Fans Praise Saudis For Beterbiev Vs. Bivol PPV Price
Boxing fans have praised the Saudis for their $25.99 PPV price for the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol rematch.
The pair face off in another Undisputed Light Heavyweight Title fight after Beterbiev won the first encounter in a majority decision. The result divided the boxing fanbase and pros, with different takes on who won. Carl Froch and Paulie Malignaggi picked Bivol, while Claressa Shields and Teddy Atlas had Beterbiev.
That set the narrative for a rematch, with Eddie Hearn slamming the judge who only gave Bivol four rounds. There were worries that the rematch would not be for undisputed if the IBF called the mandatory. This was seen when Oleksandr Usyk vacated his IBF Heavyweight Title after beating Daniel Dubois. That left the Usyk vs. Fury rematch on December 21 as a non-undisputed fight.
Saudi Vision
The Saudis have shown their willingness to give fans value for money. They recently said they wanted to set a global PPV price. If boxing events are increasing in Saudi, an affordable PPV price may be enough to satisfy those fans who cannot travel to the Kingdom. The aim was to make a global price of less than $20. The Beterbiev-Bivol PPV is a step closer to doing that. The implication is that it could lead to further plans for a Saudi boxing league.
Those plans may replace the four traditional governing bodies of the IBF, WBO, WBC, and WBA. Turki Alalshikh recently purchased Ring Magazine from Oscar De La Hoya, which is associated with the iconic belt. The belt is considered the elite amongst boxing professionals, setting the foundations in place for a future governing body. That would give fans the most thrilling fights, ensuring the best face each other. It would also remove any need for fighters to remain on the sidelines, waiting for their mandatory obligations. It also gives fans one champion to decide the best of the era. These wider plans have gotten fans talking.
Alalshikh Reacts
“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. We have a plan for the future to have something like a league. We don’t discuss about the belts until now. But in my opinion around 68 world champions is a crazy number,” Alalshikh said
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