Millions of fight fans watched Oleksandr Usyk unify the world heavyweight boxing titles by defeating Tyson Fury last weekend in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Most of them didn’t pay for it.
That’s according to analysis conducted by online intelligence company Yield Sec, who told Daily Mail that at least 20 million fans watched “Ring of Fire” using illegal streams, costing Sky Sports, TNT Sport and DAZN more than $100 million in lost revenue.
45 percent of the illegal streaming took place in Europe, with 25 percent in North America and 16 percent in Asia.
“Sports piracy is theft,” a DAZN spokesman told Mail Sport. “DAZN invests a significant amount in combatting it, using technology to monitor the activity of users, and educating fans about the risks. It may seem a victimless crime, but most illegal feeds are provided by criminal networks or carry the risk of phishing and identity theft. Our advice is don’t risk the sport you care about, or your own data, by using illegal feeds.”
Fury and Usyk are expected to rematch this October in Riyadh.