Boxing has seen its fair share of surprises in regards to fight streaming, but this one tops them all. WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol is set to clash with WBC, WBO, and IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev on October 12th at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This undisputed showdown will headline an event that also features the highly anticipated matchup between Shakur Stevenson and Joe Cordina. But there’s a twist.

Fans eager to catch both bouts will need to switch between DAZN PPV and ESPN+ to watch the entire event. While the impact of this weirdness on viewership remains uncertain, this setup has certainly stirred some confusion in the boxing community. However, boxing journalist and insider Dan Rafael has taken to social media to clarify the reason behind this.

Top Rank vs. Matchroom Boxing = ESPN+ vs. DAZN

The Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev undisputed clash will stream live on ESPN+ in the US since Top Rank holds the rights to the main event, as part of their agreement with the organizers in Saudi Arabia. This situation arises from Top Rank’s existing deal with ESPN, which stipulates that all their events are streamed exclusively on their platform. Since Top Rank is organizing the Bivol vs. Beterbiev bout the one fight will be available to ESPN+ subscribers. In contrast, the Shakur Stevenson vs. Joe Cordina fight, along with the rest of the card, will stream on DAZN PPV.

Rafael explained the arrangement on X. “Seems to be some confusion so I’ll reiterate with regard to #BeterbievBivol. The main event will be 1-fight stream in US on ESPN+ with its announcers as part of a subscription, per Top Rank, which owns US rights to the main event. Rest of event will be DAZN PPV in the US,” he wrote.

Matchroom Boxing, which recently signed Shakur Stevenson, has a deal with DAZN in place. This means that the undercard, including Stevenson vs. Cordina, will be available as part of a DAZN PPV. This dual PPV setup reflects the separate deals and rights arrangements with each promotional entity. But this raises its own questions: How much will people have to shell out for the fight?

While the exact cost for the DAZN PPV event hasn’t been announced, ESPN+ subscribers will be able to watch the Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev main event without additional charges. Even though the prices for DAZN remain under wraps, the full undercard has been revealed.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol: Undercard

The undercard for the highly anticipated Dmitry Bivol vs. Artur Beterbiev showdown is packed with thrilling matchups. Shakur Stevenson will defend his WBC world title against Welsh boxer Joe Cordina in the co-main event, marking Cordina’s move to lightweight. Chris Eubank Jr. returns to the ring against veteran Kamil Szeremeta, eyeing a future world title shot. British heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke will clash in a rematch for the British title after their previous draw.

Rising star Ben Whittaker faces Liam Cameron, while Jai Opetaia defends his IBF cruiserweight title against Jack Massey. In a historic first for Saudi Arabia, Skye Nicholson and Raven Chapman will compete for the WBC featherweight title. Last but not least, Mohamed Alakel will make his professional debut against Jesus Gonzalez. With such a stacked lineup, the undercard promises to deliver excitement leading up to the Bivol-Beterbiev main event.

Not many people are keen on paying twice for the same event, but here’s an idea: you could get an ESPN+ subscription for the next two months. This way, you can watch Naoya Inoue vs. TJ Doheny next month and then catch Bivol vs. Beterbiev in October without any extra cost. That means in October, you’d only need to pay for the Stevenson vs. Cordina PPV. What do you think about this plan?