(November 4th) Matchroom Boxing, the world’s leading global promotion, will break new ground on Saturday, December 20, as it stages its first-ever event in Africa – live on DAZN.

The historic evening is headlined by two of Britain’s leading Light Heavyweights as South London's Craig 'Spider' Richards (19-4-1, 12 KOs) and Dan 'Super' Azeez (22-2-1, 14 KOs) collide in the capital of Ghana at Accra’s Legon Sports Stadium.

Teenage Heavyweight sensation Leo Atang (2-0, 2 KOs) and India’s Olympic hero Nishant Dev (4-0, 2 KOs) join the unmissable card, delivered in association with Legacy Rise Promotions and 258BXG - and screened exclusively worldwide on the Global Home of Boxing, DAZN.

Matchroom Sport chairman Eddie Hearn said: "This is going to be a December to remember. Our first-ever show in Africa will be a truly momentous occasion. I am excited to be taking our business into another important global territory. We know the passion of the African fight fans is right up there with the most fervent in the world and this is a brilliant main event to look forward to with two of Britain’s leading Light Heavyweights in Craig Richards and Dan Azeez. And with young Heavyweight Leo Atang and rising star Nishant Dev, Ghana will witness the exciting future of the sport first hand. It promises to be a very special evening in Accra.”

Richards, who in 2021 lost on points to the now Undisputed king of the division Dmitry Bivol, reunited with trainer Tony Sims for his win over Padraig McCrory back in March earlier this year when he stopped the Northern Irishman with an impressive eighth round knockout.

Richards is plotting one last hurrah in 2025 to put him back in the mix for more huge fights in the new year – but he knows he will need to be at his very best to beat fellow South Londoner, Azeez.

Richards said: "I'm so excited for December 20. Ghana has had some great fighters such as Azumah Nelson and Boxing has had many significant and historic nights in Africa, such as the Rumble in the Jungle. I cannot wait to headline such a massive event – and I plan to put on a statement performance."

Former British, Commonwealth and European ruler Azeez, 36, fought in Nigeria earlier this year – and he hopes to make Ghana a happy stomping ground for him on December 20, stating how proud he is to be fighting once again on African soil.

Azeez said: "I am looking forward to facing fellow South Londoner Craig Richards in Africa. This fight marks a significant moment for me  — two talented boxers from South London taking their rivalry to the motherland. I see this as more than just a contest; it’s a celebration of heritage, hard work, and how far South London boxing has come on the global stage."

The landmark night will celebrate Ghana’s proud fighting heritage and bright future as it showcases a host of Africa’s up-and-coming prospects.

That includes Theo Allotey, Ghana’s own 23-year-old future World Title hopeful. The exciting Accra native represented his country at the 2024 Olympic Games last summer and is undefeated in 12 bouts as a professional, 10 coming by way of knockout.

Allotey faces ‘The Dreamer’ Jayr Raquine, the 18-2-1 (14 KOs) Philippines fighter, with the WBA Gold Super Flyweight title on the line.

Unbeaten Belgian Ibrahima Diallo (12-0-2, 2 KOs) will be hoping to silence the home crowd when he challenges Accra’s Sampson Segbedzi - a 10-0 (7 KOs) fighter who is yet to lose either - for the IBF International Super Welterweight belt.

The IBF Africa Featherweight title will be up for grabs as John Laryea (15-0-1, 11 KOs) and Holy Dogbetor (14-1-1, 8 KOs) battle in their native Ghana.

Plus, there is big Cruiserweight action on the undercard with Ghana's heavy handed Ahmed Abdula (9-0, 7 KOs) facing Nigeria's destructive Obaro Eradajaye (20-2, 19 KOs), along with a fascinating female Super Welterweight bout as Sedem Ama (4-0, 1 KO) faces Chiamaka Nwaturuocha (3-0, 3 KOs) – and Super Lightweight Jerry Lartey (7-0-1, 5 KOs) fights in front of his home crowd too, looking to keep his fine record in tact.

About DAZN Group

DAZN Group is one of the fastest growing sports media companies in the world. Headquartered in the UK and with employees in over 25 countries, our businesses touch every aspect of the way fans engage with sports; from production, through to content distribution and commercialization. DAZN Group is home to DAZN, the leading global sport destination, as well as the popular sport portal, DAZN News. DAZN is leading the charge to give sports fans around the world access to sport anytime, anywhere. DAZN guarantees affordable access on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles. DAZN is now live in more than 200 countries and territories after first launching in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Japan in 2016.

DAZN is a leading digital sports platform in Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, Portugal, Japan, Canada, US and the UK.  Its wide range of exclusive content includes top-flight football from the world’s most popular competitions – Bundesliga, English Premier League, J.League, LaLiga, Serie A, and the UEFA Champions League, in addition to the biggest sports from around the world - Formula 1, NFL, NBA, MotoGP and the UFC.  

DAZN is the NFL’s global partner and, from the 2023 season, will be the only place for fans around the world to watch every NFL match. DAZN is a global home for boxing and combat sports through its partnerships with Matchroom Boxing the Professional Fighters League. With the most authentic voice in the sport, DAZN is the only brand that can reach across all markets and audiences cohesively in boxing, unlike any other broadcaster. DAZN is also a global home for Women’s Football with UEFA Women’s Champions League and Finetwork Liga F.  DAZN is adding more and more sport to its platform to create a destination for sports fans.  

DAZN is reimagining the way people enjoy sport. With a single, frictionless platform, sports fans can watch, bet, play, share, socialise, and buy tickets, NFTs and merchandise. Live and on-demand sports content, anywhere, in any language, on any device – only on DAZN.  

DAZN is a global, privately-owned company with employees in over 25 countries.

DAZN is available on most connected devices including smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming sticks, smartphones, tablets, PCs and game consoles, ensuring that fans have access to ground-breaking rights catalogue and slate of incredible content. In the UK and globally, DAZN can be accessed on Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic Smart TVs and on Games Consoles including Playstation and Xbox. Subscribers also have access to DAZN on their Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and Apple TV and find the app on their iPhone, iPad, android and mobile.  

About Matchroom Boxing

After the success of snooker in the 1980s, Matchroom Sport moved into boxing with two small hall shows followed by Frank Bruno v Joe Bugner at Tottenham Hotspur’s ground – the biggest boxing event of 1987. That launched the company into the boxing big-time, a position it has maintained ever since.

Through the 1990s Matchroom Sport’s boxing roster featured many of the biggest names in the sport including Lennox Lewis, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Steve Collins and Naseem Hamed, all in world title fights and it continues to work with some of the biggest names in UK boxing including Audley Harrison, the 2000 Olympic Super-Heavyweight gold medalist.

Over the years, Matchroom Sport has built up long-standing relationships with broadcasters around the world and with the advent of the Prizefighter phenomenon, the company’s boxing division has never been in a stronger position.

From fantastic six round scraps between the sport’s journeymen, up to multi-million-dollar World Championship contests featuring the above fighters, the Pro Box series has it all. Each show is packed with the very best in boxing action in a series that encompasses almost 25 years of Matchroom Sport’s commitment to bringing the highest quality to the global television market.