The Daily Mail has reported that the undisputed heavyweight championship clash between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury was watched by at least 20 million people using illegal streams.
That equates to 95 million euros in lost revenue for the broadcasters, says the Daily Mail.
The May 18 showdown, which was won by Usyk on points after 12 thrilling rounds, was staged in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and represented the first time that all four sanctioning body titles were on the line in one heavyweight fight.
The analysis was conducted by Yield Sec for Mail Sport and claims there is evidence of 2,000 streaming locations across the world with 18 percent of those watching illegally – approximately four million people – being situated in the UK. The report adds that 25 percent (five million) of the illegal streams were located in North America.
The figures, which only represent the amount of streams and not the amount of people watching those streams, are among the highest recorded for a sporting event.