By Edward Chaykovsky
Showtime Sports head Stephen Espinoza believes his network has clearly established itself as the market leader when it comes to boxing programming.
Unfortunately, 2016 has been full of mismatches and lackluster pay-per-view events. All of the pay-per-view events in 2016 - with the exception of one - have been backed by HBO.
Boxing fans cried foul when Manny Pacquiao fought Timothy Bradley for a third time on PPV, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez fought Amir Khan and Liam Smith on PPV. Middleweight king Gennady Golovkin, who is one of the networks biggest stars, faced highly overmatched opponents Dominic Wade and Kell Brook. Another top HBO name, Terence Crawford, fought overmatched opponents like Hank Lundy and John Molina - while facing a credible opponent like Viktor Postol on PPV.
Fans are already groaning after it was revealed last week that Miguel Cotto was facing James Kirkland as the headline fight of an HBO PPV event in February.
There are widespread industry rumors that AT&T’s planned purchase of the network’s parent company Time Warner, and HBO's decreasing budget for boxing, are the main factors in their boxing programming decisions for the last twelve months.
Showtime on the other hand, have announced several top fights for 2017 - including a unification between Badou Jack and James DeGale, a rematch between Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz, and a unification between Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia.
“I don’t really think it’s a question anymore [over which network is leading],” Espinoza told The Los Angeles Times. “If we look at what’s gone on in the recent past, in terms of the quality, quantity and competitiveness of the boxing programming, along with our shoulder programming, we’ve clearly established we are the market leader. More importantly, I think we’ve shown we are going to be the market leader for the future. Our commitment is stronger than any network in the sport.”
“This sport is important to our network. … My supervisors [including CBS Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Leslie Moonves] are boxing fans. The commitment to the sport has never wavered. It provides a valued demographic and attractive programming. And year after year, our subscriber surveys show the interest in boxing has never wavered.”
“We’ve been here 30 years, and the commitment is going as strong as ever. We’re trying to bring logic and organization to the calendar, both for purposes to market it and also for the good of the sport. One of the biggest complaints I get from boxing fans is the proliferation of titles. We’re approaching the opportunity to televise fights that unify the most popular divisions — featherweight, welterweight, super-middleweight, heavyweight.
