Errol Spence vs Shawn Porter live stream: Free links to watch welterweight fight spread online amid piracy crisis
Boxing fans will seek pirated streams on social media sites though experts warn there are major hidden risks
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IBF Champion Errol Spence Jr is set to take on WBC Champion Shawn Porter in a welterweight fight that will unite the boxing division.
The bout will be available on Sky Sports Action and Sky Sports Main Event in the UK, and on Fox Sports Pay-Per-View in the US.
However, some may be tempted to turn to illegal streams.
LIVE: FOLLOW UPDATES OF SPENCE VS PORTER
A recent report from the Industry Trust for IP Awareness, the UK's film, TV and video industry's consumer education body, revealed the extent of online piracy when it came to major sporting events, with figures suggesting illegal streaming has hit "peak levels" in 2019.
Major boxing contests in recent months have seen free live streams spread across the internet in the build-up to the fight, with pirated links shared across social media platforms. Countless pirated streams also appear on major search engines.
June's heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz saw over 13 million people around the world use unauthorised channels to watch the upset, according to figures from digital piracy authority Muso.
The increased levels have led industry figures to warn of the "very real risks" to people seeking out pirated online streams of the fight.
While many pirate sites seek to generate revenue through their illegal streams by hosting numerous pop-up ads to their websites, some look to underhand methods of gaining even more illicit income.
These tactics range from malware that hijacks a person's computer in order to secretly mine cryptocurrency, to sophisticated phishing attacks designed to steal a person's credit card details.
“Fake sites and redirects are a popular tactic used by cyber criminals and the fans paying to watch tonight’s match need to be aware of them, even if they look legitimate," Joseph Woodruff, a threat intelligence analyst at cyber security firm EclecticIQ, told The Independent.
"Cyber criminals use these sites to target users by telling them they have malware on their machine, recommending they call a support number and during the phone call, installing software which allows them into the system. It’s from here that other damage can be done, whether that is stealing payment details or installing ransomware."
Akhmedov's corner, let's have a talk about them.
Not much tactical advice. More cheerleading...
"Who wants to be world champion!? Do you want to be world champion!? Let's go!'
It might just work to be fair.
Round 11: Barrios 104-105 Akhmedov
Barrios just doesn't have anything left, he's surviving at this point but taking more and more punishment. All he can hope for is a lucky shot or for the judges to prefer him on the scorecards (if he makes it that far).
Akhmedov takes the lead.
Round 12: Barrios 114-113 Akhmedov
WOW! Barrios was losing the round and lands a fantastic straight right hand which causes Akhmedov to touch the mat.
One single punch turns a 10-9 round into a 10-8 and could well have won him the fight.
I was literally typing out that Akhmedov had turned this around, won the fight after starting slowly but now that's changed everything.
We await the scores...
114-112
115-111
116-111
All three judges score in favour of Mario Barrios, who cannot see out of his left eye one bit!
A couple of surprisingly wide cards there, but you can't really argue with the 114-112.
A good fight and we move onto the co-main event of the evening.
Round one: Dirrell 9-10 Benavidez
Good round for Benavidez who is taking centre ring and looks the much bigger man in there. He was a bit more active in the first.
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