According to rumors, in the first third of 2023, the undisputed lightweight champion American Devin Haney (29-0, 15 KOs) will fight with former division leader veteran from Ukraine Vasily Lomachenko (17-2, 11 KOs).
Fighter promoter Bob Arum (Top Rank) does not hide the desire to arrange a face-to-face fight for the fighters, but at the same time claims that he does not plan to sell the event on PPV (paid broadcast).
Arum believes that “doing such fights on PPV is not a very smart idea. Although I think many will disagree with me. Why do I think this is stupid? Because fans don’t buy paid broadcasts. And also for the reason that they are really very expensive. And if the fighters agree to fight not for guaranteed fees, but for a percentage of the proceeds from PPV, then later they are unhappy, because they were counting on completely different money. As far as I can see, Al Haymon has already encountered this problem.
The promoter claims that “Lomachenko wants to fight Haney. His manager confirmed this wish. So did Devin’s father/coach Bill Haney. But PPV?.. You know, I try to make sure that there are as few fights as possible on PPV. It is clear that pirated streams have a negative impact on PPV results. Previously, people bought the broadcast and watched the fights with a large group, but after the pandemic, they prefer not to invite the crowd to their home. At least that’s what the TV people told me.”
Arum urges to think about the fans, because “few people can afford to throw away 70 or 80 bucks for watching boxing. This makes no economic sense. So we’re going to be in a hole all the time until we come up with some new way to broadcast.”
Who do you think will win in a Lomachenko vs Haney fight? There is an opinion of Roy Jones. Fans are not very happy with how the Ukrainian looked with Ortiz. And Ryan Garcia has an explanation.