Ben Shalom is the founder and CEO of boxing promotional company BOXXER and named by Sports Illustrated in 2024 as one of the “Most Influential People in Boxing”.

He became the UK's youngest licensed boxing promoter at 23. He had to borrow £10,000 just to get his license.

"People will think now," he told Sky Sports. "Where has this guy come from?'"

But Shalom, who grew up in Manchester alongside a number of local boxers, graduated from the University of Nottingham with a law degree.

Shalom always had an interest in business and entertainment and he would often put on club nights, gigs and festivals while at university and after graduated he moved into the boxing world.

Shalom spent three years with no money waiting for the right opportunity, learning the job the hard way, shaping his grand vision for how the sport should be revamped and presented.

He spotted a gap in the market and Matchroom's move from Sky was the opportunity he needed. Shalom believes his "the fighters come first" mantra is the way forward.

That's why you won't find him as a huge presence on social media. He does have a modest instagram account, but his posts are few and far between.

His dream is to pick a fighter up from nothing and send them into the stratosphere. But the Hale-born businessman also knows he has to work with ready-made stars, who can raise the profile of BOXXER.

"You need someone who is relatable to a mass audience. We want to find superstars - how they behave, what their values are. That is a focus," he told Sky.

Ultimate BOXXER series

Shalom says he supported a lot of local promoters to begin with before he created his own eight-man tournament.

The inaugural Ultimate BOXXER tournament was held in the welterweight division and took place on 27 April, 2018 at the Manchester Arena.

Shalom went on to stage another six tournaments before penning the deal with Sky Sports.

Those were televised by BT Sport, Channel 5 and ITV.

"We knew that we needed the broadcasting landscape to open up a bit to move on. We invested heavily in our team, and we had a vision to invest in grassroots," Shalom told ESPN.

Shalom went on to stage another six tournaments before penning the deal with Sky Sports. And now BOXXER is rivalling the big boys of Matchroom and Queensbury Promotions.

Claressa Shields says she received a seven-figure fee for two fights when she signed with BOXXER in November 2021.

Sky Sports deal

BOXXER hit the big time after signing an exclusive four-year deal broadcast deal with Sky Sports in June 2021.

The prestigious deal will "benefit the very top of the sport as well as at grassroots levels, with a commitment to engage with the British Boxing Board of Control".

"Sky Sports has been the bedrock of British boxing for many years. We have been waiting for the opportunity to offer a transformative approach to the sport and we are delighted that Sky Sports have bought into this vision," said Shalom.

Major fights for Shalom and BOXXER

Shalom and BOXXER have already promoted some high-profile fights on Sky Sports.

One of the biggest to date was the domestic grudge match between Amir Khan and Kell Brook on 19 February 2022, which Khan lost via a sixth-round technical knockout.

They have also promoted Chris Eubank Jnr's win over Liam Williams and the contentious Josh Taylor title defence against Jack Catterall, which was a co-promotional deal made alongside Bob Arum's Top Rank.

Shalom has already amassed an impressive list of boxers including Adam Azim, Natasha Jonas, Ben Whittaker, Savannah Marshall, Dan Azeez, Anthoiny Yarde, Frazer Clarke, WBC world lightweight champion Caroline Dubois and unified world welterweight champion Lauren Price.

Shalom is also the promoter for Richard Riakporhe, who he rates very highly.

The British cruiserweight took his record to 16-0 after beating Krzysztof Glowacki in January 2023, on the same card as Smith's TKO victory over Eubank Jr. His 17th win came against Dylan Bregeon in November 2023.

However, Riakporhe was dealt his first defeat in June 2024, when Chris Billam-Smith, another Shalom fighter, claimed a unanimous decision win for the WBO cruiserweight title.

Dan Azeez v Joshua Buatsi

Shalom announced in July 2023 thathis fighters Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez agreed to meet in an all-British light-heavyweight contest.

While Azeez was chasing a big payday against WBA champion Dmitry Bivol nothing was fortncoming and an mega all-British match-up was made between the two unbeaten rising stars.

The pair finally met in February 2024, with Buatsi claiming the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles via a unanimous points decision.

Buatsi went on to win the WBO interim light-heavyweight title after a split decision win over Willy Hutchinson at Wembley.

But his unbeaten record came to an end in his next fight against fellow British fighter Callum Smith via unanimous decision in February 2025.

Azeez followed up his defeat to Buatsi with a draw against Hrvoje Sep and the then another defeat this time to Lewis Edmondson in October 2024.

Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn

Conor Benn and Chris Eubank jr

In July 2024, Eubank Jr signed a major partnership deal with BOXXER in a bid to set-up mega-fights with domestic and international rivals.

He beat Liam Smith in a rematch by TKO in the 10th round in September and then won the vacant IBO middleweight title by knocking down Kamil Szeremeta in the seventh round in Riyadh.

But the fight everyone wanted to see was the much-hyped clash with Conor Benn, which had been delayed from October 2022 after Benn tested positive for clomifene.

The history off this fight stemmed from Chris Eubank Sr beating Benn's father, Nigel, in 1990, before a contentious draw three years later.

Eubank Jr and Benn finally touched gloves at a packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 26, 2025.

The first major talking point from the event came as Eubank Jr and his estranged father, who he had not spoken to for years, emerged from a car together when arriving at the stadium.

Eubank Jr had spoken about his "pain" after Eubank Sr called the fight a "circus" and his son a "disgrace".

Benn had also previously taunted Eubank about his fractured relationship with his father in the build-up.

"Conor, that is not fair to say I don't like my son. I love my son. I may not like some of his ways - as I don't like some of your ways - but I love him," Eubank Sr told Sky Sports in the backstage area after his arrival.

In the ring, Eubank Jr narrowly beat Benn on points in a thrilling and gruelling 12-round middleweight fight.

Eubank, who was discharged from hospital on the Monday after the fight following precautionary checks, said: "Well it took nearly three years but we finally got the job done.

"Big shout out to everyone that supported the fight on Saturday and made it the once-in-a-lifetime event that it was. Without the fans none of this is possible, thank you."

Shalom net worth

Shalom's wealth is unverified and the promoter has been very careful to keep his finances out of the media.

His net worth was estimated to be around $3million in 2022.

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CEO of BOXXER Ben Shalom has had a meteoric rise in the boxing world and is gathering an eye-catching stable of fighters.

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