Sports streaming platform DAZN Boxing is facing significant backlash after making what appears to be a costly error. Respected boxing journalists Dan Rafael and Jake Donovan took to social media to publicly criticize the company over a last-minute change to the undercard for tonight’s highly anticipated Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Originally, the undercard was advertised as being included with DAZN’s standard subscription. However, both Rafael, formerly of ESPN, and Ring Magazine’s Donovan have now revealed that fans in the U.S. and Canada are being charged an additional $19.99 to watch the undercard””effectively turning it into a pay-per-view event.

In a tweet, Rafael expressed his frustration, stating, “#BeterbievBivol undercard is now $19.99 PPV in US/Canada though DAZN announced it wasn’t, created a graphic explaining it & specifically explained it to me in detail.” He claimed that he had emails from DAZN officials confirming the undercard would be free on DAZN subscription and even shared the promotional graphic, which read, “Don’t miss the IV Crown Showdown undercard as part of your DAZN subscription in the USA and Canada.”

Furious at the deceptive practices at play, Rafael added, “[They] Should be held accountable for fraud.” While the main event remains available on ESPN+ for subscribers because of programming rights, the sudden paywall for the undercard has left Rafael angry and disillusioned. “We as #boxing fans are abused relentlessly,” Rafael lamented in another tweet, adding, “The sport is great. The business is grotesque.”

Meanwhile, Jake Donovan also took to X, giving the streaming platform a piece of his mind.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol Undercard branded ‘Unacceptable’

Back on October 4th, Donovan himself  outlined the details about the undercard with his followers. He claimed the event would be free with DAZN Boxing’s standard subscription. However, after learning about the last-minute change in the payment for the undercard, the Ring Magazine journalist seems to have lost his cool. Turning to X, he wrote, “So”¦ looks like DAZN (or Riyadh Season group?) Fkd up here.” He highlighted that a mere eight days after confirming the undercard will be available in North America with the DAZN subscription””they have put it on pay-per-view. He added, “Unacceptable,” condemning the situation. 

Judging by the mood, this debacle could prove damaging for the streaming platform. However, it’s yet to be seen whether DAZN will catch any lawsuits for false advertisement in the matter. What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think it involved any malicious intent from DAZN?