The upcoming October 12th event featuring the Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol fight will see Shakur Stevenson headlining the DAZN PPV. However, fans who were eagerly anticipating the Beterbiev-Bivol undisputed championship fight will now need to pay to watch Stevenson in a tune-up match against Joe Cordina, as the main event will be shown on ESPN+.
The decision to split the broadcast between ESPN+ and DAZN has drawn mixed reactions from fans and critics alike. Stevenson’s fight with Cordina will take place on the undercard at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. While the main event featuring Beterbiev and Bivol will be on ESPN+, the undercard fights, including Stevenson-Cordina, will be available only on DAZN PPV.
Stevenson is likely to face criticism if his fight with Cordina fails to attract a large audience on PPV. With Stevenson not being as popular as other fighters and Cordina coming off a loss in his last fight, the matchup has received backlash from boxing fans in the U.S. Many were disappointed with the announcement of Stevenson defending his title against Cordina on DAZN PPV, as they were more interested in watching the highly anticipated Beterbiev vs. Bivol showdown.
Apart from the Stevenson-Cordina fight, the DAZN PPV event will also feature middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. facing journeyman Kamil Szeremeta in a stay-busy fight. The rematch between heavyweights Frazer Clark and Fabio Wardley is considered the highlight of the undercard, offering fans some excitement amidst the underwhelming lineup.
The decision to split the broadcast between ESPN+ and DAZN for the Beterbiev vs. Bivol event has garnered mixed reactions from fans. While Stevenson will headline the DAZN PPV with his fight against Cordina, there is concern that low PPV numbers may result in criticism towards the young fighter. With the main event featuring the undisputed championship fight between Beterbiev and Bivol, fans will have to decide whether they are willing to pay to watch the undercard bouts on DAZN or stick to the ESPN+ subscription for the main event.