Two PPV’s, But Should We Have To Choose

Two PPV’s, But Should We Have To Choose

On Saturday night approximately 200 miles apart, the two leading UK boxing promoters close their year out with two big PPV shows. Eddie Hearn has decided to take on Frank Warren in some kind of statement of intent.

In Manchester on the Frank Warren card Josh Warrington and Carl Frampton clash for the IBF featherweight title while in London Eddie Hearn stages the big world heavyweight title eliminator between Dillian Whyte and Derek Chisora.

While attempting to kill off the competition is hardly anything new in business, even if it means you losing out in the process, it does seem regrettable and unnecessary and ultimately the fans and the fighters lose out.

Eddie Hearn and Matchroom have many critics but they have hugely contributed to the current boxing boom which gets hugely overlooked. While personally I am not a lover of the current over-saturation of the PPV model but I am equally aware of the market for it and the benefits the fighters get financially.

But to have two PPV cards on the same night with Hearn deciding to go head to head with his nearest rival just seems the wrong move. Both cards will suffer as a result with fans having to decide which one to purchase. Hearn clearly thinks his show will still make a substantial profit just not as much, and any downturn in revenue will be worth it if Warren’s card suffers in a bigger way.

Despite being in the same sport Warren and Hearn are hardly fierce rivals, their respective businesses are at different stages and sizes and both could quite happily go about their business without the need to score points both verbally and financially.

Both contribute a huge amount to the sport and I have no real issues with either promotion if both do well then the sport and the fighters do well also, which should be the aim of both. Hopefully, this is a one-off, save the rivalry for the fighters please next time.

As a fan, I would rather watch both shows but the situation means I have to choose which to watch. For what its worth I am going with the Warrington vs Frampton fight, its the fight with more immediate importance and I think its the better overall card.