Tag: Stephen Espinoza

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza high on upcoming schedule, bullish on boxing

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza is high on his network’s upcoming schedule and boxing in general.

Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming at Showtime, has reason to be gratified.

Never-ending behind-the-scenes negotiations among handlers of the top boxers – sometimes smooth, often painstaking and occasionally heartbreaking – has produced a robust schedule of shows on the premium network.

For example, Showtime will have aired nine major boxing cards in a span of 11 weeks through late April this year.

Boxing Junkie asked Espinoza what the packed slate says amid speculation that boxing might not be in the long-term plans of parent company Paramount.

“It’s clear from the quality and quantity that we’re very committed to the sport,” he said. “And that’s going to continue for the foreseeable future. Nothing has changed from our perspective. In fact, we’ve got a number of events we’ve already have and we’ve got nine boxing events over the next 10 weeks going forward.

“This is as busy as any stretch that we’ve had since I’ve been at Showtime, which is over 10 years.”

The schedule (see list below) includes a number of big fights – David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant and Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, for example – but the gem is a 136-pound pay-per-view matchup between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia on April 22.

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is gem of Showtime’s boxing schedule.

Davis, No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, and Garcia are gifted all-around fighters and genuine knockout artists. Plus, their massive social media followings make them crossover stars.

Both young men are still building their resumes but they already stir the masses. Espinoza credits their marketing savvy, just as he does with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

“What Tank and Ryan have done is fundamental,” he said. “It’s critical in today’s media market, essentially to connect directly to the fan base. You see that happening all across the industry, whether it’s a product brand endorser or Hollywood star.

“Hollywood stars used to keep a distance with the audience. They weren’t in commercials, weren’t outside movies. That’s flipped. Now people want access to you all the time. Social media is the solution to that.”

How big could Davis and Garcia get?

The era of 1 million pay-per-view buys in the United States appears to have retired with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. For example, the third fight between the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Alvarez, and the popular Plant did an estimated 800,000 in November 2021.

Davis and Garcia can’t match Alvarez individually but together, Espinoza said, a big number shouldn’t be ruled out.

“We’ve seen lately that what used to be a million [pay-per-view buys] is now 800,000,” he said. “That seems to be somewhat of a ceiling. Look at what Canelo-Plant did. [Deontay] Wilder-[Tyson] Fury did a little lower but in the same neighborhood.

“That’s the biggest in the past few years. But if someone can break out, it might be a combination of Tank and Ryan because of their appeal outside of boxing fans.

“The magic of Mayweather and Pacquiao is they brought in people who didn’t pay attention to boxing on any day of the year except when they fought. I’ll put my money on any breakout on Davis and Garcia.”

Of course, one fight missing from the schedule underscores the reality that there will be disappointments.

A showdown between welterweight pound-for-pound stars Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. was supposed to be the crown jewel of 2022, a battle of unbeaten champions reminiscent of Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns and Felix Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya.

However, talks ultimately fell apart and there’s no telling when – or if – the fight will happen.

Espinoza is among those who was disappointed.

“All boxing fans were disappointed with that,” he said. “We’re boxing fans ourselves. We were disappointed. I think more often than not boxing does get it right. We’re going to get Tank and Ryan, [which] is a good thing. We may get a big Wilder fight in the near future, as well. We continue to get big fights.

“So there will be occasional misses. Sometimes we are as boxing fans harder on our sport than any other fans are. And often fights that don’t happen get more attention than ones that do. It’s hard not to be cynical but, at it’s best, it’s a beautiful sport.

“It’s more exciting and different from any sport out there but, yeah, it does disappoint us sometimes. We have to continue to work as people … within the sport to make sure those are few and far between.

“Spence-Crawford in particular, I know no one is giving up on that. It didn’t happen last fall [but] there are efforts being made to continue to try to make it happen. I’m not saying it will, but no one is giving up hope or giving up trying.”

Of course, Espinoza feels good about the schedule as it is.

It isn’t perfect – when has that ever been the case? – but his network will be featuring many of the top fighters in the world in competitive matchups in the coming weeks and months.

“For those who are really the true fans, who are looking for true quality boxing, who are looking for the fun and excitement of discovering a new fighter, the fun of a hard fought, technical fight, it’s there,” Espinoza said. “There are enough people committed to doing high-quality fights within the sport. A lot of them are here under our roof at Showtime.

“There’s plenty available. If we look at it worldwide, there is as much boxing content available right now as there has been at any point in the recent past. I think that’s a positive thing. We have to accentuate the positive while we acknowledge our failings and some of our shortcomings. …

“Among things we’ve seen are more undisputed champions crowned the last two or three years than probably at any point in the sport’s history. The reality is there are big fights happening. You can’t have undisputed champions without champions fighting other champions.

“So there are signs that things are looking up and moving in the right direction.”

***

Here are the upcoming Showtime cards that have been announced:

MARCH 4
Showtime Championship Boxing
Toyota Arena, Ontario, Calif.

  • Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo, featherweights
  • Jarrett Hurd vs. Armando Reséndiz, Middleweight Bout
  • Amilcar Vidal vs. Elijah Garcia, Middleweight Bout

 

MARCH 11
Showtime Boxing International
Australia

  • Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, junior middleweights

 

MARCH 25
Showtime Pay-Per-View
MGM Grand, Las Vegas

  • David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, super middleweights
  • Jesus Ramos vs. Joey Spencer, junior middleweights
  • Chris Colbert vs. Jose Valenzuela, lightweights
  • Cody Crowley vs. Abel Ramos, welterweights

 

APRIL 7
ShoBox: The New Generation
Cache Creek Casino, Brooks, Calif.

  • Shinard Bunch vs. Bryan Flores, junior welterweights
  • Neri Ariel Cruz Romero vs. Jose Nunez, junior lightweights
  • Raul Garcia vs. Robert Terry, junior middleweights

 

APRIL 8
Showtime Championship Boxing
Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, Calif.

  • Sebastian Fundora vs. Brian Mendoza, junior middleweights
  • Brandun Lee vs. Pedro Campa, junior welterweights
  • Luis Nunez vs. Christian Olivo, featherweights

 

APRIL 22
Showtime Pay-Per-View

  • Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, junior welterweights (136-pound catch weight)

 

MAY 13
Showtime Championship Boxing

  • Alberto Puello vs. Rolando Romero, junior welterweights (for Puello’s WBA title)
  • Gary Antuanne Russell vs. Kent Cruz, junior welterweights
  • Rances Barthelemy vs. Omar Juarez, junior welterweights

 

JUNE 9
ShoBox: The New Generation
Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.

 

JUNE 24
Showtime Championship Boxing
The Armory, Minneapolis

  • Carlos Adames vs. Julian Williams, middleweights
  • Erickson Lubin vs. Luis Arias, junior middleweights
  • Fernando Martinez vs. Jade Bornea, junior bantamweights (for Martinez’s IBF title)

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza high on upcoming schedule, bullish on boxing

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza is high on his network’s upcoming schedule and boxing in general.

Stephen Espinoza, President, Sports and Event Programming at Showtime, has reason to be gratified.

Never-ending behind-the-scenes negotiations among handlers of the top boxers – sometimes smooth, often painstaking and occasionally heartbreaking – has produced a robust schedule of shows on the premium network.

For example, Showtime will have aired nine major boxing cards in a span of 11 weeks through late April this year.

Boxing Junkie asked Espinoza what the packed slate says amid speculation that boxing might not be in the long-term plans of parent company Paramount.

“It’s clear from the quality and quantity that we’re very committed to the sport,” he said. “And that’s going to continue for the foreseeable future. Nothing has changed from our perspective. In fact, we’ve got a number of events we’ve already have and we’ve got nine boxing events over the next 10 weeks going forward.

“This is as busy as any stretch that we’ve had since I’ve been at Showtime, which is over 10 years.”

The schedule (see list below) includes a number of big fights – David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant and Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, for example – but the gem is a 136-pound pay-per-view matchup between Gervonta Davis and Ryan Garcia on April 22.

Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia is gem of Showtime’s boxing schedule.

Davis, No. 10 on Boxing Junkie’s pound-for-pound list, and Garcia are gifted all-around fighters and genuine knockout artists. Plus, their massive social media followings make them crossover stars.

Both young men are still building their resumes but they already stir the masses. Espinoza credits their marketing savvy, just as he does with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

“What Tank and Ryan have done is fundamental,” he said. “It’s critical in today’s media market, essentially to connect directly to the fan base. You see that happening all across the industry, whether it’s a product brand endorser or Hollywood star.

“Hollywood stars used to keep a distance with the audience. They weren’t in commercials, weren’t outside movies. That’s flipped. Now people want access to you all the time. Social media is the solution to that.”

How big could Davis and Garcia get?

The era of 1 million pay-per-view buys in the United States appears to have retired with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. For example, the third fight between the biggest star in the sport, Canelo Alvarez, and the popular Plant did an estimated 800,000 in November 2021.

Davis and Garcia can’t match Alvarez individually but together, Espinoza said, a big number shouldn’t be ruled out.

“We’ve seen lately that what used to be a million [pay-per-view buys] is now 800,000,” he said. “That seems to be somewhat of a ceiling. Look at what Canelo-Plant did. [Deontay] Wilder-[Tyson] Fury did a little lower but in the same neighborhood.

“That’s the biggest in the past few years. But if someone can break out, it might be a combination of Tank and Ryan because of their appeal outside of boxing fans.

“The magic of Mayweather and Pacquiao is they brought in people who didn’t pay attention to boxing on any day of the year except when they fought. I’ll put my money on any breakout on Davis and Garcia.”

Of course, one fight missing from the schedule underscores the reality that there will be disappointments.

A showdown between welterweight pound-for-pound stars Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. was supposed to be the crown jewel of 2022, a battle of unbeaten champions reminiscent of Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns and Felix Trinidad-Oscar De La Hoya.

However, talks ultimately fell apart and there’s no telling when – or if – the fight will happen.

Espinoza is among those who was disappointed.

“All boxing fans were disappointed with that,” he said. “We’re boxing fans ourselves. We were disappointed. I think more often than not boxing does get it right. We’re going to get Tank and Ryan, [which] is a good thing. We may get a big Wilder fight in the near future, as well. We continue to get big fights.

“So there will be occasional misses. Sometimes we are as boxing fans harder on our sport than any other fans are. And often fights that don’t happen get more attention than ones that do. It’s hard not to be cynical but, at it’s best, it’s a beautiful sport.

“It’s more exciting and different from any sport out there but, yeah, it does disappoint us sometimes. We have to continue to work as people … within the sport to make sure those are few and far between.

“Spence-Crawford in particular, I know no one is giving up on that. It didn’t happen last fall [but] there are efforts being made to continue to try to make it happen. I’m not saying it will, but no one is giving up hope or giving up trying.”

Of course, Espinoza feels good about the schedule as it is.

It isn’t perfect – when has that ever been the case? – but his network will be featuring many of the top fighters in the world in competitive matchups in the coming weeks and months.

“For those who are really the true fans, who are looking for true quality boxing, who are looking for the fun and excitement of discovering a new fighter, the fun of a hard fought, technical fight, it’s there,” Espinoza said. “There are enough people committed to doing high-quality fights within the sport. A lot of them are here under our roof at Showtime.

“There’s plenty available. If we look at it worldwide, there is as much boxing content available right now as there has been at any point in the recent past. I think that’s a positive thing. We have to accentuate the positive while we acknowledge our failings and some of our shortcomings. …

“Among things we’ve seen are more undisputed champions crowned the last two or three years than probably at any point in the sport’s history. The reality is there are big fights happening. You can’t have undisputed champions without champions fighting other champions.

“So there are signs that things are looking up and moving in the right direction.”

***

Here are the upcoming Showtime cards that have been announced:

MARCH 4
Showtime Championship Boxing
Toyota Arena, Ontario, Calif.

  • Brandon Figueroa vs. Mark Magsayo, featherweights
  • Jarrett Hurd vs. Armando Reséndiz, Middleweight Bout
  • Amilcar Vidal vs. Elijah Garcia, Middleweight Bout

 

MARCH 11
Showtime Boxing International
Australia

  • Tim Tszyu vs. Tony Harrison, junior middleweights

 

MARCH 25
Showtime Pay-Per-View
MGM Grand, Las Vegas

  • David Benavidez vs. Caleb Plant, super middleweights
  • Jesus Ramos vs. Joey Spencer, junior middleweights
  • Chris Colbert vs. Jose Valenzuela, lightweights
  • Cody Crowley vs. Abel Ramos, welterweights

 

APRIL 7
ShoBox: The New Generation
Cache Creek Casino, Brooks, Calif.

  • Shinard Bunch vs. Bryan Flores, junior welterweights
  • Neri Ariel Cruz Romero vs. Jose Nunez, junior lightweights
  • Raul Garcia vs. Robert Terry, junior middleweights

 

APRIL 8
Showtime Championship Boxing
Dignity Health Sports Park, Carson, Calif.

  • Sebastian Fundora vs. Brian Mendoza, junior middleweights
  • Brandun Lee vs. Pedro Campa, junior welterweights
  • Luis Nunez vs. Christian Olivo, featherweights

 

APRIL 22
Showtime Pay-Per-View

  • Gervonta Davis vs. Ryan Garcia, junior welterweights (136-pound catch weight)

 

MAY 13
Showtime Championship Boxing

  • Alberto Puello vs. Rolando Romero, junior welterweights (for Puello’s WBA title)
  • Gary Antuanne Russell vs. Kent Cruz, junior welterweights
  • Rances Barthelemy vs. Omar Juarez, junior welterweights

 

JUNE 9
ShoBox: The New Generation
Turning Stone Casino, Verona, N.Y.

 

JUNE 24
Showtime Championship Boxing
The Armory, Minneapolis

  • Carlos Adames vs. Julian Williams, middleweights
  • Erickson Lubin vs. Luis Arias, junior middleweights
  • Fernando Martinez vs. Jade Bornea, junior bantamweights (for Martinez’s IBF title)

Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz: Intriguing matchup

Gervonta Davis vs. Leo Santa Cruz is one of the best — and interesting — matchups on the Showtime-PBC schedule.

One of the gems on the Showtime-Premier Boxing Champions schedule is set for Oct. 24.

That’s when Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz are scheduled to fight for titles in two weight divisions – one a secondary belt – in the new Showtime bubble at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.

We’ll see whether the matchup will generate big pay-per-view numbers but it’s difficult to find fault in the main event.

Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) is one of the most-gifted young fighters in the world and resonates with a wide swath of fans. Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) is a proven, volume-punching warhorse who doesn’t appear to be slowing down at 31.

It doesn’t get much better than this is an era when it seems elite fighters work as hard to avoid one another as they do in the ring.

Leo Santa Cruz (right) outpointed Miguel Flores to win a title in a fourth division. Ryan Hafey / Premier Boxing Champions

And there are already good story lines directly related to the boxing side of the matchup.

The most compelling might be that Davis has agreed to a weight limit of 130 pounds, which will allow him to challenge for Santa Cruz’s WBA junior lightweight title. Davis’ WBA “regular” 135-pound belt also will be on the line but Boxing Junkie doesn’t recognize that title. Vasiliy Lomachenko is the WBA lightweight champion.

Still, the fact the fight is scheduled to take place at 130 pounds is interesting. Davis made the move up to 135 pounds for his last fight, a 12th-round knockout of Yuriorkis Gamboa in July of last year. Can he even make 130 pounds at this point?

Remember, Davis isn’t known for his discipline. He lost his junior lightweight title when he weighed 132 for his fight against Francisco Fonseca on the Floyd Mayweather-Conor McGregor card in 2017. He made 130 for his next three bouts but needed two tries before succeeding against Hugo Ruiz in February of last year. And he initially weighed 136.2 the day before the lightweight fight against Gamboa. He made weight on his second attempt.

Thus, Stephen Espinoza, president of sports and event programming for Showtime, chuckled when he was asked on a conference call whether he was concerned about Davis’ ability to make weight.

“He’s motivated here. I don’t think there will be any problems making weight on this one,” Espinoza said.

Meanwhile, the fact the fight will take place at 130 – and not 135 – probably raises Santa Cruz’s chances of winning twofold. The three-division titleholder from the Los Angeles area was a 126-pounder only two fights ago. And while he outpointed Miguel Flores to win his 130-pound title in his debut at the weight in November, he didn’t look particularly sharp. That raised questions about his effectiveness at 130.

Can Davis make the junior lightweight limit? If he can’t, what will Santa Cruz do? Go through with the fight anyway? And can Santa Cruz be as effective at 130 as he was at lighter weights?

Davis vs. Santa Cruz provides a lot of fodder for discussion.

[lawrence-related id=12047,12038]

Adrien Broner, who can’t get his $10 million to fight, says ‘I’m a rapper now’

Adrien Broner says he’ll focus on rapping if he can’t get the $10 million he is demanding to get back into the ring.

Have we seen the last of Adrien Broner in the ring?

“The Problem” is demanding that Showtime and Premier Boxing Champions pay him $10 million for his next fight or he’s finished with boxing. He said on Instagram that he’ll be content to give up the sport and focus full time on his music career.

“OK, look. I ain’t heard from Stephen Espinoza [of Showtime]. Me and Al [Haymon of PBC], we talk every day. Ain’t nobody talking about that $10 million. So I’ll take that as I’m still retired and do what I’m going to do. I’m going to focus on my album. And I’m just a rapper. I’m a rapper now.

“… Until they talk about my $10 million, I ain’t going to be in the f—ing ring. I’m going to be in the studio. So my album dropping. It is what it is.”

Is he bluffing?

Broner seemed to imply on another Instagram post that he’ll show everyone what he’s capable of.

“I’m not f—ing playing no games y’all put me up against the best in the world and I never turned down a fight now it’s time to come correct or leave me the f— alone but I will become champion again and I promise I’m go make y’all pay double the PRICE!!!!!!!”

The reality is that Broner doesn’t command that kind of money, particularly in an economy that has been devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. He still commands attention because of his mouth, which sells his fights. But $10 million? No way.

Broner (33-4-1, 24 KOs) has had a lot of success in his career, winning titles in four divisions by the time he was 26.

That’s the past, though. Broner, now 30, is 0-2-1 in his last three fights. He lost a wide decision to Mikey Garcia in 2017, a majority decision to Jessie Vargas the following year and another one-sided decision to Manny Pacquiao in 2019.

A boxer who hasn’t won a fight in more than three years might want to consider another career.

Boxing gears continue to turn in preparation for restart

The powers that be continue to gear up for the return of live boxing – without spectators – amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The powers that be continue to gear up for the return of live boxing – without spectators – amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Stephen Espinoza of Showtime said he expects live boxing to return to the premium network in July, although no date has been set as safety precautions are finalized. Golden Boy Promotions has set July 4 – with young lightweight star Ryan Garcia as the featured fighter – as its tentative restart date.

And Bob Arum of Top Rank, who had already said he would begin staging four-fight shows early next month on ESPN’s platforms, said UFC 249 on Saturday was a decent first step back but his shows “will be a lot better” in terms of how precautions are handled.

Showtime’s last show was on March 13.

“We’re targeting sometime in July to return,” Espinoza told BoxingScene.com. “And, obviously, we’re spending a tremendous amount of time right now trying to make the environment as safe as possible. Keep in mind, that involves working with PBC as they set up protocols for the fighters and promoters. And it’s also working with our parent company (ViacomCBS) as we set up protocols for our employees and contractors. I think there’s a perception that young, healthy people are not affected. Number one, that’s not true for this particular virus.

“But more importantly, the vast majority of individuals probably have someone very close to them who is high risk. Whether it’s a grandparent they take care of, or a spouse or child who might have immune conditions. For someone in my position and the other senior people at Showtime, there’s a heavy responsibility toward asking employees and freelancers to come to an event and wanting to make sure they’re as safe as possible when they return to their families.”

Espinoza said a July restart will allow fighters more time to prepare.

“Practically speaking, we want the fighters to have a full camp,” Espinoza said. “For example, California is just starting to re-open. Texas is just starting to re-open within the last week, along with a lot of other states. That means that a lot of the fighters in California, Texas and elsewhere haven’t had regular access to a gym or to sparring. So, could we rush back in June? Sure. But that wouldn’t give the fighters the best opportunities to succeed.

“We want the fighters to have full camps. And for us, as we re-open now in mid-May, that means coming back in July. We’re not gonna come back just for the sake of coming back. There’s not particular value in saying, ‘We’re the first,’ or, ‘We’re the second.’ The value is coming back with fights that matter, with fighters who have had a fair opportunity to prepare. That’s the key. Nobody wants to see fights with unprepared fighters in meaningless tune-up fights. So, coming back in July is our target.”

Golden Boy President Eric Gomez said safety is his company’s first priority.

“We envision shows without fans and, at some point, with fans, but what the specifications are for a return to shows with fans I don’t know,” Gomez told BoxingScene.com. “We don’t know if that will be this year or not, but we’ll have to follow whatever the guidelines are from federal government, state government. They might say no shows with fans until there’s a vaccine. I don’t know.”

He went on: “We’ll be ready to jump into action as soon as the restrictions are lifted, as soon as there is some sort of path to do shows again. We want to do [July 4] in California. That’s where we are, that’s where Ryan is from. But if they’re not ready yet, we’ll look into Nevada, we’ll look into Texas, we’ll look everywhere. But most important is the safety of the fighters, the safety of the staff, that’s the most important thing. We would have to find an arena that everybody’s comfortable with and where we have safety guidelines, and they know it’s going to be a sterile place. It’s going to have to be an arena possibly next to a hotel, where the hotel is going to be safe as well. There’s a lot to it.”

One additional bit of news from Gomez: It’s possible that Canelo Alvarez will fight without spectators.

“We’re going to discuss it and start having talks about it with DAZN, with Canelo, with everybody involved,” Gomez said. “If it’s something Canelo would approve and he’s up for it, and we can make it work for everyone involved, we’re going to do it. What matters is if Canelo is in agreement with it and is willing to do it, and then we’ll go from there.”

Arum had suggested that UFC’s Dana White jumped the gun by staging his first show this month but, after the fact, he wasn’t as critical. However, he did mention the fact that one participant — Jacare Souza — and two of his cornermen tested positive for COVID-19 the day before the event.

UFC 249 took place behind closed doors at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

“As a first step, it wasn’t bad,” Arum said. “They were the first ones to come back [with a major sporting event in the United States], and with that will come certain mistakes. It wouldn’t be fair to criticize with it being the first one out the box, nor am I here to criticize them. As they do more shows, especially once they come back to Las Vegas, they will adhere to their policies and it will be a lot better. It will look more like ours.

He went on: “We knew all along what UFC’s plans were for these shows. Ours is better, and there’s was never going to determine how we handle our shows. There’s will be as good as ours once they start doing shows in Las Vegas. The Nevada officials have come up with a very good plan, and we’ve been working with a coronavirus task force in state along with [Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director] Bob Bennett and the MGM hotels, which will make a facility available for us.

“What happened on Saturday [with Souza] will never happen at our shows. It will be detected before they even get in the facility. That has to be done and will be done. We’re talking about four fights to start out — the fewer fights you have, the better you can control things.”

UFC’s Dana White blasts Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza for criticism

Dana White blasted Stephen Espinoza for the Showtime executive’s criticism of UFC’s newly implemented coronavirus testing policy.

Editor’s note: This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie.

***

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dana White is not a fan of Stephen Espinoza – and he’s especially not fond of the Showtime Sports executive’s recent comments.

In a tweet issued prior to UFC 249 on Sunday, Espionza claimed the UFC “required (athletes) to sign a document which says that they can lose their whole purse and bonuses if they say anything negative about the COVID protocols.”

Espinoza’s claims came in light of the UFC’s return to event operations in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Seemingly, Espinoza’s implication was the UFC was not allowing its athletes to criticize the company’s newly implemented coronavirus testing policing. Yahoo! Sports later confirmed the accuracy of Espinoza’s claim.

At the UFC 249 post-fight press conference, White was asked about Espinoza’s claims and unloaded on the Showtime Sports executive.

“There’s a disparagement clause in there that’s in all of our contracts,” White said. “Isn’t that creepy looking, little [expletive] a lawyer? Isn’t that creepy little [expletive] goofball a lawyer? Does he not know what disparagement means? [It’s] if you disparage the company. I’m not even a [expletive] lawyer and I know the answer to that question. It’s disparagement.”

So what exactly does the disparagement clause consist of? White implied the clause is put into place so that athletes don’t say untrue things about the company afterward.

“It’s like if you came out and said, ‘They never tested me. The UFC never tested me for the coronavirus,’” White said. “If you came out and had something critical to say about the testing that was true, that wouldn’t be disparagement. What [expletive] law school did he go to? I can’t stand that [expletive] creep if you couldn’t tell. … He’s just a [expletive] – look at him, that creepy, little dude. What the [expletive] does he know about our contracts?”

White and Espinoza have worked together in the past. For the infamous Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor boxing match, White represented Zuffa on McGregor’s side, while Espinoza headed up things for Showtime, which co-promoted the bout.

UFC 249 took place Saturday at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

Gervonta Davis, Leo Santa Cruz agree to fight in fall: reports

Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz have reached an agreement in principle to fight at 130 pounds this fall on pay-per-view.

Gervonta Davis and Leo Santa Cruz appear to have a deal.

The Athletic is reporting that Davis and Santa Cruz have reached an agreement in principle to fight at 130 pounds this fall. The bout is expected to be televised on Showtime Pay-Per-View.

BoxingScene.com had quoted Leonard Ellerbe of Mayweather Promotions earlier as saying that Davis’ next fight would be against Santa Cruz.

The fight had been projected for June at Staples Center in Los Angeles but it was pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Leo Santa Cruz will be Tank’s next fight, and we’re working through all the aspects of when that might be,” Ellerbe told BoxingScene,com. “We’re working through the details as we speak. We were headed in one direction, and then the pandemic came. We’re regrouping. I can assure you and the fans that both guys want the fight.

“Leo is very adamant to fight the biggest and baddest guy out there in Tank Davis. I respect that. It’s a great time for the 130 and 135 pound division. There are a number of excellent fights that can be made. Tank will show all of the critics why he’s one of the best fighters in the world.”

The weight is an interesting element in this matchup.

Davis (23-0, 22 KOs) initially failed to make the 135-pound limit in his most recent fight, a 12th-round TKO of Yuriorkis Gamboa in December. He made 130 against Ricardo Nunez five months earlier. Can he do it again?

Santa Cruz (37-1-1, 19 KOs) moved from 126  to 130 for his last fight, a unanimous decision victory that gave him a vacant title. Santa Cruz gave a so-so performance, raising questions about his ability to fight at an elite level at that weight.

Stephen Espinoza of Showtime told BoxingScene that the fight would take place when fans are allowed to return to arenas.

“We were very close [to finalizing a deal before the coronavirus took hold],” Espinoza said. “It’s an interesting one, because the fight will do a very good gate regardless of where it is. The fight could fit naturally in Los Angeles. If L.A. is not ready, certainly Vegas or Texas would make reasonable choices. I do think that will be one of the first few fights we have when we’re back in business.

“A lot of people were surprised at that match-up. Leo is absolutely adamant that he wants the fight. It’s the only fight he wants. He sees something in Davis that guarantees him success. Tank is a physical challenge for anyone, but Leo is undaunted and he’s persistent.”

Showtime’s Stephen Espinoza expects ‘great fights’ post-coronavirus

Stephen Espinoza, the president of Showtime Sports, believes boxing matchmaking can benefit after the coronavirus subsides…

Showtime Sports President Stephen Espinzoa is in the same boat of uncertainty as everyone else in the boxing world because of the coronavirus pandemic. Showtime cards in March and April have been canceled. And no one will be surprised if the same thing happens in May.

Amid the chaos, however, Espinoza sounded a note of optimism about boxing’s eventual return in a recent conversation on the Showtime Boxing Podcast. 

“I’m excited,” Espinoza said. “I think we’re going to see an action-packed, jam-packed schedule whenever we return.”

Espinoza believes that an unintended side effect of the coronavirus is that it could potentially boost the quality of boxing cards because of the truncated calendar.

“There’s a lot of fighters that need fights to happen, and I think we could be in for an interesting period of time where there’s a lot of activity in a relatively short window,” Espinoza said. “It’s tough for us competitively to be in that window, tough for anybody in that window to cut through that noise [from other sports].

“We may see [fighters] taking a slightly different tack for picking fights. I’m cautiously optimistic that we’ll see some really great fights in that short amount of time.” 

Showtime was one of the few networks that went ahead with its scheduled show – a Shobox card featuring rising prospect Brandun Lee – on March 13, two days after the sports world began shutting down events. Top Rank and Premier Boxing Champions also canceled their shows that weekend. Showtime decided to move forward with the event — closed off to the public — because its staff was already at the venue in Hinckley, Minnesota, thereby eliminating the need for last-minute air travel that could endanger staff.

Showtime has since joined the rest of the boxing world in the waiting game. With the coronavirus potentially shutting down cards for months, industry people are thinking creatively. One idea is more cards with no spectators. Espinoza believes that could be something we see on a more regular basis.

“I believe that [there] will be some period of time where we’re doing it in the absence of large crowds,” Espinoza said. “Maybe [not for] a few months or a year … but I do think we will find a solution to have crowdless events before we figure out the solution to have a full crowd.

“So when that is, who knows. But when that starts to happen, there [will be] a tidal wave of sporting events that remains to be rescheduled.” 

That means the usual venues – from Barclays Center in Brooklyn to Staples Center in Los Angeles – might not be as available to boxing promoters.

“It’s going to be tough to get a venue if all these sports are going to play catch-up at one time,” Espinoza said. “It’s going to be a little strange. At the same time, having said that, it’s going to be a wild ride. There’s a lot to be made up.” 

In the meantime, Espinoza plans to make use of Showtime’s vast library of classic fights and documentaries as ways to accommodate its boxing-deprvied subscribers.

“Our goal is fill that gap with a lot of stuff that we have,” Espinoza said. “We have a deep library of documentaries. We are definitely surfacing much more of the archive on demand, and we’ll look at it on linear more regularly. Whether that means a programming slot or an occasional one.”

One example is the possibility of showcasing the first three fights from the four-fight Israel Vasquez vs. Rafael series on March 28, one of the network’s cancelled dates.

“That is typically a three-hour window for us,” Espinoza said. “That’s what we allocate from a scheduling perspective. … That’s a nice opportunity for us. What’s about three hours? Well, we could do Marquez and Vasquez 1, 2, 3. That would fill the hole nicely.

“The boxing audience is definitely still very important to Showtime. We’re going to do everything we can to continue to serve them to the maximum extent that we can.”

Conspicuous absence and the politics of promoter-network relations

Lou DiBella used to put on a lot of shows for Showtime, but that hasn’t been the case recently. The promoter gives his take on why.

Showtime has presented a robust slate of programming in recent months featuring the likes of Gervonta Davis, Claressa Shields, and most recently, welterweight contender Danny Garcia. The same goes for ShoBox, the premium network’s long-running series devoted to up-and-coming prospects.

But conspicuously missing from these shows have been fighters connected to Lou DiBella, the longtime New York promoter who has worked extensively with Showtime in the past.

What’s going on?

DiBella says he has been embargoed, meaning Showtime isn’t doing business with him. Stephen Espinoza, president of Showtime Sports, insists that isn’t so. The only thing we know: Fighters from DiBella’s stable, many of whom need dates, aren’t fighting on the network.

The only recent exception was DiBella-promoted Alicia Napoleon, who fought on the Claressa Shields-Ivana Habazin card on Jan. 10. And DiBella cautioned not to read anything into the inclusion of Napoleon. “That’s only because they wanted Alicia as a future opponent for Claressa,” he said.

The fissure evidently stems from a meeting set up by DiBella that brought together heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, the star of the Premier Boxing Champions stable who fights on Fox and Showtime, and DAZN, a rival of PBC, in March of last year.

Plus, DiBella has brought other fighters to the U.K.-based streaming service, including Regis Prograis. The former junior welterweight titleholder’s most-recent fight on Showtime was against Julius Indongo on March 9, 2018. His next fight was on a Top Rank-promoted main event on ESPN. Afterward, Prograis joined the World Boxing Super Series, in which he lost in the final to Josh Taylor. That fight was streamed on DAZN.

“No one is beholden to a network. [DiBella] doesn’t owe me his business, but at the same time there is a consistent evaluation,” Espinoza told Tha Boxing Voice in a Jan. 22 interview. “Part of the calculation of who we do business with … part of it is who is loyal and who we believe does business in the right way with us. I was not happy that we put that much into Regis Prograis and he went somewhere else.

“OK, that doesn’t mean I’m never doing business with Lou again but [Sergiy] Derevyanchenko, [DiBella] took him to DAZN. … Put it another way. You’re in my shoes, you’ve seen guys come up with Lou and then see them pay off somewhere else. Would you forget [that]?”

DiBella doesn’t buy that story. The promoter contends that the real reason he is “persona non grata” at Showtime is because of the meeting between Wilder and DAZN’s Executive Chairman John Skipper. Wilder’s managers Al Haymon, who heads PBC, and Shelly Finkel were also reported to have attended the meeting, in which Skipper reportedly offered Wilder a $100 million, three-fight deal to fight on the streaming platform. Wilder turned it down, citing “dishonesty” from DAZN, and went on to face Dominic Breazeale on Showtime and reportedly made in the neighborhood of $20 million. (Skipper later conceded to The Athletic that he was “too brash” during negotiations.)

DiBella promoted nine straight Wilder fights, beginning with his first title defense against Eric Molina in June 2015 and ending with his first fight with Tyson Fury in December 2018, according to BoxRec.com. DiBella believed he was acting “out of incredible loyalty” to Wilder when he arranged the meeting with DAZN but that it did not sit well with Espinoza, Finkel and Haymon, who has lucrative output deals with Showtime and Fox.

It’s not clear whether DiBella’s decision “to go rogue,” if that’s what it was, forced Haymon and Espinoza to meet DAZN’s outsize financial offer to ensure that Wilder did not join a rival entity. But as DiBella put it, “My only loyalty was to Deontay.”

“DiBella Entertainment is not embargoed by Showtime,” Espinzoa told Boxing Junkie in a statement. “No promoters are. But it would not serve any useful purpose to continue this in a public forum. Lou and I can discuss future business privately.”

DiBella feels differently. Showtime’s main content partner is the PBC; the two entities have a deal that takes them through next year. With that being the case, DiBella believes there was never going to be a significant offer from Showtime to have Prograis appear on its main platform precisely because the majority of Showtime’s budget was allocated to PBC fighters.

“Even though I was embargoed by Showtime because of the Wilder-DAZN meeting, after the conclusion of the WBSS, I personally offered Regis to Showtime in a meeting with Espinoza at the Palm restaurant [in New York City] on Friday, November 15, 2019,” DiBella said. “I made it clear to him that we were open to one fight or a multi-fight deal with Showtime. On a stack of Bibles and my father’s grave, I have not received any offer from Showtime, for one or more fights, to this date.

“In fact, in multiple conversations, Stephen conveyed to me that he was concerned about a lack of big fights for Regis because Al Haymon would not provide his fighters to fight Regis on Showtime. Obviously, Regis is managed by Pete Berg, Sam Katkovski and Mark Wahlberg, not Al. Obviously, I am no longer a PBC promoter. Stephen also reminded me that he had a Haymon-PBC deal through the conclusion of 2021 and that most of his budget was committed to that deal. All of the above has been conveyed to Regis’ management. ANY offer would have been conveyed and strongly considered. It still would be.”

Added DiBella: “This has nothing to do with Regis. I continued to work with (Showtime) a year after, including Wilder-Fury 1, and ShoBox events (O’Shaquie Foster-Jon Fernandez on Sept. 21), after Regis moved on from Showtime and prior to the Wilder meeting with DAZN. It has everything to do with the meeting between Deontay Wilder and DAZN.”

In addition to not getting dates on Showtime, DiBella no longer promotes any PBC-related cards in the New York area. For several years, DiBella was the chief promoter for PBC events at Barclays Center. The last PBC show he promoted was the Showtime-televised main event between Brain Castano and Erislandy Lara on March 2, 2019. He orchestrated the Wilder-DAZN meeting roughly two weeks later. Most of the Barclays Center cards since then have been promoted by California-based Tom Brown of TGB Promotions.

Timothy Smith, spokesperson for the PBC, said in a statement that “The PBC has a deal with Showtime where we provide content for its boxing programming. Showtime uses other promoters for its SHOBOX programming. Whatever the business relationship is between Stephen and Lou, you have to ask them about that.

“As far as being embargoed by PBC, I’m not sure I know what that means. We have consolidated much of the promotional work for the PBC with TGB because they do a fantastic job. We continue to work with other promoters, depending upon the show. We’re currently working with Top Rank to help stage Wilder-Fury 2.”

In the Tha Boxing Voice interview, Espinoza went on to say: “Lou has never once said to me any of the names (prospects Junior Fa and Charles Conwell) that you just said, not one time. Lou has a lot of business at DAZN and when he is tired of doing business over there he’ll pick up the phone and call me. Never once – and I will say this to you definitively – he has never once mentioned any one of those names to me and that’s not what a good promoter does. If a good promoter wants guys on a network, he is emailing, texting, sending me flyers, [direct messaging] me, saying, ‘You’ve got to see this guy,’ and I’ve never once heard any one of those names once from his mouth in a conversation.”

DiBella not only remembers the situation differently, but he called Espinoza’s explanation “empirically false,” pointing out that Showtime had a contractual claim on Prograis.

“I asked Stephen if there was an interest in stepping up because (at that point) Regis was looking for more money and not being on ShoBox and Stephen basically told us to take that opportunity,” DiBella told Boxing Junkie. “Regis went to ESPN and WBSS amicably. I have unequivocal proof of that. Showtime waived the right of first negotiation-last refusal that they were granted when they televised Prograis-Indongo. In exchange, I told Showtime that I would offer them Regis’ first fight after the tournament.

Added DiBella: “I’m in shock over the [Espinoza] interview. I thought we were finally getting to normalized things. I’m beyond disbelief.”

DiBella was referring to the fact that his fighter, Napoleon, fought on the Shields-Habazin main event on Jan. 10. Espinoza’s interview with Tha Boxing Voice took place two weeks later. DiBella takes issue with Espinoza’s comment that he was not offering his fighters to his network, citing what he believes is the ongoing embargo. Recently, DiBella says Espinoza offered another ShoBox date to one of his fighters, middleweight prospect Charles Conwell. Dibella is hopeful that this is the beginning of a thaw.

“I recently just had Alicia Napoleon on a Showtime fight time card,” he said.” I thought the embargo was lifted a month or two ago. He called me to use Alicia Napoleon in a fight. How come the embargo was sort of finally lifted and [Showtime senior vice president] Gordon Hall told me and [co-promoter] Tony Holden that Charles Conwell has a April ShoBox? So that happened because I was never offering him or that happened because maybe he was lifting an embargo? If this all started with Regis Prograis, how come I did so much work for Showtime after Regis fought on ESPN?

“What can a good promoter do when he’s embargoed?”