NEW YORK: Matchroom Boxing has named R&CPMK as its AOR in the U.S. and North America.
After an RFP process that started in July and concluded in August, R&CPMK did three months of “short scope” work for the boxing promoter.
Following Canelo Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkins’ third fight for the undisputed super-middleweight championship in September, R&CPMK signed on as AOR in early October.
The Interpublic Group agency is bolstering Matchroom Boxing’s entertainment and lifestyle comms. Jessica Sciacchitano, VP of sports and entertainment at R&CPMK, said the firm is developing U.K.-based Matchroom Boxing’s brand in the U.S. and North America.
“Any story that comes out speaking about boxing or the sport thereof, [we want] Matchroom’s name to become synonymous with that,” Sciacchitano said.
Sciacchitano added that R&CPMK is working to broaden Matchroom Boxing outside of endemic sports media and into entertainment coverage.
As well as entertainment and lifestyle comms support, R&CPMK is assisting with PR and publicity efforts for Matchroom Boxing’s major fights, boxers and executives, such as global managing director Eddie Hearn.
The firm’s next assignments include the upcoming Montana Love vs Stevie Spark fight in Cleveland on November 11, as well as the trilogy fight for Juan Francisco Estrada vs Roman Gonzalez on December 3 in Arizona.
Sciacchitano is leading the account team alongside five other staffers, including sports and entertainment director Laura Potesta in the R&CPMK Los Angeles office.
Sciacchitano's unit will work closely with Daniel Underwood, global head of comms and marketing at Matchroom Boxing, and Anthony Leaver, Matchroom Boxing’s U.S. head of press.
Matchroom Boxing, a subsidiary of Matchroom Sport, represents boxers such as Alvarez, Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor. Matchroom Sport also operates in golf, basketball, gymnastics, pool, poker, netball, tenpin, snooker, darts and fishing, according to its website.
R&CPMK, part of IPG’s Dxtra unit, posted a 10% increase in revenue to $55 million globally in 2021, and reported a 15% surge to $45 million in the U.S., according to PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2022.
Other brands in IPG Dxtra, which contains the bulk of the holding company’s PR firms, include Weber Shandwick, Golin, DeVries Global, Current Global. The PR firms in IPG’s posted single-digit revenue growth in Q3, down from double-digit growth in Q3 2021.