As the calendar turns to July (can you believe we are now halfway through 2025?) we look forward to a robust boxing schedule. There are plenty of meaningful match-ups and big bouts upcoming. At the end of July a show takes place from the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
It's headlined by the vacant WBO junior middleweight title bout between Xander Zayas and Jorge Garcia. In support is leading featherweight contender Bruce Carrington.
Top Rank
This show is notable because it is the last broadcast under the Top Rank-ESPN union that began in 2017. It means that for the first time in decades, there will be no network in America that will regularly televise boxing. There was a time when it was a key piece of sports programming for the terrestrial networks (ABC, CBS and NBC) and then shifted more or less to the premium cable outlets (HBO and Showtime). Throughout the years ESPN has had various boxing series, such as 'Friday Night Fights'. As have various regional cable channels (FoxSports and SportsChannel) and USA Network aired boxing in the past.
Boxing has been a constant presence on the American television landscape for the better part of eight decades.
But after July 26, that will come to an end for the time being. No, this isn't to bury boxing, or a column talking about it's impending doom, but just stating facts. The reality is that more and more events and leagues are moving some of their games to streaming services. The difference is that while the NFL will air a game or three on Netflix on Christmas, the majority of their games are on FOX, CBS, ESPN and NBC.
As of now, the biggest bouts in the States are either on DAZN, a streaming platform that started operating in 2018, or pay-per-view. Amazon Prime has dabbled in boxing the last year or so with PBC. Netflix is said to be interested in acquiring more live sporting events, and they will be producing the September 12 showdown between Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
Looking at the current landscape, Matchroom Boxing is aligned with DAZN, as is Golden Boy Promotions. PBC is currently doing all their cards on Prime. Basically every major promoter has an exclusive broadcast partner that airs their content.
Except for Top Rank after their next card. But Bob Arum doesn't sound too concerned.
Top Rank
"We're working on it now," he told SNAC.com last Friday. "We've got to get paperwork done, and we have the best agents. They're the ones that got us the ESPN deal, CAA (Creative Artists Agency). They're the ones working on a deal now."
While Arum and the rest of the Top Rank brass has been tight-lipped about what is transpiring, there has been plenty of speculation over what is on the horizon. Everything from Top Rank having several broadcast entities (which 'the Bobfather' himself has stated) to them having an alliance with arch-rival PBC have been brandied about. If this takes place, there may yet be hope in the Middle East. There are even rumors of ESPN still working with Top Rank in some fashion.
Cue the Timex Social Club with all these rumors.
But one thing to know about Top Rank and Arum is that they have been an incredibly resourceful company throughout the years, one that has been able to consistently evolve with the times and changing technology. What is taking place now is really nothing new to them. They did a weekly show with ESPN during the networks early years in the '80's, and then have had various partnerships with the likes of Versus (which was short-lived and rather forgettable) and TruTV (which was also rather short-lived and forgettable) before landing back on ESPN.
Naoki Fukuda/Top Rank
In-between all this, they had a regular set of cards on 'Telefutura' with their 'Solo Boxeo' series that was catered to their Spanish speaking fan base, and was an important outlet for developing their young talent. They would also have the occasional 'ShoBox' date as that franchise launched in 2001. Arum had relationships with both HBO and Showtime that could run both hot-and-cold depending on how many dates he would get from them, and who was in charge. He wasn't above playing off one against the other to serve his own interest.
Arum told me years ago that nothing ever really changes, and nothing ever really stays the same. Right now, they are in a state of change, if not some uncertainty. For the time being, Top Rank will farm out some of their younger boxers onto other promoters cards to keep them active. While it looks like they might go dark for the month of August, the hope is that by the fall they will be back up and running.
During the course of our conversation, I asked what would be next for unified bantamweight champion, Junto Nakatani, and WBO welterweight champion, Brian Norman, two boxers represented by Top Rank, who had strong outings in the month of June. After all, it's not like they have ESPN slots awaiting them.
Arum answered, "I wouldn't worry about future dates -- we'll have plenty of them."
By early this week, it was reported that Norman would be facing Devin Haney in the fall (thanks Turki!!), and Arum tweeted this out:
Heh, heh, the last sentence shows the old guy still has plenty of piss-and-vinegar left in his tank. As for the rest of the Top Rank stable, Arum isn't too concerned about their future. "If you have great product, you're 𝘯𝘰𝘵 worried," he stated. "We have great fighters and so forth, a great organization and we have people interested in us, in our future. So I'm very confident."
