By Mitch Abramson
Showtime boxing chief Stephen Espinoza is leaving no stone unturned in his bid to hype the first boxing show at the new Barclays Center on Oct. 20, invoking the name of Mike Tyson to promote the event. Espinoza told BoxingScene.com he will try to enlist Tyson, a folk hero in Brooklyn, to build up excitement around the initial show at the new arena in downtown Brooklyn.
The inaugural event, which features three world title fights with Danny Garcia against Erik Morales in the main event, is being broadcast on Showtime. Golden Boy Promotions struck a multi-year deal with the Barclays Center to do monthly fight cards at the new arena, which is also the future home of the Brooklyn Nets.
“Mike Tyson has been a staple of Showtime for years,” Espinoza said. “Nothing says Brooklyn boxing more than Mike. I hope to bring him back and maybe we can do some stuff around him. I hope. I haven’t had the discussions yet, but I’d love to bring him in and have him attend or do a signing before the fight because you can’t really tell the story of Brooklyn boxing without Mike. There’s a longer history than Mike, but I think he’s pretty much synonymous when you think of Brooklyn and boxing.”
Mitch Abramson covers boxing for the New York Daily News and BoxingScene.com.