Showtime will stop covering boxing after 2023. This echoes what HBO did five years ago. Furthermore, Paramount’s CEO, Chris McCarthy, told staff in a letter that Showtime will no longer produce sports content. This means the network will also stop broadcasting Bellator MMA. According to McCarthy, “shifting content priorities” caused the closure.
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Showtime will air its last two boxing events of this year. Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports’ president, felt deeply disappointed. Fans are questioning the mere crux of “what’s selling” vs. “what is needed.” Moreover, big names in boxing are questioning the sport’s future. Renowned names like Terence Crawford, Ryan Garcia, Eddie Hearn, and more expressed their dejection over the decision. Thus, shadowing the same emotions we have Claressa Shields.
Claressa Shields shared the collective emotion of the boxing fraternity
Claressa Shields is often seen expressing herself via tweets. Whether it be her musing or just venting out, she uses her Twitter account effectively. Her recent tweet thus expresses her sadness over the cessation of Showtime Boxing. Shields tweeted, “Sad day for boxing ! No more showtime.”
Echoing the same emotions, even Jamel Herring tweeted his dismay about the news. He noted the loss of HBO Boxing and now Showtime Boxing. What really ignited fan debate was his mention of the recent Misfits event’s pay-per-view sales. Herring asked, “We’ve lost HBO and Showtime, but the Misfits are selling 1.3 million PPVs. What am I missing?”
Ryan Garcia urges boxers to reimagine the current scenario of boxing
Ryan Garcia emphasized that Showtime’s cessation marks a significant shift in the boxing world. He noted that HBO and Showtime, two major platforms that have defined boxing for a generation, are no longer involved. Because of this, Garcia called on all boxers to take collective action. He wrote, “Today is a really important day for boxing. HBO and Showtime defined our sport for a generation and now they are both out. All us boxers need to make this our collective fight. We gotta be thinking about marketing, new audiences, investors, global, all of it. Boxing is still the greatest sport in the world. We just gotta reimagine it.”
Thus, ‘King Ry’ suggested they should actively engage in marketing, attract new audiences, secure investors, and expand the sport globally. In his view, boxing continues to be the greatest sport; it just needs to be reimagined to adapt to the current landscape
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