Dropping the price tag fixes the financial barrier, but it doesn’t fix the product. Making it free changes the entire consumer math for boxing fans. At $59.99, a card is being evaluated under a microscope. Fans demand elite, competitive matchups and real historical significance to justify spending that kind of cash.
When you remove the paywall, the perspective changes:
The spectacle becomes watchable: Watching the master technician at work with the Great Pyramids lit up in the background becomes a fun, cinematic Saturday afternoon viewing experience rather than an expensive gamble.
The Undercard is discovered: Hardcore fans will flock to see great matches like Catterall vs. Giyasov or the Torrez Jr. stage fight without feeling like they’re subsidizing a main event mismatch.
Social Media Engagement Explodes: The zero-click environment of social media thrives on accessibility. If fans know they can just click a link on YouTube to watch the heavyweight champion of the world, the comment sections will instantly be filled with live reactions, memes and chatter.
While the viewership numbers would skyrocket, it doesn’t change the fact that on paper this match remains a mismatch to make the event free.
The boxing public has become incredibly savvy. They know Verhoeven has spent more than a decade dominating a sport where you can rely on leg kicks and knees to control pace and distance. Stripping away those weapons and forcing him into a boxing ring against a pound-for-pound maestro is a bridge too far.
Even if it’s free, fans will still view it as an exhibition disguised as a championship defense. The lack of genuine competitive intrigue is a fundamental flaw that no price drop can fully erase.
Ultimately moving it from a pay-per-view to a free mega-spectacle would save it from being a total commercial disaster. It would transform a white elephant into an accessible celebration of combat sports in a historical setting. It gives fans a reason to tune in out of curiosity rather than tuning in out of frustration.
Given the deathly silence on social media about this event, it’s a massive issue when trying to convince people to drop $59.99 on pay-per-view. Several distinct factors explain why the boxing public shuts out completely.
Fans simply don’t view Rico Verhoeven as a legitimate threat inside a boxing ring. Although he is an absolute legend in GLORY kickboxing, the sweet science is a completely different sport. Taking on the best technical heavyweight of this generation in your second professional boxing match is an impossible ask. Fans can spot a mismatch from a mile away, and no amount of slick promotional videos can change the perception that the outcome has already been decided.
The undercard didn’t add much momentum either. Hamzah Sheeraz, against little-known German fighter Alem Begic for the vacant WBO super middleweight title, landed quietly, while Jack Catterall against Shakhram Giyasov received only moderate attention outside of die-hard core fans. Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez Jr. appears to be the one fight that generates real interest due to the clash in heavyweight styles and the possibility that the undefeated Torrez could finally take a meaningful risk against an experienced contender.
The boxing world is suffering from severe crossover fatigue. The novelty of watching elite combat athletes from other disciplines try their hand at boxing, especially at the highest level where championship belts are involved, wore off.
The messy politics surrounding the Usyk-Rico fight didn’t help either. The WBC fully sanctions it as a defense.
The WBA and IBF only granted special exceptions where Verhoeven can’t even win the titles if he pulls off an upset.
This half-and-half title status strips away any remaining prestige and makes the event look exactly what it is: an exhibition masquerading as a true defense.
While the undercard has excellent hardcore boxing matches on paper, it lacks the massive, mainstream star power necessary to carry a $60 price tag on its own.
- Hamzah Sheeraz vs. Alem Begic: A solid matchup for the vacant WBO super middleweight title, but Begic isn’t a household name that moves the needle for casual fans.
- Jack Catterall vs. Shakhram Giyasov: An excellent, highly technical welterweight knockout, but both guys have styles that appeal more to purists than a pay-per-view audience.
- Frank Sanchez vs. Richard Torrez Jr.: A fantastic heavyweight prospect vs. contender clash, but again, it caters strictly to the hardcore crowd.
Building a temporary stadium in the desert next to the Great Pyramids creates a beautiful image for television, but it does very little to build grassroots, fight-week energy. There are no natural local boxing fans filling the streets of Cairo to create the organic buzz you get in London, New York or Las Vegas.
When you combine a predictable main event with an undercard that mostly appeals to hardcore purists, you get exactly what you see on social media: total apathy. Turki and Ring Magazine can post all the movie trailers they want, but if the fans believe they are paying sixty dollars for a glorified sparring session in front of the pyramids, the comment sections will remain empty.
