Benavidez Vs. Yarde PPV Policy Backfires – ‘No Way’

David Benavidez vs. Anthony Yarde on November 22nd has been overshadowed by a furious debate over the event’s high Pay-Per-View (PPV) price tag. 

The fight has been priced at $59.99 in the United States and  £24.99 in the UK. On the face of it, the card appears to offer value for money. Benavidez makes his first defense of his WBC Light Heavyweight Title. He became the champion after Dmitry Bivol vacated the title once he beat Artur Beterbiev for undisputed rather than face the Mexican Monster who was his mandatory. 

The Card

On the rest of the card, there are two other world title fights. Devin Haney boxes the knockout artist Brian Norman Jr. for the latter’s WBO world title. A Haney win makes him a three-weight world champion. Norman Jr. is also seen as someone who can hurt Haney, much like Ryan Garcia did, making it an intriguing bout. 

There is also a WBO Lightweight belt fight between Abdullah Mason vs. Sam Noakes. After Keyshawn Davis was stripped for failing to make weight against Edwin De Los Santos, the title has now become vacant, giving someone new the chance to claim it. 

Elsewhere, Jesse Rodriguez puts his Undisputed Super Flyweight title on the line against Fernando Martinez. Rodriguez is seen as one of the sport’s best P4P fighters. And yet, the controversy stems from a change in price policy. Previously the Saudis had reportedly said all major Riyadh Season and The Ring events, starting with this card, would be included for all existing DAZN subscribers at no additional PPV cost.

The Problem

“Great meeting with my brother Shay, CEO of DAZN. We have big vision to grow boxing and decide: No More Pay-Per-View. Starting with our @ringmagazine show in November, all Riyadh Season & The Ring events will be free to DAZN subscribers. The PPV model has damaged boxing, and we will no longer support it. We are with the fight fans,” Turki Alalshikh said 

DAZN has responded by stating that there is a new premium subscription from November that includes all PPVs, but that has not gone down well. 

“We will be launching a new product in November for pay-per-view. We haven’t given all the details yet, but there will be an option for customers to buy a subscription which gives them access to all the pay-per-views included,” Peter Oliver (DAZN)