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Pay-TV giant Sky Sports has been confirmed as the UK and Ireland broadcaster for the world heavyweight boxing title rematch between Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua on 20th August.
The bout will be shown live on the Sky Sports Box Office pay-per-view (PPV) platform at a price of UK£26.95 (US$32.69). Usyk and Joshua’s first fight last September cost UK£24.95 (US$30.27) on Sky.
The pair will trade blows again as Joshua looks to become a three-time world heavyweight champion after losing his titles to Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last year.
The fight, which is being billed as ‘Rage on the Red Sea’, will take place at the 35,000-seater Jeddah Super Dome in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom has reportedly forked out around US$80 million to stage the event. Joshua last fought in Saudi Arabia for his rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019.
“Sky Sports viewers have enjoyed a long history with AJ, watching his every fight since he turned professional in 2013,” said Adam Smith, head of boxing development for Sky Sports.
“We also know Oleksandr Usyk very well, having had the last four of the Ukrainian’s fights exclusively live on Sky Sports.
“This rematch is a massive occasion with everything on the line and so many questions to be answered. We can’t wait to bring it to boxing fans in the UK and Ireland in true Sky Sports fashion with all the build-up it deserves.”
The rematch between Usyk and Joshua has been relatively easy to make by boxing standards. Finalising who will air the fight in the UK has been another matter.
The general assumption was that streaming service DAZN would land the broadcast rights. Promotional company Matchroom Boxing, which Joshua is signed to, swapped Sky for DAZN in a five-year global rights pact in 2021. Last month saw Joshua make the same move, inking a reported nine-figure agreement.
However, it emerged that Joshua’s deal did not include his rematch with Usyk, with the Saudi hosts controlling TV rights distribution as part of the overall fight package. The Telegraph reported that the bidding process for the UK and Ireland reached more than US$28 million.
Given Matchroom had severed ties with Sky, it makes things a little awkward. Beyond that, missing out on one of the year’s biggest fights is a setback for DAZN in its attempts to establish itself in the UK market.
Should Joshua win, it will reaffirm him as one of the biggest draws in boxing. If not, his pot price will drop significantly, potentially jeopardising DAZN’s ROI prospects for its massive outlay on the 32-year-old. That is hardly ideal for a company already haemorrhaging money.
