By Steve Kim
With the heavyweight bout between WBC titlist Deontay Wilder and challenger Tyson Fury on the horizon for the fall - it could push back the proposed match-up between IBF welterweight champion Errol Spence and four division beltholder Mikey Garcia.
The bottom line is that for Showtime it just may not be feasible to have two pay-per-events so close together before the close of 2018.
The head of Showtime Sports explained to BoxingScene.com on Tuesday - ''It's an interesting dilemma because once you start getting close to the holidays, you start to get nervous with peoples attention - not to mention their wallets, whether that money and attention is being diverted for the holidays."
Garcia had made it clear in the run up to his July 28th bout against Robert Easter (in what was a lightweight unification bout), that he would like to face Spence at 147.
But the calendar and the boxing schedule may keep this particular bout from happening this year - because Wilder-Fury will most likely take place in mid-November in Las Vegas.
"As it stands now, it looks like any pay-per-view that would be in December would be the third of three and sandwiched after Wilder-Fury and before the holidays, it's not the most advantageous at that point,'' pointed out Espinoza.
The other major pay-per-view event that Espinoza is referencing takes place on September 15th, the rematch between middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin and Mexican superstar Saul Alvarez.
"So does that mean early 2019 [for Garcia-Spence]? I'm not sure yet," Espinoza said.
''Both Errol and Mike really want to get a fight before the end of the year but I also realize that they're both smart enough to realize you don't force something just on a desire to go at a certain point on the calendar. On pay-per-view you have to do it when the market is right."
Steve Kim is the news editor for BoxingScene.com.
