ESPN is tapping out on boxing.
According to Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports, ESPN is not expected to re-up its current agreement with Top Rank boxing after the fighting promotion’s contract expires in August. The network has aired Top Rank boxing across its linear platforms and ESPN+ since 2017.
The current agreement has ESPN airing 54 events annually for the promotion, but with the sport’s future so uncertain, it seems the network has opted to get out entirely.
Per Glasspiegel, Top Rank has reached out to various other media partners about a rights deal, including Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery, but neither have expressed interest.
Based on a statement from Top Rank, it seems the promotion would have liked to remain on ESPN.
“We are in dialogue with ESPN and many other parties regarding our media rights,” Top Rank’s director of communications Evan Korn said in a statement. “While we never comment on the specifics of those discussions, we place tremendous value in our existing relationship with ESPN and the industry-defining experience we have together delivered to combat sports fans globally for the past eight years.”
In 2023, Top Rank COO Brad Jacobs told Awful Announcing, “We want to be able to deliver the biggest fights to the widest audience. And that is certainly on ESPN’s linear channel.”
Top Rank has reportedly also had discussions with ProBox TV, a digital platform dedicated to the sport, to air its fights there.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.