Hacker warns against illegally streaming Fury vs Usyk via IPTV or jailbroken fire sticks

The biggest heavyweight boxing fight in almost a quarter of a century is almost here, with Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk finally set to square off in a unification bout for the ages.

But those looking to sit down and watch it without paying - yes, we mean illegally streaming it - should maybe think twice about doing so, if advice from one of the United Kingdom's top professional hackers is anything to go by.

Live sport is one of the most pirated forms of content across the world, with IPTV [Internet Protocol television] and other streaming websites offering premium content for free or at a massively reduced cost.

It's why those who run sporting competitions are upping the ante when it comes to fighting IPTV, with one streaming operation fined more than £500,000 after getting busted.

Fury and Usyk will enter the ring on Saturday night (18 May) at around 10pm GMT, with the bout taking place over in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

With the outcome of the fight producing the first undisputed heavyweight champion since 2000, the stakes couldn't be higher. It will also hand a first career loss to either Fury or Usyk, meaning so much more than titles is on the line.

This is why people are a tad excited to tune in.

But, as with a Sky Sports subscription to watch the Premier League, some simply don't want to pay. Fury vs Usyk comes with a £24.99 pay-per-view (PPV) price tag, although Brits should count themselves lucky with the price given that United States' viewers are having to fork out £69.99 (£55).

Fury and Usyk during their final face off (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Those thinking about illegally streaming it should think again, though. That's according to one of the UK's top professional hackers, Jenny Radcliffe, who spends her days helping businesses identify and fix security issues in the services that they offer.

Jenny, from Liverpool, has explained why watching content on IPTV via the likes of devices such as jailbroken Amazon Fire TV Sticks is a major risk. That's on top of it violating copyright laws.

On top of the risk of facing jail time if caught, you're putting yourself personally at risk by illegally streaming premium content.

To showcase this danger, Jenny teamed up with BeStreamWise. This is an initiative to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal streaming created in partnership with key bodies including FACT, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), Crimestoppers, British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE), Sky, Premier League, and ITV.

Jenny Radcliffe (LADbible TV)

As a group, they set up ‘MalStreams’, a spoof brand designed to imitate illegal streaming services. Members of the public outside Paddington Station in London were then offered unlimited free access to TV, film and sports content by signing up to the bogus service.

Those interested in MalStreams were told to sign up by accessing an unknown link from their personal device. At this point they would submit a number of personal details via the link that included their name, home address, household information and financial details.

Often ignoring the terms and conditions (T&Cs) and small print, which can feature clues to a service's legitimacy, participants were then alerted that MalStreams was in fact not a streaming service at all and had been set up to demonstrate the risks involved in accessing content from unofficial sources.

The pair will fight in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Jenny said: “The perception that illegal streaming is a victimless crime is completely inaccurate. The sites that host these services are loaded with malicious links, back doors and tricks to access people’s digital and financial information, giving professional criminals an open invitation to steal from anyone who engages in these activities.

"Whether it's multiple charges to credit cards, installing malware on devices, accessing bank accounts, or stealing personal information such as emails, messages, contacts, photographs, documents and browsing history, engaging in illegal streaming makes you a prime target for professional fraudsters.

"And what is worse, because these activities are illegal, victims may have little or no recourse for recovering their losses and may even face criminal charges themselves."

If you're interested in Fury vs Usyk, maybe check which nearby pubs have it on and go and support your local boozer instead.