Britton Hardin is nearly a boxing lifer, a self-proclaimed boxing nerd who just happens to be the Head of Boxing for DAZN. I sat down with Britton to discuss his role, background, DAZN’s upcoming schedule and while we talked about several fights, there’s one specific title bout that he spotlighted: the upcoming O’Shaquie Foster vs. Emanuel Navarrete . Hardin says this one could make history, and he’s right. Let’s talk boxing.

Watch my full conversation with Britton Hardin here .

Britton Hardin and Foster vs. Navarrete Key Facts

How Did Britton Hardin Get Into Boxing?

Hardin and I both grew up on Chicago’s South Side, so I asked how the city shaped the way he sees the sport. His answer started in a karate dojo, not a boxing gym. His father trained there, and the regulars carried superhero nicknames earned through sparring.

“My dad’s nickname was Iron Man. There was a Thor in there. There was a Hulk,” Hardin said. “Well, after my first sparring session, my nickname became Baby Tyson.”

He didn’t know who Tyson was, so his father showed him a Mike Tyson fight at one of his fight parties. “I thought that he killed somebody in the very first round of the fight,” Hardin said. “But I was also intrigued, because this is who they named me after.”

That moment still shapes how he sees fighters. “I had an affinity and an appreciation and admiration for fighters, particularly boxers, because I equated them with superheroes,” he said. “And I still do to this day.”

He doesn’t see the sport the way WWE presents its stars. “I look at it as a DC comic or a Marvel comic,” Hardin said. “There’s a universe where all of these various characters exist... And at some point, all of their stories intersect. That’s how my brain works and operates when it comes to boxing.”

Hardin once thought he would box professionally. He trained, cut weight and fought in smokers, and he still spars, which is why he says stepping into a ring in front of thousands “takes a very special and particular individual.”

What Does DAZN’s Head of Boxing Do?

Hardin manages DAZN’s relationships with its stateside promoters, naming Top Rank, PBC, Matchroom, Golden Boy and [FLAG: Salita or Sela?] Promotions. He builds the schedule around budgets, dates and fighter obligations, then ties it to the larger story DAZN is telling.

He used 154 pounds as an example. Sebastian Fundora is defending his title, Jaron “Boots” Ennis picked up two titles in the division in June, and Josh Kelly is part of the picture from across the pond.

“How do we rope them into this anthology, into this story, and help them to understand this is a potential three-way mix of very high-level fighters that they should be tuned into?” Hardin said of casual fans. “So essentially, that’s my job.”

He’s based in New York, but the calendar keeps him moving. He was in Chicago for the Floyd Schofield vs. Lucas Bahdi show two days before we spoke and in Las Vegas the day of the interview. “No week is really the same,” he said.

His advice for anyone chasing a career like his is to find something “that makes your heart beat, that scares them a little bit.” “My endeavor is never to be the smartest person in the room,” he said. “I always want to be soaking up knowledge.”

How Is DAZN Trying to Grow Boxing?

Hardcore fans matter, but the fights that move the needle are the ones that pull in people who don’t watch every weekend. Hardin agreed, and his answer traced back to his years as a promoter.

“If you’re not innovating, you’re dying,” he said.

His promotional team would list what Top Rank, PBC and Matchroom did, then do the opposite. That meant knockout bonuses, an 18-by-18-foot ring, “money rounds” that paid extra for first- and last-round knockouts, and an overtime round to settle draws.

He’s just as open to influencer boxing. “I’m not so much of a boxing purist that I can’t look at that and look at the stats, look at the streams or look at the views or look at the comments and say there’s value here,” Hardin said. “If you like this, then let me introduce you to Bruce ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington. Let me introduce you to Ryan Garcia. Let me put you on Teofimo Lopez.”

Asked whether DAZN sees Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season as partners or competition, Hardin didn’t hesitate. “Turki’s a friend of the business,” he said. “He loves boxing. He loves DAZN.” Riyadh Season is promoting Canelo Alvarez vs. Christian Mbilli on Oct. 31, and DAZN is broadcasting it.

What Makes a Fight Worth Pay-Per-View?

With Daniel Dubois vs. Fabio Wardley 2 set for London’s O2, I asked how DAZN decides which fights go on pay-per-view. Hardin answered as a fan first, because he watched the first fight from the back of an Uber.

“I’m sure that my Uber driver almost got into about six accidents,” he said. “Every 30 seconds, I’m yelling at my screen because I can’t believe what I’m seeing.”

Wardley dropped Dubois in the opening seconds and again in the third round, yet Dubois stopped him in the 11th. Wardley, “wearing a crimson mask,” never touched the canvas.

“That essence is how you decide what’s a good sub fight and what’s a good pay-per-view,” Hardin said. “It’s not like an algorithm. It’s just the conversation. It’s just the feeling.”

Why Could Foster vs. Navarrete Make History?

The Foster-Navarrete clash is intriguing on its own without outside factors, but the former’s pursuit of a fight with Shakur Stevenson makes this one even more interesting. Many will watch this fight with Foster’s callout and confrontation with Stevenson in mind.

Hardin brought this one up himself. When I asked what else DAZN has coming through the end of 2026 and into 2027, he couldn’t believe it hadn’t come up yet.

“10/24, we’re going to see a unified champion at 130 pounds," Hardin said. "And [Anthony] Cacace, the only other champion at the weight class, is game for an undisputed unification on the other side of that,” Hardin said. “Now, there’s never been an undisputed champion at 130 pounds. Let’s just talk about history being on the horizon for the sport.”

If Foster can take Navarrete down, he is set up for an undisputed unification fight with Cacace, who Hardin says is game for it. That creates an opportunity for a potentially history-making bout in 2027 between Cacace and the winner of Foster-Navarrete.

Hardin expects the styles to make it worth the wait. “You couldn’t get more contrasting styles than O’Shaquie Foster and Emanuel Navarrete,” he said. He described Foster, nicknamed “Ice Water,” as a fighter who “controls the pace of the fight,” and Navarrete as one who “brings absolute chaos.”

The fight lands two days after his birthday, and he plans to be there. “I’m going to be ringside for that fight because it’s history being made.”