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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Your support makes all the difference.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."
Hello and welcome to The Independent's live coverage of Errol Spence and Shawn Porter!
The two welterweights meet in a unification bout which will see us get closer to finding out who the King of the division is.
Keep with us for all the build up ahead of the main event.
We're still quite a way from the main event, so why not give Jack Rathborn's piece a quick read?
It's a good one.
Need some info about the boxing tonight?
Here's your complete guide.
Spence vs Porter isn't the only world title fight on tonight.
In the co-main event, Anthony Dirrell takes on David Benavidez in a super-middleweight title bout.
A good win for Errol Spence tonight could see him elevated in the pound-for-pound rankings.
Here's ours.
In his usual fashion, Spence has plenty of confidence going into this one.
"All his fights are close decisions and split decisions - that's the only way he can stay close to the top level fighters. That's about it.
"You're an in-shape street fighter.
"I'm ready for anything he can bring to the table. He's been talking a lot, and I want to knock him out."
Porter, the underdog, is relishing the role.
"He keeps saying the same things. He wants to knock me out, and so on and so forth.
"But he didn't knock out 135lbs Mikey Garcia so he ain't knocking out 147lbs 'Showtime' Shawn Porter.
"Nobody complains about me when I get out of the ring. People complained you couldn't knock out 135lbs Mikey Garcia.
"I'll be there until the last round."
Right! Time to ramp up the coverage.
We'll have round-by-round updates of the undercard ahead of tonight's big one.
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