Official Metaverse boxing match is a laughable example of the corporate future


The Metaverse trends continues once again. As Metaverse weddings and restaurants gain traction, more brands are jumping on the bandwagon. Next on the list: a Metaverse boxing match starring professional fighters.

The first ever Metaverse fight pits two professional fighters against each other in VR. But what exactly was this Metaverse bout? And what did the virtual reality technology offer for traditional pay-per-view watchers?

Setting up the Metaverse boxing match

Hyped up last week, the first ever professional Metaverse fight was a virtual representation of a long-awaited fight. Five years after their official fight was cancelled, pro fighters Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway took their battle to “The Metaverse”.

Set in the Mozilla Hubs Metaverse, Nurmagomedov and Holloway fought through a VR boxing video game. Just like watching a real professional fight, the match was also pay-per-view. This means that any viewer had to pay for a ticket to watch.

In this case, would-be viewers had to purchase a subscription to the Legion Farm NFT service. The service is officially backed by the UFC, as well as esports professionals for games like Warzone, Apex Legends and Axie Infinity.

Once a user was subscribed to the service, they could watch the virtual fight through a livestream. Additionally, some viewers could jump into the virtual world and meet the fighters. If they're lucky, they could even spar with them.

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But it's not good though, is it?

Of course, the only issue with the metaverse boxing match is the same issue with every current Metaverse project: it’s lame as all Hell. Real-life boxing is ferocious, dangerous, exciting; it’s Metaverse equivalent is everything but.

The entire event looks extremely budget. Videos of the livestream show a horribly sketch setup with the two fighters battling it out, one in his living room, the other in a gym. While this is happening, a commentator narrates through his iPhone to hype up the virtual fight.

Even worse, the VR boxing game they're playing isn't particularly impressive. The match appears to take place in Thrill of the Fight, and it’s rough around the edges. In the videos, massive lag spikes occur while one fighter continues pummelling the other. By the time everything resolves, a knock out has already happened.

Out of everything, the entire event appears to be held without any passion whatsoever. Outside of the commentator, the two fighters don’t show off any chemistry like in a real boxing match. The socialisation isn't there. It feels forced.

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