🔊 Why Private Equity Just Backed Boxing's Resurgence

This week, Bruin Capital, a global investment platform focused on sports, media, marketing, entertainment, and related technology, led by George Pyne, announced an investment in Matchroom Holdings, a UK-based sports rights, promotion, and broadcasting company, founded in 1982 by Barry Hearn.

Matchroom is privately held, and its portfolio includes the Professional Darts Corporation, Matchroom Boxing and Matchroom Boxing USA, the World Snooker Tour, Matchroom Multi-Sport, Matchroom Media, and several notable athletes.

The deal values the business at more than £1 billion, or roughly $1.36 billion to $1.4 billion, with Bruin acquiring a 15% stake in the company.

Why This Matters

A decade ago, a deal like this would have seemed crazy.

Boxing was on a downward spiral and was being written off.

The sport was fragmented and hard to follow.

There were too many belts, too many promoters, and not enough marquee matchups to get new fans excited.

Then something unexpected happened.

Big-time YouTubers and content creators stepped into the ring.

Whether you love it or hate it, the Paul brothers, KSI, and others didn't just bring new attention; they completely reshaped how the next generation consumes combat sports.

This, combined with the emergence of UFC, brought younger audiences to the show and is now keeping them for the real fighters.

That's an entirely new audience of fans that didn't exist five years ago.

Then Netflix made it official.

When the world's largest streaming platform started broadcasting live boxing, you knew we had entered a new era.

Streaming platforms are now in a full-blown war for live events that people watch in real time, and boxing delivers that better than almost anything else.

This is the environment in which Bruin Capital just invested.

Plus, they didn't back some random boxing company.

They backed a 40-year-old sports empire that controls the rights, the fighters, and the broadcast relationships across boxing, darts, and snooker.

With a roster that includes Anthony Joshua, Katie Taylor, Jaron Ennis, and Jesse Rodriguez, Matchroom is one of the world’s most prominent combat sports promotion and management companies.

Not to mention their expansion into smaller niche sports, as they also represent Luke Littler, the 18-year-old phenom who has turned darts into must-watch television across Europe.

Bruin isn't solely betting on boxing's renaissance. They're betting on the company with the best position to capitalize on it, led by two of the best in the business: Barry Hearn and his son, Eddie.

And at a £1 billion valuation for a privately held promoter, I would say the market agrees.

This is what a smart sports investment looks like.

It’s about understanding and finding opportunities where the rights and infrastructure of a sport are shifting and being repriced in real time.

• Egon Durban-Led Group Acquires 25% Of Las Vegas Raiders. Egon Durban, Managing Partner and Co-CEO of Silver Lake, has acquired 25% of the NFL’s Las Vegas Raiders at a $9.9 billion valuation. First Football, the largest minority shareholder in the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, sold the 25% stake, which is currently subject to league approval at the NFL owners meeting on May 19th. Should the deal be approved, Mark Davis will remain the controlling owner, and Durban will be the largest minority owner, according to CNBC (more here).

• Selkirk Acquires Bread & Butter Pickleball Company. Selkirk Sport, a leading manufacturer of pickleball paddles and equipment backed by Bluestone Equity Partners, announced the acquisition of Bread & Butter Pickleball Company, a design-forward pickleball brand known for its high-performance products. According to Selkirk, with the inclusion of Bread & Butter, the company now expands its portfolio to include a differentiated brand that speaks to a distinct consumer segment. The acquisition also enhances both companies' international expansion. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• The Sports Facilities Companies Acquires Power Wellness. The Sports Facilities Companies, a company specializing in facility operations, venue planning, and financial forecasting, has acquired Power Wellness, the nation’s largest fitness center management company. Power Wellness is one of the most established names in medically integrated fitness and wellness, with more than 2,000 professionals across consulting, management, fitness, and technology. The company will continue operating under its existing brand. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• ve2ventures Acquires Content Stadium. ve2ventures, a sports and media tech venture studio owned by Athvance Capital, announced the acquisition of Content Stadium, a leading content operations platform for sports and media organizations. The acquisition expands Content Stadium’s product capabilities, AI infrastructure, and international growth potential, accelerating the company’s ambition to become the operating system for modern sports content teams. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• Alyssa Mitchell Becomes Majority Owner Of Calgary Wild FC. Streetwear brand founder Alyssa Mitchell has acquired a majority stake in the Northern Super League's Calgary Wild. Mitchell has family roots in Winnipeg and acquired a 41% stake in the team. She joins a diverse ownership group of 36 investors, including Zumwalt, Lara Murphy (co-Founder and CEO), The51, and business leaders across the country, along with a growing list of athlete investors (more here).

• PSA Invests $200M Into Collectors. Professional Sports Authenticator, an industry leader in sports and hobby card grading as well as autograph and memorabilia authentication, announced a $200 million investment into Collectors, a platform that powers trust, security, and opportunity in collectibles, to “expand operations due to demand. PSA will use the new funding to grow the company’s physical footprint, develop and deploy new technology, and hire for 1,000 open and planned positions through 2026 (more here).

Quick update before you keep reading…

If you haven’t heard, Vetted Sports has evolved into a private membership network for investors and dealmakers operating in the sports asset class.

Think private events, curated introductions, and exclusive deal flow.

In other words, you’ll get access to rooms where the people around you are actually making moves in this space, without the noise.

Our board of advisors includes some of the most prominent names in sports investing, and membership is by application only. Spots are also capped.

If you think you belong or want to learn more: www.vettedsports.com

Now, back to your regularly scheduled newsletter.

• Red Sox & Whoop Announce Partnership. Whoop, the leading wearable fitness tech brand, has added the MLB’s Boston Red Sox to its list of sports partners as it continues to grow off the back of its latest investment round. The agreement will see Whoop serve as the Red Sox's official health and fitness wearable, with the company providing its technology and performance insights to the franchise. Whoop will also gain prominent in-ballpark visibility at home ground Fenway Park, including on-field signage, first- and third-base line signage, and LED outfield displays at every home game (more here).

• Polymarket & Serie A Announce Partnership. Polymarket, a leading prediction market, has announced a new multi-year regional partnership deal with Italian soccer’s top-flight Serie A. Under the new agreement, Polymarket will serve as the exclusive official prediction market partner of Serie A in the US, offering wagering markets powered by Serie A data. The Polymarket brand will also gain prominent positioning and brand integration on Serie A’s US social media and digital channels (more here).

• PayPal & Seattle Seahawks Announce Partnership. The Seattle Seahawks and PayPal Holdings, a global payments leader, announced a new multi-year partnership where PayPal will become the team's Official Fan-to-Fan Payments & Exclusive Digital Ticket Payment Processing Partner. As part of this deal, PayPal will also become the new presenting partner of the Seahawks Gameday Experience Program, which gives fans access to exclusive opportunities, including pregame field passes, on-field access during player introductions, postgame press conference access, and more for every home game (more here).

• Chelsea FC & Roc Nation Sports Announce Partnership. Chelsea FC, one of the most successful and popular soccer clubs in Europe, announced a partnership with leading sports & entertainment agency Roc Nation’s global division to accelerate the club’s growth and fan engagement in the US in the lead-up to the World Cup. The partnership will see integrated campaigns, exclusive content drops, and live experiences over the coming months. The collaboration reflects the growing emphasis global soccer clubs are placing on the US market ahead of the World Cup (more here).

• Tracy McGrady Takes Administrative Role At Wagner College. Former NBA player Tracy McGrady has taken on a strategic advisory role with Wagner College's men's basketball program, joining his son, Layman, who committed to the team. McGrady will lead Wagner's basketball operations, recruiting, and name, image, and likeness efforts, and joins a number of current and former NBA players to take administrative positions in college, such as John Wall (Howard), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Shaquille O’Neal (Sacramento State), and others (more here).

• Ronaldo Acquires Stake In LiveMode. Cristiano Ronaldo has acquired a significant stake in LiveModeTV. LiveModeTV is the international arm of LiveMode, the company behind Brazil’s fast-growing CazéTV platform, founded by Casimiro Miguel. The company recently launched in Portugal to provide free, digital-first coverage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Financial details were not disclosed (more here).

• Sergio Ramos & Five Eleven Capital Agrees To Acquire Sevilla FC. Former Spain and Sevilla FC captain Sergio Ramos and investment firm Five Eleven Capital have officially agreed to a deal to become the majority owner of his boyhood club, Sevilla FC. The agreement values the club at more than €400 million and follows an extensive negotiation process and due diligence audit. It still remains pending final paperwork and notarization (more here).

• IBM Launches Sports Tech Startup Challenge. IBM $IBM ( ▲ 0.43% ) kicked off the IBM Sports Tech Startup Challenge at Web Summit Vancouver, marking the first showcase in a global initiative to find and accelerate AI startups transforming the world of sports. The IBM Sports Tech Startup Challenge will hold showcases at Web Summit Rio, Web Summit Lisbon, and a16z Tech Week in New York and San Francisco. IBM Ventures is seeking growth‑stage startups (Seed to Series B) building AI‑powered solutions that enhance the business of sports (more here).

This week’s guest on the Vetted Sports podcast is Brian Hough.

Brian Hough is the co-founder and CEO of PressBox.

PressBox is an AI-powered content creation suite that helps sports leagues, teams, and media organizations create, design, and personalize engaging content.

Rooted in deep industry expertise, PressBox is purpose-built for the future of media and entertainment, accelerating the discovery, creation, and distribution of personalized, multi-modal content experiences, empowering organizations to reach audiences with highly individualized content and marketing at scale.

Brian is a veteran sports and tech executive with experience at companies such as Bleacher Report and Turner Sports.

In this episode, we discuss:
‣ The problem that Brian is solving within sports media
‣ How personalization and AI work behind the scenes
‣ Thoughts on the future of sports content and distribution

Check out the full episode here: Apple | Spotify | YouTube