Boxing fans in the UK are outraged at the £19.95 price tag on Jake Paul 's grudge fight against Tommy Fury next weekend.
Paul and Fury are scheduled to meet in an eight-round catchweight fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on February 26 after two previous meetings between the pair have fell through. Love Island star Fury pulled out of a fight against Paul in December 2021 because of a chest infection and broken rib, also withdrawing from their rescheduled fight last August.
The undercard of the event will feature a cruiserweight world title fight between Ilunga Makabu and Badou Jack. Undefeated prospect Ashton Sylve and YouTube star Adam Saleh will also compete at the event, but fans aren't happy about having to fork out £19.95 to watch it on BT Sport Box Office.
"World’s gone. Seriously. £19.95 used to get you AJ/Klitschko, Brook/Golovkin, Froch/Groves - with cracking undercards too. It’s absolutely embarrassing," one user wrote. "Frank [Warren] thinking about the fans again," a second user added. "That is completely embarrassing. I seriously wouldn't watch that rubbish if it was free," a third comment read.
What are your thoughts on the pay-per-view price for Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury? Let us know in the comments section below
"No thanks, you’re alright. I’m your typical causal boxing fan, but someone tuning into that calling it PPV or ‘Professional Boxing’ is appalling," a fourth user commented. "It’s cheaper to watch two proper boxers fight than someone who hasn’t got rating or someone who lives off his brother's name. World's gone mad £19.99 for this, the undercard has more potential," another comment read.
The fight will be broadcast on ESPN+ pay-per-view in the US as fans across that side of the pond will have to pay $49.99 to watch the event, a price tag that was also unsurprisingly scrutinised. "50 dollars to watch these bums. Daylight robbery," one fan wrote. A second user also wrote: "I wasn't going to watch it and now I've seen that, I'm not going to watch it."
Paul is keeping up his tradition of making pre-fight bets with his opponents and has challenged Fury to change his surname to Mae if he loses, in reference to his partner Molly Mae Hague. The American previously offered Fury an extra $500,000 if he could beat him in their ill-fated fight last year, but only if the Brit agreed to change his name to Tommy 'Fumbles' in the event that he lost.
Fury is refusing to engage in Paul's pre-fight bets as he told Mirror Fighting : "You're talking to a professional athlete, all that bull***, I'm here for a fight. There's no name changes, no nothing. All those YouTube bets you've heard him made with other guys in the past, they're all idiots not serious fighters. I'm a serious fighter and I only do fighting, I don't do name changes."
