‘How much?!’: Boxing fans fume as Sky Sports announce they will charge £26.95 for Anthony Joshua’s Saudi rematch with Oleksandr Usyk – the highest PPV cost in UK TV HISTORY – with some vowing to ‘stream it for free’
- Anthony Joshua’s rematch fight with Oleksandr Usyk has set a new PPV record
- The fight will cost individuals seeking to watch the bout at home £26.95
- Joshua has switched training camps to fight under the team of Robert Garcia
- The heavyweight clash will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on August 20
Boxing fans are fuming after it was revealed that Anthony Joshua’s rematch with heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk will set a new record as the highest pay-per-view cost in UK television history.
Joshua is seeking to reclaim his heavyweight title against Usyk on August 20 with the pair taking to the ring in Saudi Arabia, but some fans have insisted they won’t be tuning in to watch the title bout.
Sky Sports will once again stream the heavyweight title clash despite Joshua signing an exclusive agreement with broadcaster DAZN after Sky won the rights to stream the fight for a reported £25million.
Anthony Joshua (right) and Oleksandr Usyk (left) will meet for their rematch in August
Joshua (left) is seeking to become a three-time World Champions after being outclassed by Usyk (right) when the pair met in September 2021
Sky have increased the PPV cost to £27 for the upcoming fight which is £2 more expensive than the last bout between the two heavyweight stars, and sets a new record as the most expensive fight in British boxing history.
Joshua lost the WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight titles to Usyk in September 2020 after being outclassed in the points defeat against the 35-year-old Ukrainian at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium..
The English fighter has swapped trainers to fight under American Robert Garcia after dropping long-standing trainer Rob McCraken.
Garcia has trained 20 world champions but never at heavyweight and will be seeking to unite Joshua with his title belts once again in an attempt to line up a unification title fight with Tyson Fury.
Stunned boxing supporters voiced their frustration after Sky’s announcement with many blasting the broadcasting giants for the eye-watering charge.
One boxing fan has threatened to stream the fight illegally after the PPV price was revealed
This Twitter user was one of many fans left stunned at Sky Sports’ huge asking price
One user threatened to watch the fight illegally online as they scoffed at the huge PPV cost saying, ‘£27 for the UsykJoshua2 fight I’ll stream it for free!’.
Another was left shocked and summarised the fee in a short tweet reading, ’27 quid for a fight …. Wow!!’.
Like many boxing fans, this user will head to the pub to watch the upcoming bout for free
This supporter feels the price hike is down to Sky having to compete for broadcasting rights
One social media user joked that the hiked price was due to inflation, while another insisted they will instead head to the pub to the watch the upcoming fight and calling Sky ‘robbing b*******’.
However one user sought to explain the price rise, claiming that Sky ‘need the money’ as they face stiff competition from new boxing broadcaster DAZN.
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