemed impossible just a few years ago.

Fans may still question the cost. Increasingly, they have fewer reasons not to subscribe.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.