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."
Round five: Lopez 50-43 Molina
You can hear Molina's crowd screaming at him to move, but he remains a standing target and seems willing to be a reactive puncher.
Lopez was busier in that round, feinting and throwing the jab out. Better from Molina who seems more awake at least.
After that first round, who'd have thought we'd get here!?
Fair play John Molina.
Here's the first of those two knockdowns in the first.
Mean punching.
Round six: Lopez 60-52 Molina
A much better start to the round for Lopez who looks like he wants to take his opponent out again, landing clean but Molina is resilient and gritty.
Lopez has started working the double jab and following up with body then headshots, how much more of this can Molina take?
Round seven: Lopez 70-60 Molina
Lopez has Molina down again! He takes an eight count but surely needs to be pulled out at this point, he's enduring far too much punishment.
A weird moment there.
The doctor went over to check on the state of Molina and wasn't happy with what she saw, saying she wanted to pull him out. His corner persuaded her to let him fight on for one more round, so here we go.
Onto round eight.
And it's all over! The referee stops the fight after an onslaught and if one thing is certain, it's that Molina definitely shouldn't have been allowed back out there.
Josesito Lopez wins by stoppage.
Josesito Lopez, speaking after victory, says he wants a rematch with Keith Thurman.
Up next, the WBA 'regular' super-lightweight title.
Mario Barrios takes on Batyr Akhmedov.
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