Boxing fans have been left flabbergasted after the pay-per-view prices for Anthony Joshua's bout with Dillian Whyte were released.
Joshua and Whyte are due to face off at the O2 Arena in London on August 12. The venue is the site of their one prior meeting, with Joshua scoring a victory by TKO in the seventh round of their 2015 bout.
DAZN has the pay-per-view rights to the rematch, which comes off the back of three defeats in six fights for former world champion Joshua. PPV prices have been set at £26.99, prompting a number of angry reactions from fans
"Are they having a laugh, that ain't worth it, not PPV fight," one fan wrote on Twitter. Another claimed the sum was a "waste of money".
"Get a grip, £27 for non world title fight with 2 guys who have lost 4 out of 7 in there last fights combined," was the verdict from another. "Both been shown up against top level."
Others shed more light on their reasons for giving this particular PPV a miss. I'm sorry, I'm a big supporter of @DAZNBoxing @MatchroomBoxing, but @DillianWhyte v @anthonyjoshua ain't PPV," one wrote. "Whyte is past his best and Joshua hasn't looked good in his last 3 fights. I won't be buying this fight as I see it as a pointless boxing match"
Joshua's most recent fight came against Jermaine Franklin, with the Watford-born fighter winning by unanimous decision in April. Before then, though, he had lost successive bouts against Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk.
Will you be paying the PPV price? Have your say in the comments section
Whyte's last fight also came against 29-year-old American Franklin. The pair met in October 2022, with Whyte claiming victory by majority decision to hand his opponent a first career defeat.
Earlier conversations over a Whyte-Joshua rematch collapsed before its eventual revival, with Whyte telling talkSPORT in June that a lack of contact from promoter Eddie Hearn was a factor. "The fight's just collapsed, there's been no communication on the fight," he said.
"It's just weird, it just never seemed real from the start," Whyte added. "AJ's in a position of transition and they don't want him to have a serious fight, but they're trying to keep his name good and make it look like he's trying to have big fights.
"We've had one three-line email about the fight, no conversations at all. We've been trying to contact Eddie Hearn for one month, multiple phone calls and emails, they've just gone missing. I've never felt the fight was real, I've been negotiating with Eddie Hearn for years, I know when Eddie wants a fight, he calls you, he bugs you. I haven't spoken to Eddie Hearn for one month.
