UK boxing fans will have to fork out the sum of £24.95 if they wish to watch the Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev fight without breaking the law by watching the fight on a dodgy stream online.
The price of the December 12 card, to go out live on Sky Sports Box-Office, has been announced, and its certain plenty of fans will be angry. Have we seen the last of the £19.95 pay-per-view fights on Sky?
Back in December of last year, when the price was hiked up to £24.95 for the “super-fight” that was Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz II, promoter Eddie Hearn was quoted as saying the following to Boxing Social: “It wasn’t my decision (to raise the price from the standard £19.95). I understand, it’s the biggest fight of the century. It’s one of the biggest fights of all time. It’s not a reflection of the future of pay-per-view. I think this is a one-off fight where you may not ever see a fight like this again.”
Maybe the hype surrounding Joshua’s must-win rematch with Ruiz sort of, kind of, maybe justified the price shift. But today, in the middle of a pandemic, with millions either out of work or suffering a pay cut, can the charge of that additional fiver be digested without a feeling of nausea? We already know what Hearn will say – that “it’s 25 quid for a great night of boxing, either pay for it or don’t pay for it.”
And sure, this is true. But a multimillionaire can afford to say that, can’t he? If the new P-P-V price tag is £24.95 and will be from now on, then Hearn/Sky should come out and say so. It is tough to see the price going back down, that’s for sure. Joshua, though, is a huge star and even cash-strapped fans will find, borrow or steal the money they need to pay to see him in action, no matter who he fights (or else fans will see no alternative other than to try and find an illegal stream of the fight).
Some people, however, were actually thinking that due to the state of the world and the economy right now, there would be a DECREASE in the price for the Joshua-Pulev fight, down to maybe £14.95. Such a decent act during such an awful time would likely have seen to it that the card would generate even more P-P-V buys than the event will now actually pull in.
So much for that!
One other thing springs to mind, though. How much will we be expected to pay to see the massive, far-more-fight-of-the-century-than-Joshua vs. Ruiz II-ever was, Joshua-Tyson Fury fight, if it actually happens next year? Will there be another increase, and if so, to what – £29.95, £34.95, £39.95?
Maybe.
In the meantime, will YOU be paying £24.95 on the evening of December 12?