Fans Bash Davis vs Roach PPV Price – ‘No Way I’m Paying’
The PPV price for Gervonta Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr. has received a huge backlash.
The fight will take place on March 1 as Davis defends his WBA Lightweight Belt. He arrives into the fight with a stoppage victory over Frank Martin in the first defense of his belt. That took Tank’s record to 30-0. The Roach fight has been priced at $80. Tank has said he will box three times this year before announcing his retirement. The price point may have been done to reflect that Davis does not have a lot of time left in the sport.
Roach will enter into the bout with a move up from 130 pounds. He won the WBA belt in that weight class, having beaten Hector Garcia. Roach is a massive underdog since it is the first time he is fighting at the weight class. Davis has often been criticized for not facing the big names. Despite consistent links with the likes of Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney, his biggest win so far has been against Ryan Garcia.
But the Garcia victory has an asterisk over it. Garcia said he was weight-drained as the fight took place at a 136-pound catchweight. Garcia also had a ten-pound rehydration clause. The Roach fight has come under fire for the pricing. Boxing fans have just seen the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Championship fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
PPV Prices
That fight was priced at $25, meaning that fans got to see one of the biggest fights out there for a fraction of the cost. The fans also saw the Undisputed Heavyweight fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk for less than the Roach fight.
That raises serious question marks over how long boxing fans will continue to pay for high PPV prices. PBC is also not holding as many events. The Saudis have already said that their global vision is to have a price point around the $20 mark, meaning that something has to change. Boxing fans have now made their voices clear on social media, with many disapproving over the Davis vs. Roach PPV price.
“I dream of a PPV with a good price to make the fans happy and subscribe and get them to watch it legally. Usually when I see a high PPV, a lot of people go and watch the fight illegally and this is not healthy for boxing and the platform. What I will try to push is to have our Riyadh Season shows at less than £20 in England and less than $20 around the world.
“I would prefer to have one million fans subscribe and buy the PPV for £20 than less than 500,000 [for £40]. The people go around it illegally because the price is high. In the future, this will not build boxing. If I give the fans good fights at a good price then I will increase the fanbase,” Turki Al-Sheikh said
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