Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor
“That is not to say we will never return to pay-per-view. It’s just not right for us at the moment.”
The decision could pave the way for some fighters in the Sky stable to switch to terrestrial TV, with ITV and Channel 5 having shown live boxing in recent years.
WBN Editor
Fighters face smaller pay days as charge removed from bouts
Sky Box Office have dropped world championship boxing from their schedule after
a year of controversial fights as reported by WBN on July 22nd.
With
the controversy of the last few bouts, including Haye v Harrison, Nathan
Cleverly’s opponent withdrawals and Amir Khan’s undercard debacle, Sky have
decided enough is enough and boxing will now be shown on the four main sports channels
for free to Sky Sports subscribers.
WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion Khan’s switch to
Primetime seems to have been the last straw and fans with now be happy to know
that all future bouts on Sky will not come with an additional charge.
For current British world champions Carl Froch, Nathan Cleverly and
Ricky Burns, who between have only headlined one Box Office event, the fighters face
the prospect of smaller fees for their title defences as all three are
currently signed with the satellite channel.
In a statement to The Daily Express, a senior Sky source
said; “We spend too much time trying to do deals on boxing for a limited return
and do not think it’s fair on our audience to ask them to pay more for boxing.
“That is not to say we will never return to pay-per-view. It’s just not right for us at the moment.”
The decision could pave the way for some fighters in the Sky stable to switch to terrestrial TV, with ITV and Channel 5 having shown live boxing in recent years.