Comments Thread For: How Top Rank's Deal With ESPN Changes Boxing

[GMAN SUPREME]

They dont care. They make tons of money off their shows.

yup. HBO stopped caring about boxing a long time ago. I wouldn't be surprised if they got out of the boxing game completely.

[Mike D]

I think sports fans will fall in love with them on ESPN, especially Lomachenko. He seems like a once in a lifetime type of fighter.

Yeah I think he's starting to get some air beneath his sails too as far as popularity goes too, I mean he's still a ways away but with the right type of promotion combined with big fights and I really don't think he's THAT far from straight up blowing up

People know special when they see it and the guy is special

[THC]

Is this an exclusive deal between ESPN and TR? If so, then Arum has just swapped out one broadcaster for another. Let's see if Bob's willing to work with other promoters to make compelling fights.

After the initial foray this summer, if we get the typical in-house match-ups that nobody wants, then, yeah, I hope the media lambastes this deal.

Like PBC, I'm hoping for greater mainstream exposure for the sport which leads to fans expecting higher quality fights to force promoters to pit their best fighters against each other. This would be the byproduct of course. For ESPN and TR, it's business.

[killakali]

i thought manny vs horn was a sloppy crap fight! Crawford vs indongo will be really good! Loma vs marriaga will also probably be good!

An example of a sloppy fight is thurman vs porter. I've never seen so many punches miss! But t was an ok fight. Jeff horny vs manny pac was better

[killakali]

i prefer showtime and fox sports1 these days!

Showtime isn't free. U said U prefer free fights. Fs1 is same level of fights as UniMas. Surely u prefer this new top rank espn series

[j.razor]

jacobs fighting on canelos undercard is something new! I wasnt expecting that! I wonder what that means for the future! Maybe mikey vs linares on showtime/pbc in 2018

I heard talks bout that from Jacobs in an interview, maybe it's an audition for winner/loser of the fight....after all Jacobs called out winner & loser of the fight plus bily joe Saunders.

[j.razor]

I hear he is going to TR. remember he manages/works with shakur Stevenson and he took him to TR.

So who will run TR after bob is gone?

[The Big Dunn]

So who will run TR after bob is gone?

I can't think of his name right now. Moretti?

[Scipio2009]

u must be so happy that Manny Pacquiao drew 3.1 homes. We know u love free boxing. I heard it's a 4 year contract with espn/abc. Isn't that great?!?!

Bob Arum was already talking about heading back to PPV with Pacquiao before things were even done with the Jeff Horn fight, so what the heck are you even talking about?

[TinAgeOfBoxing]

Does anyone know how Top Rank will make money on these fights? Is ESPN paying millions for the fights? The ratings are not good 2+ million. The Horn-Pac fight made money at the gate and was subsidized but the Loma and Crawford fights are not very popular yet those guys want millions per fight.