Amir Khan wanted to make sure that as many people as possible could catch his long-awaited grudge match against Kell Brook, even if it meant taking a haircut on his purse. 

Khan, the former junior welterweight titleholder from Bolton, England is set to take on Sheffield’s Brook, a former welterweight titleholder, on Feb. 19 at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. 

The fight will be broadcast on pay-per-view in the UK on Sky, the British media giant that has traditionally aired most of the biggest fights in British boxing, even though, according to Khan, he received a more lucrative offer from Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to have the fight take place on DAZN, the newfangled streaming platform that brought an end to Hearn’s longstanding partnership with Sky. 

Khan, however, was ultimately swayed by the prospect that more people would watch his fight on Sky, a traditional broadcast company with a longstanding reputation with the general public, than on an incumbent like DAZN, which can only be accessed through the internet. 

“I think this fight has to be on a massive platform like Sky Sports Box Office,” Khan said in a recent interview with IFL TV. “I think they will promote it the right way. No disrespect to Eddie. 

“Yes, his offer was amazing, but I just feel that —I think Eddie’s a great promoter. He’s a great promoter and we would have promoted this fight so well – But I just want more eyes on [the fight]. You know? I just want more viewership. I want people posting the content everywhere.” 

Hearn entered into five-year deal with the streaming service last summer. DAZN, a private company, does not release figures concerning its subscriber base. But as well-heeled as DAZN may be, Khan did not think it could match the marketing prowess of Sky. 

“I think you cannot beat a media machine like Sky,” Khan said. “Sky is the biggest. Eddie would understand if he ever watches this. Eddie’s a brilliant promoter. What he’s doing in boxing is amazing. I just don’t feel DAZN would have given this fight as much promotion as Sky would. So I had to be very smart and think about my future instead of just going for the money.”