ESPN Plus looks to add another big revenue punch to this year’s busy PPV Boxing category with Saturday’s (October 28) Tyson Fury-Francis Ngannou event while looking to be opportunistic in the category in 2024.
The fight, pitting the current heavyweight boxing champion Fury against the former UFC heavyweight champion Ngannou, is the 10th major PPV boxing match in 2023 and the first to feature the heavyweight division in the main event.
While Fury’s World Boxing Council heavyweight title is not on the line in the 10-round bout, ESPN VP of programming and acquisitions Matt Kenny says the fight pits the two combat fighters in a much-anticipated battle.
“We look at it as a very compelling event with two very high-profile heavyweight combat athletes,” Kenny said. “The ability to see both of them compete in the ring has captured the imagination of sports fans, and certainly those who follow combat sports.”
The fight marks ESPN Plus’ fourth PPV-distributed boxing match this year and third mixed combat fight, following February’s Jake Paul-Tommy Fury bout and its October 14 bout between YouTube fighter KSI and Fury. ESPN also distributed a May 20 Devin Haney-Vasiliy Lomachenko event.
While Kenny would not project buys for the bout, he said the fight should draw both boxing and mixed martial arts fans to purchase the event. He added that ESPN will remain “opportunistic” in its overall approach to the pay-per-view boxing category in 2024.
“We’re bullish on PPV Boxing. When presented with the opportunity to offer the biggest events on a pay-per-view basis, we’re open for business,” Kenny said. “Pay-per-view fans vote with their wallets. Consumers have so much choice, convenience and control over their viewing choices, so at the end of the day we want to be there to showcase to them the biggest athletes and events.”
