Boxing fans are being warned against watching the Oleksandr Usyk vs Daniel Dubois match illegally using IPTV on 'dodgy' firesticks.
The pair will go head to head at Wembley Stadium tomorrow night (19 July), two years after Usyk's ninth-round knockout over Dubois in Poland.
The Ukrainian fighter is hoping to become the two-time undisputed heavyweight champion, but many believe Dubois will put up a stronger fight following his win against Anthony Joshua in September last year.
Regardless of who you're backing, experts are warning fans to watch the fight legally as it streams exclusively on DAZN pay-per-view.
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This could be the last time that DAZN host a major fight on their pay-per-view platform after Saudi sports promoter Turki Alalshikh claimed 'there will be no more PPV pricing' for his future Riyadh Season/Ring boxing events.
Despite being a minority owner of DAZN, Alalshikh has openly discussed his feeling towards PPV sports events and the impact it has on the industry.
Experts warn against IPTV
Last year, ahead of Tyson Fury's fight against Usyk, BeStreamWise CEO Kieron Sharp warned fans who were trying to find illegal ways to stream the fight.
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"Choosing to bypass official channels to watch the highly anticipated Fury vs. Usyk fight this Saturday isn’t just risky, it’s illegal and can expose you to serious dangers," Sharp said.
"Illegal streaming puts consumers at risk of malware, financial theft, and the compromise of personal data, such as emails, photos, and browsing history.
"During events of high viewership, fraudsters are targeting unsuspecting viewers."
An expert's take on illegal streaming
LADbible spoke to Calum Baird, a British detective in specialist technical law enforcement, who recently spent three years investigating complex cybercrime for Police Scotland, including IPTV thefts at the distribution level.
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"Free online streamers are not providing the service out of charity, but for their own gain," he warned. "This could potentially be in the form of advertisements, many of which may be age inappropriate - consider sexually explicit advertisements which may be inappropriate for young viewers - as they are unregulated."
Baird added: "Streaming platforms may ask for your personal data to register, possibly even requiring a fee to access the platform/service. Inputting your personal details - even without payment details - leaves you open to the risk of financial or identity fraud, or even making you the target of further attempts - spear-phishing emails and calls with pretexting.
"Remember, technology is traceable and illegal streamers will have a link back to you, whether it's through your input personal details or the internet protocol address you accessed the service through."
Topics: Boxing, Oleksandr Usyk, Technology, Sport
Emma Rosemurgey