Broadcasts
There were several boxing broadcasts over the weekend worth tuning in for. The largest fight, Teofimo Lopez’s classy win over Josh Taylor in New York, was carried by Sky Sports. It’s a bit of a shame Sky didn’t send out their team to cover such a significant fight. Still, we got the international feed from Top Rank, which is still a solid choice. With several significant fights happening overseas not being picked up by British broadcasters, it’s encouraging to see that this one wasn’t ignored.
DAZN aired a card from London that should have received more attention, with Sunny Edwards topping the bill. Despite the sparse crowd, Edwards is building an excellent CV, but it remains to be seen if DAZN is the best place for his talents. BT Sport aired a lower-level show on Friday night, and, surprisingly, the BBC teamed up with Fightzone to air the Liverpool show topped by flyweights Connor Butler and Matt Windle. Though obviously unpolished and only available online, it was a positive sign that the BBC is taking an active interest in boxing, a sport they have traditionally done a poor job of covering on television.
Earlier in the week, ESPN released an interview with Lopez hosted by Mark Kriegel. The interview was disturbing to watch as Lopez was just days from stepping into the ring for a big fight. Many topics were addressed, including controversial comments Lopez has made in the past. Lopez also spoke of having suicidal ideations, which made it seem like it might not be a good idea to let him fight this weekend. However, he proved that to be a misguided notion when he took home the win.
YouTube
A few days later, Lopez appeared on The Porter Way Podcast, hosted by former welterweight titlist Shawn Porter. Lopez doubled down on his announcement that he’s retiring from boxing due to concerns from his family after his incendiary remarks in the media. He wants to “take the pressure off” those loved ones and intends to go into promotion and coaching. A clear point of contention for him is pay, claiming he’s only being paid $1 million per fight despite making “over $100 million” for ESPN.
It’s unclear whether Lopez will remain retired, but it seems like a wise decision given his struggles with mental health and the stress of his divorce. Zab Judah caught up with an old training partner on his show Champ Talk with Zab Judah, sharing hilarious stories from their time alongside boxing greats like Arturo Gatti and Pernell Whitaker.
June 16
Adam Azim-Aram Faniian
Sky Sports Action
Coverage begins at 7pm
June 17
Regis Prograis-Danielito Zorrilla
DAZN
Coverage begins at 1am