As with all new ventures, there are kinks and bugs to work out before it runs on all cylinders.
So while Amazon’s Prime Video makes its U.S. debut Saturday with a pay-per-view card headlined by Tim Tszyu’s pursuit of a second world-title belt against Sebastian Fundora at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the rest of the world will have to access the bout by their own means.
A Prime Video spokesperson confirmed to BoxingScene Monday that the streaming service’s pay-per-views, for now, are “just available in the United States, with the potential to add more territories in the future.”
How much later is the question of the hour, and the spokesperson said international viewers should continue to check the Premier Boxing Champions website for global listings.
A global-television executive who handles foreign distribution of fights for PBC did not immediately respond to messages left by BoxingScene.
In Tszyu’s native Australia, for instance, an existing foreign broadcast arrangement with Fox will allow the bout to be seen there.
Tszyu (24-0, 17 KOs) is defending his WBO belt and fighting for the vacant WBC strap against Fundora (20-1-1, 13 KOs), a unique, 6-feet-5 ½ junior middleweight (154 pounds) with an 80-inch reach. The card’s co-main is Rolly Romero’s 140-pound title defense against Mexico’s Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz.
The ultimate beauty of PBC’s alignment with Prime Video is that beyond it’s powerful reach in the U.S., it intends to also connect the fights globally on the same platform.
The next scheduled Prime Video pay-per-view is undisputed super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez defending his four belts against Mexican countryman and unbeaten former 154-pound champion Jaime Munguia on May 4 – Cinco de Mayo weekend.
After that, boxing officials have reported a June 15 pay-per-view is coming with Gervonta “Tank” Davis versus Frank Martin and David Benavidez versus Oleksandr Gvozdyk heading that card.
The Prime Video spokesperson said the new “PBC Championship Series” cards of non-pay-per-view bouts with “up-and-coming fighters” will debut later this year on Prime Video in the U.K. and other countries.
The date for launch has not yet been finalized.