Is ESPN Taking Over Boxing?

[caldo2025]

For the last decade, ESPN has gone out of their way to stow the sport of Boxing deep in the closet under a bunch of dirty clothes. Now it appears that they are in the driver's seat to become Boxing's preferred network. I expect that Top Rank is the first of many promotional companies ready to defect. To me, something just doesn't appeal to me about ESPN Boxing. I don't know if it's the team of Tessitore and Atlas that is at times unbearable. Or if it's the darn commercials robbing fans of the drama and dialogue in the corner's in between rounds. The camera angles and the picture quality even appears to lacking and not up to par with HBO/SHO's.

There seems to be two types of Boxing fan these days. One's that want free Boxing at all costs and the others that will gladly pay extra for a better viewing experience. I'm with the latter when it comes to my favorite sport and I really don't like where this is going. To hand over the sport to a network that has gone out of it's way to ignore it for so many years seems like a horrible decision for the future.

Thoughts?

[Mexi-Box]

No

[RScarf1]

It is good to have an alternative to HBO and Showtime for competition, but I think Teddy Atlas is sometimes very biased in his commentary. I never know which way he is going to lean until he starts talking. He will sometimes make it seem that a boxer is doing well, but he really isn't. I don't know why he does this. I ask myself if he is receiving money under the table. I don't think this partnership between Bob Arum's Top Rank and ESPN is going to last very long though. HBO and Showtime will eventually up the ante by offering more money and may try to compete with them on the same day as their events like De La Hoya is doing against Mayweather.

[Enlightened-One]

For the last decade, ESPN has gone out of their way to stow the sport of Boxing deep in the closet under a bunch of dirty clothes. Now it appears that they are in the driver's seat to become Boxing's preferred network. I expect that Top Rank is the first of many promotional companies ready to defect. To me, something just doesn't appeal to me about ESPN Boxing. I don't know if it's the team of Tessitore and Atlas that is at times unbearable. Or if it's the darn commercials robbing fans of the drama and dialogue in the corner's in between rounds. The camera angles and the picture quality even appears to lacking and not up to par with HBO/SHO's.

There seems to be two types of Boxing fan these days. One's that want free Boxing at all costs and the others that will gladly pay extra for a better viewing experience. I'm with the latter when it comes to my favorite sport and I really don't like where this is going. To hand over the sport to a network that has gone out of it's way to ignore it for so many years seems like a horrible decision for the future.

Thoughts?

Isn’t ESPN only affiliated with Top Rank, who happen to have a pretty shallow talent pool of fighters?

[Sequitorian]

For the last decade, ESPN has gone out of their way to stow the sport of Boxing deep in the closet under a bunch of dirty clothes. Now it appears that they are in the driver's seat to become Boxing's preferred network. I expect that Top Rank is the first of many promotional companies ready to defect. To me, something just doesn't appeal to me about ESPN Boxing. I don't know if it's the team of Tessitore and Atlas that is at times unbearable. Or if it's the darn commercials robbing fans of the drama and dialogue in the corner's in between rounds. The camera angles and the picture quality even appears to lacking and not up to par with HBO/SHO's.

There seems to be two types of Boxing fan these days. One's that want free Boxing at all costs and the others that will gladly pay extra for a better viewing experience. I'm with the latter when it comes to my favorite sport and I really don't like where this is going. To hand over the sport to a network that has gone out of it's way to ignore it for so many years seems like a horrible decision for the future.

Thoughts?

For the last decade? ... How old are you? ... It's been almost 40 years ...

ESPN has done nothing but run boxing down almost from the day it went on the air ...

All that its idiot announcers could ever bring themselves to say about boxing was "another black-eye for boxing" ... over and over again ...

... and then they'd show a clip of some anomaly or aberration that really had nothing to do with boxing ... year after year after year ...

... which is THE main reason fans flocked to MMA so readily ... (an American tragedy) ...

ESPN is scum and its entire staff should taken out and shot ... (that's a metaphor) ...

... ESPECIALLY Atlas ... who is too stupid to live ... (that's not a metaphor) ... :) ...

[armageto]

For the last decade, ESPN has gone out of their way to stow the sport of Boxing deep in the closet under a bunch of dirty clothes. Now it appears that they are in the driver's seat to become Boxing's preferred network. I expect that Top Rank is the first of many promotional companies ready to defect. To me, something just doesn't appeal to me about ESPN Boxing. I don't know if it's the team of Tessitore and Atlas that is at times unbearable. Or if it's the darn commercials robbing fans of the drama and dialogue in the corner's in between rounds. The camera angles and the picture quality even appears to lacking and not up to par with HBO/SHO's.

There seems to be two types of Boxing fan these days. One's that want free Boxing at all costs and the others that will gladly pay extra for a better viewing experience. I'm with the latter when it comes to my favorite sport and I really don't like where this is going. To hand over the sport to a network that has gone out of it's way to ignore it for so many years seems like a horrible decision for the future.

Thoughts?

Isn’t ESPN only affiliated with Top Rank, who happen to have a pretty shallow talent pool of fighters?

They also work with Golden Boy.

[Enlightened-One]

For the last decade, ESPN has gone out of their way to stow the sport of Boxing deep in the closet under a bunch of dirty clothes. Now it appears that they are in the driver's seat to become Boxing's preferred network. I expect that Top Rank is the first of many promotional companies ready to defect. To me, something just doesn't appeal to me about ESPN Boxing. I don't know if it's the team of Tessitore and Atlas that is at times unbearable. Or if it's the darn commercials robbing fans of the drama and dialogue in the corner's in between rounds. The camera angles and the picture quality even appears to lacking and not up to par with HBO/SHO's.

There seems to be two types of Boxing fan these days. One's that want free Boxing at all costs and the others that will gladly pay extra for a better viewing experience. I'm with the latter when it comes to my favorite sport and I really don't like where this is going. To hand over the sport to a network that has gone out of it's way to ignore it for so many years seems like a horrible decision for the future.

Thoughts?

Isn’t ESPN only affiliated with Top Rank, who happen to have a pretty shallow talent pool of fighters?

They also work with Golden Boy.

Agreed, but isn't ESPN usually reserved for GBP's "rising stars", since HBO exclusively cover their premier fights and fighters?

So I don't really count them, since this deal has been in place for some time and no one from this forum ever mentions or shows interest in the GBP-ESPN fights.

[BAD INTENTIONS]

ESPN is showing the extreme side of the conflict of interest when a "news" channel is run for profit.
As for biased fight commentary, they learned from the masters, HBO.

[armageto]

Isn’t ESPN only affiliated with Top Rank, who happen to have a pretty shallow talent pool of fighters?

They also work with Golden Boy.

Agreed, but isn't ESPN usually reserved for GBP's "rising stars", since HBO exclusively cover their premier fights and fighters?

So I don't really count them, since this deal has been in place for some time and no one from this forum ever mentions or shows interest in the GBP-ESPN fights.

Well, my thinking is Oscar would have the ability to really showcase whoever he would want on ESPN. Golden Boy is outside of a lot of main attractions, barring Canelo. Their shows so far haven't been terrible and it is more boxing for the network.

[Tarkus]

HBO is retreating form boxing and ESPN is filling its shoes. It is a good news. Cable and especially PPV is bad for boxing.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

No, they're going in for Top Ranks fights, which is good. You just have to realize how far down the American totem pole Boxing is. Pac/Horn drew the best ratings for a fight on ESPN in ages, the fight it couldn't beat was danell Nicholson vs someone I don't remember. Nothing in the USA will ever "take over Boxing'. It's a niche sport here for good, unless there is some sort of nuclear holocaust that renders the other sports unplayable.

[Sequitorian]

HBO is retreating form boxing and ESPN is filling its shoes. It is a good news. Cable and especially PPV is bad for boxing.

If ESPN wants to get anywhere near HBO in terms of its overall quality of production, it'll have to chuck everything, starting with Atlas, and rebuild the entire format.

Everything about ESPN boxing is third rate: format, lighting, cameras ... everything ... and it would take a miracle for them to come up with someone as good as Lampley, who gave boxing the class that it deserves ...

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Atlas is the worst commentator in sports history. Hopkins is brutally awful, he rambles on nonsensically trying to remember his own point. Tessatore is fine as the lead, he just needs someone competent to work with.

[victor-romeo]

No, they're going in for Top Ranks fights, which is good. You just have to realize how far down the American totem pole Boxing is. Pac/Horn drew the best ratings for a fight on ESPN in ages, the fight it couldn't beat was danell Nicholson vs someone I don't remember. Nothing in the USA will ever "take over Boxing'. It's a niche sport here for good, unless there is some sort of nuclear holocaust that renders the other sports unplayable.

Well at least we also have a few American stars emerging, Spence, Gervonta Davis, and Shakur Stevenson. With Crawford coming into the limelight, and Ward holding down top 3 P4P honours. With Mikey Garcia somewhere in the mix..

[SaadOffTheDeck]

No, they're going in for Top Ranks fights, which is good. You just have to realize how far down the American totem pole Boxing is. Pac/Horn drew the best ratings for a fight on ESPN in ages, the fight it couldn't beat was danell Nicholson vs someone I don't remember. Nothing in the USA will ever "take over Boxing'. It's a niche sport here for good, unless there is some sort of nuclear holocaust that renders the other sports unplayable.

Well at least we also have a few American stars emerging, Spence, Gervonta Davis, and Shakur Stevenson. With Crawford coming into the limelight, and Ward holding down top 3 P4P honours. With Mikey Garcia somewhere in the mix..

Nobody knows who they are. Interested to see Crawford's ratings for his fight. Lomachenko's were awful, but the HOF ceremony couldn't have helped that.

[KiwiRider]

I can't stand the promo crap between rounds. They are not even income generators just promo's for other sports and we miss replays and corner talk.
Pisses me right off.
I don't want to see the same promo's of sports I don't care about every single round.
Who cares about baseball, basketball, American football etc outside of America? I would think overseas subscribers would at least have to suffer.

[Tarkus]

HBO is retreating form boxing and ESPN is filling its shoes. It is a good news. Cable and especially PPV is bad for boxing.

If ESPN wants to get anywhere near HBO in terms of its overall quality of production, it'll have to chuck everything, starting with Atlas, and rebuild the entire format.

Everything about ESPN boxing is third rate: format, lighting, cameras ... everything ... and it would take a miracle for them to come up with someone as good as Lampley, who gave boxing the class that it deserves ...

Kellerman is my personal favorite non expert commentator. Roy Jones and Paulie are the best experts. However what good is a commentator or production if they dont show fights.

[Sequitorian]

HBO is retreating form boxing and ESPN is filling its shoes. It is a good news. Cable and especially PPV is bad for boxing.

If ESPN wants to get anywhere near HBO in terms of its overall quality of production, it'll have to chuck everything, starting with Atlas, and rebuild the entire format.

Everything about ESPN boxing is third rate: format, lighting, cameras ... everything ... and it would take a miracle for them to come up with someone as good as Lampley, who gave boxing the class that it deserves ...

Kellerman is my personal favorite non expert commentator. Roy Jones and Paulie are the best experts. However what good is a commentator or production if they dont show fights.

You don't have to be an ex-fighter to be an expert ...

[Tarkus]

If ESPN wants to get anywhere near HBO in terms of its overall quality of production, it'll have to chuck everything, starting with Atlas, and rebuild the entire format.

Everything about ESPN boxing is third rate: format, lighting, cameras ... everything ... and it would take a miracle for them to come up with someone as good as Lampley, who gave boxing the class that it deserves ...

Kellerman is my personal favorite non expert commentator. Roy Jones and Paulie are the best experts. However what good is a commentator or production if they dont show fights.

You don't have to be an ex-fighter to be an expert ...

Yet they are called expert commentators smart ass.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Kellerman is my personal favorite non expert commentator. Roy Jones and Paulie are the best experts. However what good is a commentator or production if they dont show fights.

You don't have to be an ex-fighter to be an expert ...

Yet they are called expert commentators smart ass.

He's right though, some of the most idiotic opinions I've ever heard have come from fighters. Ross Thompson is bat shit crazy.

[Sequitorian]

Kellerman is my personal favorite non expert commentator. Roy Jones and Paulie are the best experts. However what good is a commentator or production if they dont show fights.

You don't have to be an ex-fighter to be an expert ...

Yet they are called expert commentators smart ass.

I don't care what they're called ... they both suck ...

[caldo2025]

I agree with a lot of the responses here. It seems like the majority are not happy with it. From everything that i've been reading, the recent free fights from Lomachenko, Pacquaio and Crawford have been really appealing to other fighters. What I didn't realize is how badly boxers want to be on ESPN or SportsCenter at night. These fighters idolize the mainstream sports stars who are constantly highlighted on SportsCenter at night or in the morning and that does make sense. I just wish boxing remained on SHO and HBO. I enjoy those telecasts.