Maurice Hooker set to sign co-promotional deal with Matchroom

Tomorrow in New York, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing will reportedly “announce the signing of several boxers,” including current WBO junior welterweight champion Maurice Hooker.

The press conference will also announce the pricing for the sports streaming service DAZN, which is coming to the United States this fall and will include Matchroom Boxing for at least two years — touted, of course, as an eight-year, $1 billion deal for Hearn with the service, because that sounds amazing, and it is, but there are two years guaranteed. Still, two years of boxing is two years of boxing.

Anyway, Hooker (24-0-3, 16 KO), who won the title in the U.K. against Terry Flanagan on June 9, is set to make a mandatory defense against Top Rank’s Alex Saucedo this fall. But even that fight is a bit more complicated now. The original plan was to do it on ESPN, where Top Rank has their deal these days, but now that Hooker got the offer from Matchroom, it could wind up going to purse bid and airing on DAZN if Hooker’s side were to win that bid.

Hooker is also, it has to be noted, facing two misdemeanors in Texas for a recent DWI incident.