Eddie Hearn has commented on the chosen price point for Tyson Fury’s voluntary heavyweight title defence against Derek Chisora, saying that he understands the reasoning but is glad he’s not involved.
After a long wait to announce a December dance partner, Fury settled on Chisora for his fight before he heads towards an undisputed bout with Oleksandr Usyk.
The two British heavyweights have met in the ring twice before, with Fury winning via decision and then corner retirement, respectively. This, paired with the fact that ‘Del Boy’ has only won one fight in his last four, left many fans less than impressed.
That displeasure was only worsened when it was announced that it would cost £26.95 for people to tune in via BT Sport Box Office – an increase of £2 from Fury’s last fight against Dillian Whyte in April.
Given that he’s no stranger to putting on these types of events himself, Boxing Social asked Eddie Hearn to comment on the announcement.
” Look, some [way] and some how, you’ve got to pay the bill for Tyson Fury. I know tickets haven’t gone particularly well for that fight. It’s difficult at the moment.
You’re asking people to put their hand in their pocket at a difficult time – cost of living, Christmas coming up. It’s hard to sell tickets, it’s hard to sell pay-per-views – especially at that price point.
But at the same time, they’ve got to hit numbers. I’ve been there before. I know £26.95 wasn’t the price that we dictated for Usyk against Joshua, it was Sky’s. But that was obviously a much bigger fight.”
“I’ve seen the response. I’m glad I’m not doing the show because it’s nice not to have any negativity for 24 hours. But, I get it at the same time. Tyson Fury’s a big name and he wants paying.”
When asked to predict the number of buys, Hearn opted for 300,000. He went on to say that events had to deliver more value than ever just now, given the financial situation many sports fans across the country find themselves in.
The backlash surrounding the pay-per-view price was a culmination of many fans’ displeasure at the matchmaking involved at this point in Fury’s career.
The fighter himself has been open about his struggles to find a suitable and willing opponent, and did spend a considerable period of time attempting to negotiate with Hearn and Anthony Joshua to fill his December date.
Despite those circumstances, a majority of fans still feel hard done by.