Just when you thought it was safe to put away your slide rule and decoder ring, fight fans will once again be asked to do some serious cipherin’ come October 12, when/if they decide to watch the Dmitry Bivol-Artur Beterbiev light heavyweight unification.
In the not-too-distant past, this was the bizarre, confusing, all-around crappy plan (per, me):
“The decision has been made to split up the card headlined by the much-anticipated light heavyweight unification bout between IBF/WBC/WBO champ Artur Beterbiev and WBA champ Dmitry Bivol in Saudi Arabia. The split will see Beterbiev-Bivol broadcast on ESPN+ and the undercard, topped by Shakur Stevenson vs. Joe Cordina, sold via DAZN PPV.”
But then Shakur hurt his hand, half-banging someone to the soft flesh of the gut.
Stevenson-Cordina was off. DAZN, however, opted to go ahead with the pay-per-view, banking on some impulse buys (and possible app butt-dial buys) with the existing undercard of Jai Opetaia-Jack Massey, Chris Eubank Jr.-Kamil Szeremeta, Fabio Wardley-Frazer Clarke 2, Skye Nicolson-Raven Chapman, and Ben Whittaker vs. slow, plodding guy.
That, obviously, was not a great plan. Actually, as business ideas go, that one would rank right up there with a Taco Bell corporate decision to cut back on toilet paper in their restrooms.
So, apparently, some backroom wheeling and dealing has taken place between DAZN and ESPN, which has exclusive broadcast rights to Bivol-Beterbiev. And, now, ESPN-averse boxing fans will get the chance to see the Bivol-Betebiev main event atop the DAZN PPV.
Yes, sir. For $15, fight fans will be able to see the bout they’ll be able to see as part of their ESPN+ subscription package, at no extra cost. For $15, on DAZN, fans will be able to see Bivol-Beterbiev, plus the undercard they clearly were not enthused about paying to see (hence, necessitating the deal to bring Bivol-Beterbiev on to the broadcast). Plus, as a bonus, DAZN viewers will be able to catch it all in low-res and with the zany graphics errors and thrillingly dubious billing practices fans have comes to expect from the Netflix of Sports.
October 12 on DAZN, 𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗𝗪𝗜𝗗𝗘 🌎 #BeterbievBivol will be available to view on DAZN, wherever you are including the USA 🤩#RiyadhSeason | @Turki_alalshikh pic.twitter.com/KP51RtCMIM
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) September 19, 2024
But, all (semi) kidding aside, 15 bucks is a decent price for a pay-per-view headlined by a really good fight, but supported by a somewhat “meh” undercard (with a couple of exceptions). It doesn’t really make all that much sense, however, when you have the option to see the main event elsewhere for free (basically).
Actually, if anything, this October 12 setup probably encourages piracy as it’ll be infinitely more convenient and financially logical to look for the undercard fights elsewhere, for free, before tuning into ESPN+ for the main event– no purchasing, no registration needed.
But what does this writer know– other than the fact that he’s not paying for any of it?
Paul Magno has over forty years of experience in and around the sport of boxing and has had his hand in everything from officiating to training. As a writer, his work has appeared on Yahoo Sports, Fox Sports, Fight Hype, Max Boxing, Boxing.com, Inside Fights, The Queensberry Rules, Overtime Heroics, Bleacher Report, and Premier Boxing Champions. He is currently the owner and managing editor or The Boxing Tribune. You can follow his Twitter/X account, @boxing_tribune, for breaking boxing news, analysis, and sometimes NSFW commentary. For Advertising, Inquiries, etc., send him an email here: paulmagno@theboxingtribune.com