Why is Usyk being paid so much by Matchroom? He's not a draw in the United States and Bellew sold most of those PPVs.
Wouldn't be at all surprised if these PPV football games are a testing of the waters for Sky's future plans. Fulham vs Burnley is PPV because of the pandemic is the sales pitch, if enough mugs buy that (and they will) then a light may well go off in some Sky senior execs head 'If they'll pay for that shite imagine how much we could make with a Liverpool vs United or Arsenal vs Chelsea PPV ?!?!?!'. With more and more people switching to streaming combined with lost matchday revenue we may well see Sky and the rest resort to ever more desperate, greedy and contemptuous tactics to keep their heads above water.
When Barry Hearn had a boxing deal with Sky, he filled the dates with IBO and WBF title fights ( Steve Roberts, Richard Williams, The Asian cabby from Nottingham). They were cheap, forgettable and largely pointless. Eddie Hearn is now doing exactly the same with women's World championship. Cheap, forgettable and largely pointless. He now has PPV Premier league competing with his boxing cash cow. I'm beginning to think this is the last knockings of his exclusive deal with Sky.
