Reaction to the return of Keith Thurman costing boxing consumers $74.95 on Pay Per View, the same as the Manny Pacquiao fight, has been swift and brutal.
The ex-welterweight champion fights Mario Barrios in his first fight since losing to the Filipino legend in July 2019. At that time, the price was touching $75.
Now, due to the bout selling an estimated half a million buys and solely due to Pacquiao’s involvement, someone at Premier Boxing Champions thought it would be a good idea to match that cost.
The response from fans has not been a good one. Within minutes, a thread opened up on a popular discussion site.
“No one is going to pay $75 to watch this guy [Keith Thurman] fight,” said one comment. “Despite being out of action for a long time, Thurman is not a PPV draw, and neither is Barrios.
“I think this tanks in PPV numbers.”
Another added: “You do the complete opposite of supporting boxing if you spend money on this.
“Boxing is losing popularity because of greedy promoters who don’t put on the fights that the public actually wants. Buying this fight rewards that kind of behavior.
“I’ll happily buy [Errol] Spence vs. [Terence] Crawford (as an example) because one, It’s a great fight. And two, it rewards the promoters for putting on a great fight, and it shows them that the public is willing to pay money if the best fights are made.”
A third stated: “I have become so jaded that I’m checking out. I’ll show up for May 5th, September [Canelo dates], and the rare mega-fight.
“But I’m kind of done with [expletive] matchups and overpriced PPVs. I used to think three or four hours of entertainment was worth it.
“But when you have to slog through three meh [sic] fights and the main event that is lopsided or might not deliver, I think ill just keep the money.”
MANNY PACQUIAO SUCCESS
Harsh words when it comes to Thurman, who PBC certainly believes had a hand in the success of the Manny Pacquiao event in Las Vegas.
Retailing the show at $74,95 does seem a little steep, though, especially when you consider their recent heavyweight bonanza cost almost half of that fee.
Nonetheless, that’s where we are now for 2022. The pandemic hasn’t helped promoters in making significant fights happen. However, fans will still argue that Thurman vs. Barrios is nowhere near the level required for a seventy-five dollar Pay Per View.
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