BOXING promoter Eddie Hearn has defended Sky Sports' decision to charge a record pay-per-view price for Anthony Joshua's rematch against Oleksandr Usyk.
The Briton, 32, will take on the undefeated Ukrainian, 35, in Saudi Arabia on August 20 as he looks to avenge the unanimous decision defeat he suffered in September last year.
Sky Sports announced on Wednesday that the fight has been priced at £26.95 for UK customers – the highest fee ever for a British boxing bout.
It is a £2 increase from the £24.95 which was set for AJ's rematch with Andy Ruiz and the first Usyk fight.
Hearn, who is Joshua's promoter, spent many years working with Sky Sports as their exclusive boxing partner.
Earlier this year, his company Matchroom Boxing decided to leave Sky and agree a deal to show their events on streaming platform DAZN.
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Joshua has also signed an exclusive deal with DAZN which will come into force after the Usyk rematch – with this set to be his last fight on Sky.
Yet despite Hearn and Sky no longer having a working relationship, he has refused to disagree with their decision to charge a record price for the clash.
Speaking to iFL TV, he said: "We all know it's a very competitive market at the moment. Sky have made a play for this fight – one because it's a very big fight but two because of business reasons and strategy reasons as well.
"So, sometimes when that happens you have to overpay for something and there has to be a way to make that money back.
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"I can't comment because I'm not involved in that process – I don't represent Sky – but they've got to make the numbers add up and that's charging more money to the consumer.
"It's £2. It's a big fight. Obviously, £19.95 has been the regular PPV price. £24.95 was an AJ PPV price. That's now increased to £26.95. Prices are going up all the time.
"I'm not going to sit here and say 'I can't believe Sky have put the money up on PPV' but they've had to spend a lot of money on this fight and that's their way of making it work."
When asked if DAZN would have charged the same amount, he added: "It's a bit of a mystical question because that was never going to happen. It's one for DAZN.
"I think their price would be in line with market PPV pricing which was the previous numbers [£24.95].
"But again, that's one for them."
Joshua goes into the Usyk rematch as the bookies underdog for the first time in his professional career.
If he is victorious, he will become a three-time world heavyweight champion and reignite calls for an all-British showdown with WBC king Tyson Fury.
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