Promoter Eddie Hearn believes pay-per-view boxing “will end in tears” due to the market being saturated with fights.

In May of this year Hearn reached a landmark broadcast agreement with streaming giant DAZN, which has been dubbed the ‘Netflix of Sport’.

The groundbreaking deal is worth around $1bn (£740m) to Matchroom Boxing, which will stage 16 fights a year for eight years on DAZN, and was tipped by many as the beginning of the end for pay-per-view boxing.

The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Show all 21 1 / 21 The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Anthony Joshua fights Joseph Parker on March 31, so we thought now was a good time to look back at some of the heavyweight champion's greatest pictures. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures That uppercut Defeating Wladimir Klitschko on April 29 2017. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Champion Celebrating after victory over Charles Martin on April 9 2016. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Walking tall At the Burj Al Ara in Dubai, in November 2017. Getty Images for AJ Boxing The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Unification With Joseph Parker, at the Joshua vs Parker press conference on January 16 2018. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures The future With Luke Campbell, Tom Stalker, Fred Evans and Andrew Selby of Team GB ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games on December 2, 2011. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Turning up the heat Ahead of the Klitschko fight. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Relaxing Taking a bread during a media workout in Sheffield, on April 19 2017. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures The hype train Talking to the boxing press, on February 19 2016. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures To the victor, the spoils With Klitschko, after taking his belts. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures A rare defeat At the BBC's Sports Personality of The Year awards, on December 17 2017. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures In for the kill Stopping Carlos Takam, on October 28, 2017. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures The establishment Holding his MBE medal, on February 20, 2013. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures First belt After defeating Denis Bakhtov to win the WBC International Heavyweight Championship, on October 11, 2014. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Dancing Dominic Breazeale stumbles. June 25, 2016. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Victory Wladimir Klitschko is beaten. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Gold On the podium at the London 2012 Olympics. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Getting personal Throwing a punch at Dillian Whyte, on December 12, 2015. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Sit down Knocking out Raphael Zumbano Love, on May 9, 2015. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Game recognises game Meeting the legendary Michael Watson. November 14, 2013. Getty Images The 20 best Anthony Joshua pictures Fresh faced After victory over Roberto Cammarelle in the Men's Super Heavy (+91kg) Boxing at London 2012. Getty Images

Its effect will most likely be felt in America, where none of the fights will be shown on pay-per-view and all will be available for one monthly fee and no long-term contract.

And Hearn believes there is simply not the appetite to match the high number of fights currently being broadcast on a pay-per-view basis.

“I think pay-per-view will end in tears at some point because what will happen is…. We are in a strong position because our platform is solid, proven,” said Hearn.

“But what will happen is other fighters will take risks on pay-per-views that won’t work. [Josh] Warrington v [Carl] Frampton, if it did 100,000 buys on pay-per-view I’d be astonished.

“And if we go on the 22nd [December for Dillian Whyte v Dereck Chisora] it won’t do 50,000 buys. So how are the fighters going to make any money? Too much pay-per-view, you can’t say it is good for boxing because it is not.

“You look between September and December, you have Canelo [Alvarez] and [Gennady] Golovkin. What does that do? 30,000-40,000 [in the UK]?

“You have Joshua v Povetkin. Parker did 1.2 million, which was huge, but they expect another seven figures for Povetkin.

“Then you have [George] Groves against [Callum] Smith on a Friday night, which will struggle. October nothing – great news.

“Then hopefully we have Usyk-Bellew 10 November. They will do 3 November for Josh Taylor and [Ryan] Burnett, then 1 December reportedly Fury-Wilder, then the 8th could be Pacquiao-Khan, then 22 December (Whyte v Chisora).”

Joshua takes on Povetkin later this month ( Getty )

While Hearn believes pay-per-view boxing could be on the way out, he has dismissed concerns about Anthony Joshua’s ticket sales ahead of his showdown with Alexander Povetkin a week on Saturday.

Heavyweight champion Joshua is putting his WBA, WBO and IBF belts on the line against Povetkin at Wembley, but it was reported sales had failed to match the demand of his three previous stadium fights. Hearn, however, is not worried.

“It’s 80,000. We had done 70,000 a month ago,” he said. “It has been slower than Klitschko and Parker.

“We have had to work a bit harder this time. Normally when you go on sale with an Anthony Joshua fight it just goes ‘ping’.

“You will always have bits and pieces with fighters bringing tickets back. The VIP tickets, at £2,000 each, sold out in 20 minutes. We will have over 80,000 in there. He has sold over 300,000 tickets for his last four fights.

“He is not the type of person that will push his own fights, which still baffles me. He has got five million followers on social media but he doesn’t like to say: ‘Hey guys, this is Anthony Joshua, don’t forget to get tickets’.