DAZN Boxing is currently under scrutiny from Ring Magazine’s boxing journalist, Jake Donovan. This came after controversial veteran boxing matchmaker Rick Glaser expressed his thoughts on the vastly reduced cost of boxing events, thanks to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, while also bringing up Al Hamon’s $550 million debacle. 

Things kicked off when the Saudi Royal announced that the upcoming bout between Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois would be priced at $19.99, instead of the usual $69.99. While the entire boxing community was celebrating the discounted prices, Glasser claimed, “Despite @Turki_alalshikh great price point of 19.95 PPV shows, some are complaining they should be free.”

He further explained that back in 2015, Al Haymon tried to do something similar, but failed tragically. “Al Haymon attempted to do ‘Free Boxing’ in March 2015, & he promptly blew up 550 million dollars in 30 months,” Glasser wrote. Praising the Saudi Royal’s move to reduce prices, Glaser urged people to show their support for the new prices. 

This prompted Donovan to weigh in, asserting, “‘Free’ is a ridiculous expectation in 2024.” He argued that the real question should be about the value DAZN Boxing delivers for its subscription fee of $29.99 per month. “Value for a $29.99/mo. DAZN subscription, on the other hand, it’s something that consumers have a right to demand,” he wrote. 

Donovan, criticizing DAZN Boxing for allegedly failing to deliver value to its monthly subscribers, remarked, “They went from ‘PPV is dead’ to running more PPVs than every other platform combined.” He pointed out that DAZN Boxing originally aimed to replace the pay-per-view model with a subscription-based approach for their events.

Despite their initial promise, DAZN Boxing continues to charge for pay-per-view events on top of the monthly and annual subscription fees. While subscribers do receive a discounted rate for these major events, the discount is so minimal that it barely impacts the overall cost.

Regardless, coming back to Glaser, what exactly was the $550 million debacle involving Al Haymon? 

Al Hamon’s house of cards

The $550 million debacle involving Al Haymon centers on his ambitious attempt to revitalize boxing through Premier Boxing Champions (PBC). In a bold move, Haymon secured between $425 million and $550 million from Kansas investment firm Waddell & Reed to purchase extensive TV time across major networks, including NBC, Fox, CBS, and ESPN. Despite this massive investment, Haymon’s strategy faced significant setbacks.

Initial results were disappointing, as TV ratings and live gate revenues failed to meet expectations. For instance, a high-profile boxing card in Los Angeles yielded only $508,620 in ticket sales against a $3.2 million purse. Even ad revenue from the broadcasts was insufficient to offset the costs of purchasing TV time, with PBC shows averaging just $462,963 in ad revenue per show.

Adding to the woes, Haymon faced lawsuits from major boxing promoters Bob Arum and Oscar De La Hoya, who accused him of antitrust violations and monopolistic practices. These legal battles, coupled with underwhelming financial returns, cast a shadow over Haymon’s grand vision, making the $550 million investment a contentious and challenging venture.

That said, it appears His Excellency Turki Alalshikh’s move to slash pay-per-view prices has brought up some serious allegations against DAZN Boxing. However, the big question is—does the streaming platform really lack value? Share your thoughts.