By: Sean Crose
In what is likely a surprise to no one, Top Rank Promotions and ESPN are reportedly going their separate ways when their partnership legally wraps up this summer. While ESPN certainly put some terrific matches out there, Top Rank seemed to be pushed aside by UFC. In a world where boxing is now flexing its muscles globally, America’s premier sports network has clearly lost interest in the sweet science. Perhaps if Top Rank had huge names like Tank Davis and Ryan Garcia in its stable things might have worked out differently. Although it has high profile names like Naoya Inoue, Top Rank doesn’t seem to have much in the way of crossover appeal these days.
Of course nothing is official yet, so one never knows, but the reporting here – from The Ring first and then others – appears to be universally accepted. In truth, this was never a terrific partnership. Yes, there were some terrific fights, including more than one involving Vasyl Lomachenko in recent years, but often fight cards didn’t even begin until late on Saturday nights, East Coast time. Simply put, there were and are better places for Top Rank to go. After all, the Bob Arum helmed organization remains one of the most powerful forces in boxing.
With that being said, the sport is certainly going through a strange time, one that could elevate it exponentially, or harm it if/when Saudi Money runs out. The Saudis deserve credit, however, for delivering one major card after another (here’s hoping the trend keeps going). Sure enough, it may be replacing Las Vegas as the heart and soul of the sport. Yet it’s not just intense Saudi interest that’s turning things on their head. For boxing, by and large, is now a streamed sport rather than a televised one.
Not that streaming makes that much of a difference. A broadcast fight is a broadcast fight, after all. Still, the signs are there that the old way of doing things is over. Again, it may end up being a good or a bad thing. Only time will tell. In the meantime there are plenty of good fights to enjoy…only you soon won’t be able to watch them on ESPN. It’s worth keeping in mind during times like this that boxing has proven to be the most adaptable of sports for decade after decade, all the way back to the 1800s.
There’s no no reason to believe the trend won’t continue.
