Top Rank Boxing on ESPN won the night for combat sports last night. Not only did the Linares vs. Lomanchenko main event draw a 1.0 metered market rating, making it cable television’s highest-rated fight of 2018, according to Nielsen overnight data, but the entire Top Rank on ESPN telecast was ESPN’s highest-rated Top Rank telecast of the year.

Vasiliy Lomachenko stopped Jorge Linares in the tenth round to win the WBA and Ring Magazine lightweight titles in front of a packed house at Madison Square Garden. A left hand to the body put Linares down for the 10-count.



Lomachenko (11-1, 9 KOs) is a now a three-weight world champion. With this victory, he has shattered the all-time boxing record for fewest fights needed to win a world title in three weight divisions, accomplishing that in just his 12th fight. Lomachenko broke the record held by Australian legend Jeff Fenech, a Hall of Famer who won world titles at bantamweight and junior featherweight before winning a belt at featherweight in his 20th fight in 1988.

Last night’s entire Top Rank on ESPN telecast averaged a 0.8 metered market rating, making it ESPN’s highest-rated Top Rank telecast of 2018
The main event, featuring Jorge Linares and Vasiliy Lomachenko, averaged a 1.0 metered market rating, making it cable’s television’s highest-rated fight of 2018

The co-feature, featuring Alejandro Barrera vs. Carlos Adames, averaged a 0.7 metered market rating, tying it as the third highest-rated fight on ESPN this year

2018 TOP BOXING OVERNIGHT RATINGS ON CABLE TELEVISION

1 5/12/2018 ESPN LOMACHENKO vs. LINARES 1.0
T-2 5/5/2018 HBO GOLOVKIN vs. MARTIROSYAN 0.9
T-2 4/28/2018 HBO JACOBS vs. SULECKI 0.9
T-4 3/10/2018 ESPN VENCES vs. DE LEON 0.8
T-4 3/3/2018 SHOWTIME WILDER vs. ORTIZ 0.8
T-6 3/10/2018 ESPN VALDEZ vs. QUIGG 0.7
T-6 5/12/2018 ESPN ADAMES vs BARRERA 0.7
T-6 1/27/2018 HBO MATTHYSSE vs. KIRAM 0.7
T-6 5/5/2018 HBO BRAEKHUS vs. REIS 0.7
T-6 3/3/2018 HBO KOVALEV vs. MIKHALKIN 0.7

Main markets tuning in for last night’s event included Norfolk, VA; Los Angeles, Memphis, New Orleans and Columbus, OH. The telecast peaked during the final two quarter hours with a 1.1 metered market rating.