Ramirez-Imam Tripleheader Averaged Only 488K Viewers for ESPN

[Ruthless-RKO]

Overpowering competition from “March Madness” put a significant dent in ratings for ESPN’s boxing tripleheader Saturday night.

An average of 488,000 viewers watched the telecast headlined by junior welterweights Jose Ramirez and Amir Imam, according to ratings revealed Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

The Ramirez-Imam match was entertaining, but it aired at the same time as multiple games in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

[Ruthless-RKO]

The average rating for the Ramirez-Imam tripleheader was the lowest for any of the nine telecasts since Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. entered an exclusive content agreement with ESPN.

The four NCAA games that directly competed at some point with Top Rank’s tripleheader drew at least an average of 2,439,000 viewers. From highest to lowest, those games were Gonzaga-Ohio State (6,851,000), Michigan-Houston (3,805,000), Texas Tech-Florida (2,845,000) and Kansas-Seton Hall (2,439,000).

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No way it was going to compete with March Madness!

[Best Coast]

The average rating for the Ramirez-Imam tripleheader was the lowest for any of the nine telecasts since Bob Arum’s Top Rank Inc. entered an exclusive content agreement with ESPN.

The four NCAA games that directly competed at some point with Top Rank’s tripleheader drew at least an average of 2,439,000 viewers. From highest to lowest, those games were Gonzaga-Ohio State (6,851,000), Michigan-Houston (3,805,000), Texas Tech-Florida (2,845,000) and Kansas-Seton Hall (2,439,000).

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No way it was going to compete with March Madness!

Arum should have known better...the restaurant we watched it in has about 30 TVs (mostly big screen) and our booth TV was the ONLY one in the whole place with the fight on!!