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Sky Sports chief Adam Smith has defended the British record £26.95 pay-per-view price for Anthony Joshua’s crucial rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.
The heavyweight protagonists square off on Saturday night in Saudi Arabia, 11 months after Usyk claimed a stunning unanimous decision win over Joshua at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The pair’s first encounter, which was also on Sky Sports Box Office, cost viewers £24.95, with a £2 increase implemented for the rematch.
Anthony Joshua (right) and Oleksandr Usyk (left) square off for a second time on Saturday
The fight will be shown on Sky Sports Box Office for a record £26.95, a price that has received backlash from the fans
The price was met with backlash from the fans upon its announcement late in July, in what will be Joshua’s final outing on Sky having signed a big-money, exclusive deal with DAZN.
Smith, who insists it was a huge boost for Sky to get exclusive rights to broadcast the bout in the UK, believes the jump in price is justified, though admitting it’s a difficult question to answer.
‘It’s a business, first and foremost,’ he told Sportsmail. ‘Those commercial decisions are made by many others in the company, not by me or the production team.
‘I always say that we don’t force anyone to buy Sky Sports Box Office, it’s a choice. We want to give our customers the best value in boxing.
‘We’ve had some fantastic fights this year: Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Williams, the Josh Taylor-Jack Catterall fight, and we’ve got a huge night for women’s sport on September 10 between Claressa Shields and Savannah Marshall.
‘Those are all on Sky Sports, but of course, when there’s a big-money fight and it has to be on Box Office, then that’s the way it must go. BT do that, so do DAZN now, so we know how much these sort of fights cost.’
Sky Sports boss Adam Smith has defended the £2 increase from the first to the second bout
Joshua will have to drastically change his game plan after being outclassed by Usyk last year
In terms of the £2 increase, Smith insists the all-important rematch is now a bigger spectacle than the first encounter between Joshua and Usyk, in which the Briton was widely expected add another win to his collection.
Though Joshua has insisted otherwise, many believe the Watford-born heavyweight is now fighting for his career, with a second-straight defeat to the Ukrainian hugely damaging for both his brand and his prospects in the ring.
The winner, despite his claims of retirement, will also likely face WBC champion Tyson Fury next in an iconic undisputed showdown, with the Gypsy King’s recently-vacated Ring Magazine belt now also on the line on Saturday.
‘As far as the rise in price, it’s a bigger fight than it was last year,’ Smith continued. ‘It’s a year on, and there’s general inflation and everything.
‘It’s not something we want to have to do, but it’s something designed by the business, and we have to make it a manageable night for us commercially, as well as providing our customers with the option of whether to buy it or not.
‘I hope, because it’s such a marquee night and a major fight on the calendar, the biggest in my eyes of 2022, that people will purchase the Box Office fight. Hopefully we give them so much with the undercard on the night that we can justify that, but it’s always a difficult question and one I don’t really have the answer to.’
Smith believes the rematch, taking place in Saudi Arabia, is the biggest fight of the year
While Joshua will be fighting on Sky for the final time, with his next outing to be the first of his exclusive DAZN deal, Usyk’s future – in terms of a broadcaster – is unclear.
Saturday night’s bout will be Usyk’s fifth-straight fight shown on Sky Sports, the first being his eight-round stoppage victory over Tony Bellew in 2018.
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn in July confirmed the rematch is the last fight on his co-promotional deal with Usyk, however, with the Ukrainian set to be a free agent afterwards.
Smith insists Sky would be interested in continuing their working relationship with Usyk if he remains available.
‘We’re always looking to put the best fights on and work with the best fighters in the world,’ he said.
‘Of course, if Oleksandr is a free agent we’ll look at that, but I think one step at a time. This is a fight we’re concentrating on; it’s all systems go. It’s a huge event for the heavyweight landscape and let’s see where it leads to.
‘If Usyk wins, will he tempt Tyson out of retirement? Or will he go on a global tour? Will he fight back in Ukraine? There’s so many things you could do with Oleksandr.
‘If Joshua wins, we know he’s committed to DAZN, so we don’t know where the landscape would go with an Anthony victory.
‘But there’s so many more great heavyweight fights and nights ahead, and of course if Oleksandr is available and contractually free, we’ll be looking to work with him, as will our UK partners BOXXER. Our American partners Top Rank will also be looking at the situation.’
Usyk has been fighting on Sky Sports since his 2018 clash against Tony Bellew at cruiserweight
Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn revealed in July their deal with Usyk runs out after the rematch
Smith insists Sky will look to continue their working relationship with Usyk after the fight
In terms of the fight itself, Smith believes a Joshua win would go down as one of the greatest moments in British heavyweight history.
Smith also believes Usyk rightly comes in as the favourite, but insists Joshua has got the physical advantages to get the job done.
‘Anthony Joshua has got size advantages in every way, shape and form: the height, the reach, the power – he’s got everything to enable him to be successful in a fight against Usyk, or most other heavyweights,’ he said.
‘Robert Garcia will have him more aggressive, and he’s got to be more attack-minded. He has to cut the ring down, utilise all of his assets to get on top of Usyk and prevent him from getting into that neat boxing rhythm.
‘Usyk is a master of that, a psychological genius, a very bright guy out of the ring and he’ll also know what he needs to do this time.’