Promoter Frank Warren spoke about the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight today, with the co-promoter of Fury telling Talk Sport that “everyone wants it” – the fighters, the managers, the promoters. And that, as a deadline date of March 4 has been set by Usyk’s team, “we’ve gotta move fast.”
Warren said “we’re just getting it together and working out when we’re gonna put it on.” Warren made it clear – the fight is the priority for all concerned. And then talk turned to the price, as in the pay-per-view price-tag that will be attached to the fight. The current PPV fee for big fights going out on either Sky Sports Box Office or BT Sports, is £27.95 – this the amount of cash UK fight fans were aghast at having to fork out for Fury’s December 3 trilogy fight with Derek Chisora. But Warren says the Fury-Usyk fight will carry an even stiffer PPV fee.
As Warren explained when discussing how much the heavyweight unification clash will cost fight fans:
“It depends what the structure of the deal is,” Warren said. “If they [the broadcaster] put up some sort of guarantees, then they’re looking to recover their guarantees, which will determine the price. If there isn’t a guarantee and it’s done on a share basis, then again that determines what the price will be. With four belts on the line – without discussing it with anyone, yeah, I’m sure the price will go up. The same as if Tyson would have fought Anthony Joshua, the price would go up. They are the two big money fights.”
But how much of a hike in price will the Usyk-Fury fight see? How much will fans be willing to pay to watch the fight? Almost £30.00 is already a significant chunk of money for a fight fan to pay to see a night of boxing; especially during the current cost of living crisis that has hit so many, many people. How much will the money men push things as far as this fight goes? Will the PPV fee go up to £35.00? £40.00? Even higher?
It really has become more and more expensive to be a law-abiding (no illegal streams), hardcore boxing fan. This news that lets us know we will be asked to part with even more money for Fury-Usyk is pretty depressing, it must be said.
Already, plenty of fans have expressed their disgust on various forums, with plenty of these disgruntled fans stating how the sport of boxing has been devoured by greed. It’s tough to argue with such a sentiment.