The postponed July Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match will now take place in November. 

The Netflix-streamed fight will now take place on November 15, nearly four months after the original July 20 date was postponed due to Tyson suffering an ucler flareup, according to boxing promotion company Most Valuable Promotions.

“Our team has worked diligently with all parties involved to reschedule this monumental fight to a date that ensures both Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are fully prepared, with equal training time, as well as allowing us to keep the event at AT&T Stadium in the midst of the Cowboys season,” Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian said in a statement. 

The November 15 event will also feature the rematch between women's super lightweight champion Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano.

The 57-year-old Tyson had an ulcer flare-up on May 26 during a flight to Los Angeles. The sanctioned fight against the 27-year-old Paul will be Tyson’s first since 2005.

Tyson said in a statement: “Although we had to postpone the fight, I will resume training shortly. I am thankful to the medical staff that treated me and to MVP, Netflix, and AT&T Stadium for working diligently to find the best reschedule date for all parties.”

Netflix’s highly anticipated Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match on June 20 in Arlington, Texas, has been postponed less than a week after Tyson suffered a medical incident on an airplane.

The fight was postponed after Tyson suffered an ulcer flare-up on May 26 during a flight to Los Angeles and will be rescheduled for a date to be announced by June 7, according to the event’s promoter, Most Valuable Promotions. The sanctioned fight would have been the 57-year-old Tyson’s first since 2005. 

“The upcoming highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will unfortunately be postponed,” MVP said in a statement. “During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations."

The fighters were expected to box eight 2-minute rounds — in traditional pro fights, rounds are usually 3 minutes — and the boxers’ gloves would have weighed 14 ounces instead of the standard 10 ounces.

The fight would have been Netflix’s first foray into boxing and the latest in a number of live sports events distributed by the streaming service. Last November, Netflix distributed the Netflix Cup golf tournament pitting Formula 1 drivers against professional golfers, as well as the March 3 Netflix Slam tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. 

Netflix last month also struck a three-year deal to stream a pair of National Football League games on Christmas Day. 

Below is the full press release from Most Valuable Promotions: 

The upcoming highly anticipated boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will unfortunately be postponed. During a follow-up consultation on Thursday with medical professionals on his recent ulcer flare-up, the recommendation is for Mike Tyson to do minimal to light training over the next few weeks and then return to full training with no limitations.

Both Mike and Jake are in agreement that it is only fair to ensure that both athletes have equal training time to prepare for this important match and are able to compete at the highest level. The health and well-being of athletes is our top priority, and we fully support Mike in taking the necessary time to allow him to perform at the level he expects of himself.

Mike is expected to return to his full training schedule in the coming weeks and is eager to get back in the ring. MVP anticipates rescheduling the match to later this year at AT&T Stadium, and we look forward to an exciting and well-prepared contest between these two exceptional athletes. The new date of the fight will be announced by next Friday, June 7th. 

“I want to thank my fans around the world for their support and understanding during this time. Unfortunately, due to my ulcer flareup, I have been advised by my doctor to lighten my training for a few weeks to rest and recover,” said Mike Tyson. “My body is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s and I will be back to my full training schedule soon. Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good. I appreciate everyone’s patience and can't wait to deliver an unforgettable performance later this year.”

“I fully support postponing the event so Mike Tyson has no excuses come fight night,” said Jake Paul. “My fans know I don’t want to face Iron Mike at anything but his best, but let there be no mistake — when he steps into the ring with me, I will be ready to claim my W with a sensational finish. Paul vs Tyson will be one for the ages, and I promise to bring my best for this once-in-a-lifetime matchup.”

Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions has set May press conferences for its July 20 Mike Tyson-Jake Paul fight, a day after the event was sanctioned by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations as an official professional fight. 

The Netflix-distributed fight, pitting the 57 year-old former heavyweight champion Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs) against the 27 year-old YouTube star Paul (9-1, 6 KOs) will count against both fighter’s records, according to fight promoter Most Valuable Promotions. The company said will hold press conferences for the fight in New York on May 16 and in Arlington, Texas on May 16. 

The fighters will box eight, 2-minute rounds – traditional pro fights are usually 3 minutes – and the boxer’s gloves will weight 14 ounces instead of standard 10 ounces, according to reports. 

Tyson hasn’t fought in a sanctioned professional fight since losing to Kevin McBride in 2005. Tyson also fought an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which drew a reported 1.6 million PPV buys.

Netflix will stream live the Paul-Tyson fight to its subscribers without any additional cost. It's the latest move by the streaming service into the live sports streaming arena, following its distribution last November of the Netflix Cup golf tournament pitting Formula 1 drivers against professional golfers, as well as the March 3 Netflix Slam tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz.

Netflix will continue its march into live sports streaming by stepping into the boxing ring with the distribution of the July 20 Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match.

The fight, promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, will take place in Dallas and pits YouTube star and budding pro boxer Paul against the retired 57-year-old former heavyweight and pay-per-view boxing champion Tyson. It is unclear whether the fight will be considered an exhibition or a professional fight.

Tyson’s last professional fight was a loss to Kevin McBride in 2005. Tyson also fought an exhibition bout against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020, which drew a reported 1.6 million PPV buys.

Paul has fought 10 times with only one loss, with wins against UFC stars Nat Diaz and Anderson Silva. His last bout was a knockout win over Ryan Bourland earlier this month.  

Netflix will stream live the Paul-Tyson fight to its subscribers without any additional cost. It's the latest move by the streaming service into the live sports streaming arena, following its distribution last November of the Netflix Cup golf tournament pitting Formula 1 drivers against professional golfers, as well as the March 3 Netflix Slam tennis match between Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz. 

“Mike Tyson is one of the biggest icons in boxing history and Jake Paul is one of the biggest disruptors in boxing history,” Netflix VP, nonfiction sports Gabe Spitzer said in a statement. “Saturday, July 20 will be pure drama in the ring in Texas. We are thrilled to partner with Most Valuable Promotions for this historic event, and we can’t wait for these two to face off for fans all across the world on Netflix.” 

Hart to Heart, a talk show hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, returns to Peacock July 14 with appearances from such stars as Chris Rock, Mark Wahlberg, and Jay-Z, according to a new trailer for the sophomore series.

Hart to Heart features Hart talking to guests ranging from A-list musicians and actors who are leaders and legends in their industries, according to Peacock. Season two guests include Pete Davidson, Jay-Z, Chris Rock, Mark Wahlberg, Tracee Ellis Ross, Mike Tyson, Saweetie, Tyler Perry, Kristen Stewart, Simu Liu and Seth MacFarlane.

“After an incredible first season of Hart to Heart, I couldn’t wait to get back in the chair to have more raw and hilarious conversations with some of the best in the business,” Hart said in a statement. “There is something special about sitting down with a glass of wine, it brings out honesty and hilarity in guests and delivers real conversations that you won’t get anywhere else.” ▪️

Hulu will examine the trials and tribulations of boxing icon Mike Tyson in a new limited series debuting August 25, according to a recently released series trailer.  

The eight-episode series stars Trevante Rhodes as the former heavyweight champion and chronicles the explores the tumultuous ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life, from beloved world athlete to outcast and back again, according to Hulu. The series also stars Russell Hornsby, Harvey Keitel, Laura Harrier and Li Eubanks.

Mike is executive produced by Steven Rogers, Karin Gist, Claire Brown Craig Gillespie, Bryan Unkeless, Scott Morgan, Tom Ackerley, Margot Robbie, Darin Friedman, Anthony Hemingway, Anthony Sparks, Samantha Corbin-Miller and Trevante Rhodes.

Live sports event streamer FITE will add an exclusive Metallica concert to its pay-per-view offering of event producer Triller's Nov. 27 Triad Combat event, one of many perks the PPV event aggregator hopes to score from its new parent company.

The event from Triller -- which purchased FITE this past April -- will debut the company's Triad Combat franchise, in which participants fight under boxing and MMA rules within a triangular ring. The legendary rock band will perform several songs as part of the main Triad Combat event, as well as play an exclusive concert featured only on FITE, according to FITE COO Mike Weber. The event retails at a suggested PPV price of $19.99. 

“You have some boxers and MMA fighters involved as part of the Triad Combat event -- and Triller is marketing the heck out of the event -- so we’ll see how it goes,” Weber said. “Metallica is a major hook to bring people in to see something that they’ve never seen before.”

Weber added that Triller brings additional resources to the FITE TV brand, which offers as many as 20 PPV events a week from around the world. In addition to the new Triad Combat franchise, Triller produces PPV boxing events such as last year’s Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition fight as well as high-profile events such as the VERZUZ franchise, which pits music performers against each other in a battle format.

“While we’ve been a successful company, Triller brings deeper resources to us which will help us on some projects that we’re working on,” Weber said, although he would not provide specific details. ■

Fox Sports’ Andy Ruiz Jr.-Chris Arreola heavyweight pay-per-view boxing event this past Saturday night ushered in what is shaping up to be a busy -- and hopefully lucrative -- spring and early summer period for the PPV boxing category. 

After a relatively quiet 2020 -- mostly due to the crippling effects of the pandemic on live sports events -- 2021 is already shaping up to be a comeback year for the PPV boxing category. It’s too early to tell how many PPV buys were generated from Saturday’s event -- in which Ruiz Jr. won in a majority decision over the veteran Arreola -- but the event serves as a launching pad for at least four PPV flights over the next three months. 

This Saturday, arguably PPV boxing’s current pound-for-pound champion Canelo Alvarez fights Billy Joe Saunders in a super-middleweight unification championship fight that will also stream on the DAZN sports service. 

Showtime will step into the PPV ring June 6 with an exhibition bout featuring retired PPV boxing champion Floyd Mayweather and  YouTube star Logan Paul, according to sources. Showtime will follow that fight up with a more conventional PPV fight card June 27 headlined by its Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios super lightweight championship fight.

Read Also: Showtime Sets Gervonta Davis-Mario Barrios PPV Boxing Event 

The company having arguably the biggest influence on the PPV boxing genre this year is social media company Triller. Fresh off its April 17 Jake Paul-Ben Askren event that featured a mix of boxing matches and musical performances -- and still giddy over the success of last November's Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. exhibition boxing/concert event which drew north of 1.6 million PPV buys -- the company will offer via PPV a June 5 fight card featuring the Teofimo Lopez-George Kambosos Jr. lightweight championship fight. The card will also feature the return of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield to the ring against journeyman Kevin McBride.  

The company is also reportedly working on a July 3 fight that would mark the ring return of former six division champion Oscar De La Hoya. 

Read Also: Triller Looking to Shake Up PPV Event Category

The industry is hoping that the success and appeal of these events could help build momentum for some potentially lucrative Fall PPV boxing events that could feature such PPV draws as Manny Pacquiao, welterweight champion Errol Spence, heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, as well as a second Tyson event. 

Broadcast network ABC in May will air a multi-part series on the life and career of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, the network said Monday.

The four-part ABC News docuseries, Mike Tyson: The Knockout, debuts May 25 and will look at the boxer’s climb to stardom after a difficult childhood to become the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion, his fall from grace after a 1992 race conviction, and his resurrection as a popular sports celebrity, according to the network. 

In November Tyson returned to the boxing ring for the first time since 2005 to fight an exhibition fight against Roy Jones Jr. that generated more than 1.6 million pay-per-view buys. 

Read Also: Triller Looking to Shake Up PPV Event Category After Tyson Fight 

The documentary will feature archival material and previously unaired interview footage with Tyson, as well as interviews with such sports and entertainment personalities as actress Rosie Perez, former HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg, and ESPN host Jeremy Schaap. 

“In addition to being an inspiring story of the perseverance and hard-won growth of one extraordinary person, Mike Tyson’s life and career are also relevant to the important collective self-reflection finally occurring in America,” Mike Tyson: The Knockout executive producer Geoffrey Fletcher said in a statement.

Hulu is also developing a limited series on the life and times of Tyson dubbed Iron Mike.

Read Also: Mike Tyson Slams Hulu's 'Iron Mike' Limited Series

 Multi-media company Triller is throwing its hat back into the pay-per-view event  ring Saturday, working with PPV event purveyor In Demand to distribute via traditional linear TV a boxing and music event headlined by YouTube personality Jake Paul’s boxing match against former mixed martial arts fighter Ben Askren. The event, which retails at a suggested price of $49.95, also features musical performances from such artists as Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Snoop Dog and Ice Cube. 

The event follows Triller’s successful Mike Tyson-Roy Jones Jr. PPV fight/entertainment event this past November, which drew a reported 1.6 million PPV buys. Triller also recently announced a June 5 PPV fight card which will feature the return of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield to the ring against Kevin McBride, as well as a lightweight title fight between champion Teofimo Lopez and George Kambosos Jr. 

I recently spoke to In Demand senior VP, programming and marketing Mark Boccardi about Triller’s influence within the PPV event category and how the company’s new boxing/entertainment strategy will affect traditional PPV boxing events going forward. Here’s an edited excerpt from our conversation. 

Picture This: What is your take on Triller’s approach to pay-per-view boxing events? 

Mark Boccardi: Boxing promoters have been forced to look at events differently, and that's a good thing. There is a tried and true way of doing things that still works, but I think when you look at the mix of sports and entertainment that Triller is doing, they are featuring legitimate pro boxers along with retired athletes and social media stars, as well as major music acts including Snoop Dog. That’s not to say that the traditional boxing way doesn't work, but when you have some opportunistic entrepreneurs who mix boxing and entertainment, it’s a combination that really does work. So when we look at this weekend, it’s a great way for us to leverage our decades of pay-per-view expertise and experience with what Triller brings to the table and grow an even broader fan base for the sport.

PT: You mention broadening the fan base -- are the viewers purchasing Triller events a new generation of PPV boxing consumers?

MB: Absolutely. We saw that with the Tyson event back in November. What we had was a huge pay-per-view number -- it was the eighth best pay-per-view event of all time. It was a remarkable number that wasn’t just made up of your traditional boxing fan base, nor was it  just a young, new fan base who wanted to watch the Jake Paul fight; it was a combination of the two. It was a perfect storm of attractiveness that turned it into a mega event. So with respect to this weekend and what Triller is doing, they are absolutely tapping into a new fan base, but I wouldn't say that they're not picking up the older fan base. I definitely think that there's widespread appeal for it,   but bringing in the new audience is really such a key point here. 

PT: Can this event generate a million PPV buys without the added appeal of a Mike Tyson or another marquee boxer? 

MB: We’ll see --  there are a number of boxing matches, and they have some big name musical acts from Justin Bieber to Snoop Dog to Doja Cat. I think that helps draw in a different fan base that would otherwise not be interested in a boxing event. We have everything aligning on our end in terms of distributor marketing support, Triller marketing support and social media support. The whole marketing machine is cranking. 

PT: Do events like this diminish the value and appeal of traditional PPV boxing events that don’t feature musical entertainment or social media celebrities?

MB: No, not at all. I really do believe that both scenarios can work. We’ve been busy over the last few months planning multiple pay-per-view events this year with several major fighters including Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Errol Spence and Gervonta Davis. These are the names that represent the future of boxing. I think we’re going to have a really busy summer and fall for boxing, and we really feel good about the future of PPV boxing. There’s a lot of pent up demand because there hasn’t been a lot of those big events lately. 

Mike Tyson blasted Hulu for its just-announced Iron Mike limited series of the boxer.

"This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu's corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of the Tyson life story," Tyson wrote on Instagram Thursday. "To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu's concern for dollars over respect for black story rights."

Hulu announced the project earlier Thursday as part of its virtual winter TCA press tour.

Tyson wrote in the Instagram post that "the real Mike Tyson authorized story is in development" with an announcement coming soon.

Read Tyson's full Instagram statement below.

Iron Mike comes from 20th Television and was created by Steven Rogers, who was involved with the Tonya Harding biopic I, Tonya. Karen Gist was named showrunner.

Streaming sports service DAZN is taking a unique approach to adding subscribers with Saturday’s distribution of the Canelo Alvarez middleweight championship fight.

The SVOD streaming service will offer the Alvarez-Callum Smith fight via pay-per-view through PPV event aggregator In Demand for $69.99. As part of the deal, viewers purchasing the fight will receive a four-month subscription to the sports service, according to DAZN officials.

Alvarez will be fighting on PPV for the first time since signing a 12-fight deal with DAZN in 2018. That deal was nullified last month after Alvarez settled a breach of contract suit filed in September against DAZN and boxing company Golden Boy.

Also Read: DAZN Sets Canelo Alvarez Fight for December

DAZN senior VP of marketing Rob Stecklow said the offer provides an opportunity for the SVOD sports streaming service to introduce itself to boxing fans while luring back former subscribers who may have dropped the service earlier in the year when the pandemic halted most pro sports events, including marquee boxing shows.

“We’re taking the best pound-for-pound boxer in the sport and someone who has been on our platform for three fights," he said. “We want to put this fight in front of as many fans as possible, which is why we’re opening up the DAZN subscription package through the more traditional pay-per-view purchase.”  

For In Demand, the Alvarez-Callum fight is the third PPV boxing event in four weeks, following the successful Nov. 28 Mike Tyson -Roy Jones Jr. exhibition bout -- which drew 1.9 million PPV buys, according to industry sources -- and the Dec. 5 Errol Spence Jr.-Danny Garcia welterweight championship fight. Neither In Demand nor DAZN would say whether cable distributors would receive a split of the revenue generated from Alvarez-Callum PPV buys.

“We just came off two hugely successful fights with Tyson/Jones and Spence/Garcia; in fact, the Tyson event was one of the top 8 PPV events of all time,” said Mark Boccardi, senior VP, programming & marketing for In Demand. “While we recognize that the structure of the deal with DAZN is unique, it gives us the opportunity to get Canelo back on PPV and allows our customers to conveniently order from their existing cable, satellite, and telco providers. DAZN clearly recognizes the broad reach that we provide, and wants to tap into our audience with this arrangement.” 

DAZN’s recent run of big fights, including the Dec. 12 Anthony Joshua-Kubrat Pulev fight and tomorrow night’s (Dec. 18) Gennady Golovkin-Kamil Szeremeta middleweight fight, has helped the service reach its pre-pandemic subscriber numbers, although the service would not reveal specific figures. Stecklow added the PPV offer will provide greater exposure for DAZN’s combat sports-centric lineup of programming, but he would not project how many PPV buys the Alvarez-Smith fight will generate. 

Stecklow also wouldn’t rule out stepping into the PPV ring for future fights. “We ideally would like to do this with other fights, potentially with our Ryan Garcia-Luke Campbell fight on Jan. 2,” he said. 

Floyd Mayweather will follow Mike Tyson into the pay-per-view boxing exhibition ring in February to take on YouTube star Logan Paul, Mayweather announced Sunday on his Instagram page.

The Mayweather-Paul fight will be streamed exclusively on the Fanmio Boxing website and will serve as the first fight for the 43-year old Mayweather since his 2017 fight against former UFC champion Conor McGregor. That fight drew 4.3 million PPV buys, the second most in PPV history behind the 4.6 million buys garnered by the 2015 Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight.  

Logan has fought twice against fellow YouTuber KSI, most recently in a Nov. 2019 PPV event.

The event will retail at a suggested price of $24.99 for the first 1 million buys before increasing to $39.99. Beginning Dec. 29 the fight will retail at $59.99 before increasing $10 to $69.99 starting Feb. 11, according to the Fanmio website.

Mayweather's announcement follows the Nov. 28 return of former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson to the squared ring for the first time in 15 years in a PPV exhibition fight against ex-heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. that ended in a draw. Logan Paul's brother Jake knocked out former basketball star Nat Robinson on the undercard of the Tyson-Jones fight. 

It also comes on the heels of Saturday night's big PPV welterweight boxing event in which champion Errol Spence Jr. defeated former champion Danny Garcia in a unanimous decision. 

Related: Fox Sports Gears Up for Spence Jr. Garcia PPV Fight

The sports world continues to be challenged by COVID-19 as numerous pro and college sports events have been postponed or cancelled this Thanksgiving weekend due to the pandemic.

In the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game has been postponed a second time and will now be played on Tuesday night as more Ravens players have tested positive for the virus. At least 18 Ravens players have now tested positive for the virus, including Ravens quarterback and last year’s league MVP Lamar Jackson, according to ESPN.com.

The game was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving night Nov. 26, then earlier this week was moved to Nov. 29 before settling in on Dec. 1. The Ravens’ Dec. 3 Thursday Night Football game against the Dallas Cowboys has also been rescheduled and will  take place on Dec. 7, with Fox airing the game.

The Ravens-Steelers game is the second NFL game to be played on a Tuesday night this season, following the Oct. 13  Buffalo Bills-Tennessee Titans game, which was moved from its original Sunday, Oct. 11 date due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the Tennessee franchise. 

On the college football front, at least 12 games have been cancelled this weekend due to COVID-19, including several games featuring ranked teams. Fourth-ranked Ohio State’s game with Illinois was postponed due to positive COVID-19 test results within the Buckeyes’ program. Other postponed or cancelled games include seventh-ranked Cincinnati against Temple, 11th-ranked Oklahoma and West Virginia and 16th-ranked Wisconsin against Minnesota -- marking the first time those Big Ten teams haven’t played each other in a season since 1906.

College basketball began its 2020-21 season this past week as more than 40 of the 357 Division I programs have paused or have canceled their season altogether due to COVID-19 concerns, including top-ranked schools Baylor and Duke, according to USAToday.com.  

Despite the cancellations, there’s still a lot of live sports action on television this weekend. Third-ranked Clemson will return to the college football field Saturday against Pittsburgh (ESPN), leading a number of rivalry week games that include top-ranked Alabama against 22nd-ranked Auburn (CBS) and fifth-ranked Texas A&M against LSU (ESPN). 

On the pro front, CBS’ Kansas City-Tampa Bay game highlights the league's national afternoon games, while NBC’s Sunday Night Football telecast pits Chicago against Green Bay in an NFC North division matchup.

On the pay-per-view front, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson returns to the ring in an exhibition boxing match against Roy Jones Jr. The fight card can be purchased online at $49.99 through FITE.tv and TysonOnTriller.com as well as through traditional cable distributors via In Demand.

 Crackle Plus will debut a original documentary that follows the career of former heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis, the network said Tuesday.

The series, Lennox Lewis: The Untold Story, debut Oct. 15 and follows the life of the three-time champion through never-before-seen footage from his personal archives, said representatives from the streaming service. Narrated by Dr. Dre, the documentary also features interviews with Lewis as well as such other heavyweight champions as Mike Tyson, George Foreman and Evander Holyfield, said the service. 

“We are proud to bring this inspirational story of Lennox’s historic boxing career to Crackle,” said Richard De Croce, SVP of Programming at Crackle Plus in a statement. “We know our audience will appreciate Lennox’s passion and determination to overcome the obstacles he’s faced and reach his dreams both in and out of the ring.”

As Major League Baseball, the NBA and NHL gear up for fall postseason runs, boxing is quietly putting together a robust lineup of pay-per-view events to run over the next four months.

Three PPV boxing cards combined from Showtime and Fox Sports, as well as the scheduled November return of former PPV boxing champ Mike Tyson to the squared ring, will look to put boxing on the TV sports map in the fourth quarter.

“It’s a crowded fall boxing line-up, which is great for sports-starved consumers,” Mark Boccardi, senior VP of programming for PPV event aggregator In Demand, said.

Showtime recently launched an ambitious eight-fight fall boxing schedule which includes two major PPV events: a Sept. 26 card featuring world champion brothers Jermall and Jermell Charlo fighting in separate bouts, and an Oct. 24  Gervonta Davis- Leo Santa Cruz championship unification event, said Showtime officials.

The Sept. 26 card would be the first major PPV event for the category since the Feb. 22 Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder II heavyweight championship fight, and the first being held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Showtime is holding all of its fights with no fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Fox Sports will step into the PPV boxing ring on Nov. 21 with the Errol Spence Jr.-Danny Garcia welterweight championship fight. It's the undefeated Spence's first fight in more than a year after suffering serious injuries in an Oct. 19 car crash. 

A week later, former heavyweight champion Tyson is expected to enter the ring for the first time in 15 years when he fights another former heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. in an eight-round PPV exhibition fight. The event, distributed by multi-media company Triller, is reportedly expected to also feature musical performances as part of the PPV event.

In the wings is a scheduled Dec. 19 Fury-Wilder trilogy fight, although reports say that the fight could be moved to 2021.

While it’s too early to predict whether boxing fans will support PPV events in today’s difficult economic environment, the industry has to be somewhat encouraged by PPV performance numbers from mixed martial arts outfit UFC’s recent PPV events. The UFC’s Aug. 15 UFC 252 event drew around 400,000 buys according to Sports Business Daily, the third best performance for a UFC PPV event since the pandemic began. The May 9 UFC 249 -- its first and top performing PPV event since the pandemic -- drew more than 700,000 buys, according to SBJ.

Boccardi is confident that boxing fans will gravitate to the upcoming PPV fights, especially given the number of high-profile fighters stepping into the ring. 

”This fall’s PPV boxing line-up is going to be major, probably the biggest and most exciting one in recent memory," he said. "Since a lot of traditional fall sports, including some of the biggest conferences in college football, have sadly been postponed, we’re happy to be able to offer PPV customers the opportunity to support this incredible boxing season."

Former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will return to the ring for the first time in 15 years in a September pay-per-view exhibition fight against former champion Roy Jones Jr.

The eight-round fight will be the first for the one-time PPV boxing champion Tyson, 54, since a 2005 loss to Kevin McBride. Jones, himself a former heavyweight champion and PPV draw, last fought in 2018.

The fight will be distributed by multi-media company Triller on social media and by In Demand via linear PPV, although no details were released on a suggested retail PPV price for the event. Along with the Tyson-Jones fight, the event will also feature undercard fights and musical performances, according to Triller.

The fight is the first event of a series produced under Tyson’s "Legends Only League," a sports venture owned by Tyson and Eros Innovations which has partnered with Triller on all future boxing events, according to Triller. 

The Tyson-Jones Jr. fight comes on the heels of the announcement of two other PPV boxing matches this fall from Showtime, including a Sept. 26 card featuring world champion brothers Jermall and Jermell Charlo in separate bouts,and an Oct. 24 event featuring a Gervonta Davis-Leo Santa Cruz championship unification bout. 

HBO is getting out of the live boxing TV business after 45 years of televising some of the biggest events in the history of the sweet science.

With some 1,111 live boxing telecasts under its belt and one more fight telecast scheduled – the Oct. 27 Daniel Jacobs/Sergiy Derevyanchenko middleweight championship from New York – the pay TV service will walk away from the boxing ring at the end of the year. HBO and its pay-per-view arm TVKO/HBO PPV have been the home for some of the most memorable fights for nearly a half a century featuring some of the most iconic and successful fighters of all time, including Floyd Mayweather, Joe Frazier, Tommy Hearns, Oscar De La Hoya, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson, Manny Pacquiao and Roy Jones Jr. 

The influx of new fight distributors including streaming services like ESPN+ and DAZN coupled with declining ratings for live fights – HBO boxing telecasts, which once attracted as much as one-third of HBO’s subscribers, drew about about 2% of the network’s audience according to the New York Times – factored into the network’s decision.

I had a chance to speak to HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson regarding the network’s departure from boxing as well as HBO’s future plans for sports programming.

Why has HBO decided to walk away from televising live boxing events?

We evaluate what we do consistently, and over period of time it's been indicated to us through our research that boxing is no longer a major factor for our subscribers. Our job is to take care of our viewers, and we listen to them. Storytelling is obviously intimately intertwined with our legacy in the sport and we'll never forget our roots. You're going to see a continued presence in boxing from a storytelling capacity, not least of which will be 2019's multipart series on Muhammad Ali directed by Antoine Fuqua that will come out in spring of 2019.

So when you say that it's no longer a factor for subscribers, is that based on ratings or are subscribers are actually telling you they don't want to see boxing on the network?

It's internal research that looks at a variety of metrics with a raft of different methodology in terms of approaching consumer habits and their interests. We've done a critical assessment of where we are and where we're heading into the future. As a caveat I should say that we still remain open to the idea that if there is a large-scale event that transcends the sport that we'd be open to having those conversations.

What role did the influx of new distributors of live boxing events like DAZN play in this decision?

I can tell you that it didn't inform our decision at all. Our decision was informed by where our viewers and our subscribers’ interests lie. We think it's great that there are other places for fans of the sport to find it, and if that creates more opportunities for fighters than we feel great about that.

Are you worried about losing some hardcore boxing fans as subscribers with this move?

From everything that we've seen in terms of our research department's understanding of the data we don't foresee that being the case. We believe that there's a great interest in storytelling in the categories of news and journalism like Real Sports; in reality like Hard Knocks, which is up double digits in viewership this season from last; like the Being Serena series on Serena Williams; in the conversation genre that has opened up for us with shows like The Shop featuring LeBron James; and of course in our documentaries that we produce entirely in-house.

Did the recent AT&T acquisition of Time Warner play a part in this decision?

All of our decisions from a programming standpoint have been made on the basis and the merit of how we feel best aligns with HBO. HBO Sports has made this decision and made the strategic shift based on what our own criteria is and our own definition of success.

You mentioned that HBO would be open to coming back to the sport for a big pay-per-view opportunity. Are there any matches in your mind that could prompt the network to step back into the live TV boxing ring?

I think we'd have to evaluate events on a case by case basis. Boxing is constantly shape shifting, and you can never predict based on what's happening in September what's going to be true in November. We're going to take it in stride and see what the future holds. We're obviously going to be continuing to have conversations; if there's a mega event to be had we would hope to be considered as one of the homes of it.

What is the legacy of HBO Boxing?

The legacy will continue to be defined as a living breathing part of what we've done and where we're going. I think the storytelling aspect of what HBO Sports has always been known for is intimately entwined with what we have done in the past in terms of humanizing fighters; in terms of allowing viewers to empathize not just with them but with the communities from which they have arrived on the scene from. As we look ahead that will continue to be true in the stories that we look to tell as we try to bring forth to our viewers stories that enrich their own lives and their view of the world. 

Showtime Sports has been at the forefront of televised boxing for 30 years, taking a sport that for a generation was the purview of the broadcast networks and effectively promoting, marketing and distributing some of the most successful and lucrative fight cards in the history of the fight game.

Showtime and HBO’s co-distributed May 2015 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao pay-per-view fight remains the biggest pay TV event of all time, drawing more than 4.4 million buys and more than $400 million in revenue. Boxing has become a staple of Showtime’s programming offerings, and both on its premium channel and via PPV, the network has showcased arguably the biggest names in the sport, including Tommy Hearns, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Lennox Lewis, Canelo Alvarez and Floyd Mayweather.

Showtime Sports and Event Programming executive vice president and general manager Stephen Espinoza talked about the impact boxing has had on Showtime and vice versa over the past 30 years — as well as what the network is doing to ensure its future success with the sweet science — with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead.

MCN:How infl uential has boxing been to overall development of the Showtime brand?

Stephen Espinoza: It’s fair to say that boxing has been critical to the development of Showtime. It has provided another genre of programming that is completely consistent with the network’s overall brand. Showtime has become known for provocative, high-quality entertainment, with compelling characters, and there is nothing more provocative and there’s nothing more provocative and compelling than characters like Mike Tyson, Holyfield and Mayweather. Although it’s a much different type of programming in that its live sports as opposed to scripted dramas and comedies, its value to the network is the same — delivering unique, compelling, provocative programming at the highest level of quality.

MCN:How has Showtime enhanced the viewer’s experience of watching boxing on television compared to the broadcast television networks?

SE: I think there was a certain consistency in presentation that premium television offered to boxing. The ability to stay with a fight between rounds without going to commercial break is something that greatly enhances the presentation of the sport as a whole. The ability to do things without really needing to take a break in the action and to present [uncensored] content to an adult audience, in some cases, were really things that premium television could offer, so I think the experience of professional boxing on premium television was qualitatively different than anything else.

I also think the technology has impacted how the sport is presented and how we market, distribute and deliver the bout. We were covering the events with 15 cameras to be able to deliver the bout that mimics as close as possible the in-arena look and feel of the event. The advent of HD, Dolby 5.1, were also critical pieces of delivering that feeling of a live event. More recently, going to a 4K camera, which we started using three or four years ago, added another layer of detail of the visual presentation. Equally important was marketing and advertising the event. The advent of social media and digital marketing in general have been critical in being able to reach fans.

MCN:The premium category over the years has also been criticized for hurting the sport by taking its biggest stars away from broadcast television and forcing fans to pay to watch big fights. Do you think that is a fair criticism?

SE: I don’t think premium television hurt the sport per se. The shift to premium television was a significant change, but that was really more a factor of premium networks stepping into the void created by a decrease in networks televising boxing. There was the death of a fighter in the ring during the [1982 CBS-televised] Ray Mancini-Duk Koo Kim fight, and that caused some broadcasters to reconsider their commitment to the sport. It was a result of several factors that allowed premium television to become more active.

We can certainly debate whether [boxing’s move to premium cable] was a positive or negative development for the visibility of the sport. In an ideal case, having regular exposure of boxing on a broad, over-the-air platform is something that would have helped the sport overall historically. But overall, I think we have been good stewards of the sport and the sport has done wonders for the network as well.

MCN:Looking ahead, is the sport currently flourishing on Showtime?

SE: It is. The entire media market is undergoing changes, and that’s true for premium television, as well as boxing. There’s uncertainty as we undergo those changes, but there’s huge opportunity as well. For Showtime, our investment has been in the heavyweight division with such stars as [champions] Dante Wilder and Anthony Joshua are two investments that will provide us with hours and hours of great fights. More generally we are developing the largest pool of young, talented fighters that are going to lead the post Mayweather era. That includes Leo Santa Cruz, Keith Thurman, Sean Porter and Danny Garcia.

MCN:Who is the most impactful fighter to fight on Showtime?

SE: I’d say in terms of impact I’d say it’s a three-way tie between Tyson, Holyfi eld and Mayweather, with a close second being the fighter that’s appeared more than any fighter on Showtime, Julio Cesar Chavez.

MCN:What was the most memorable fight on Showtime?

SE: The one that immediately jumps to mind is the 2005 Diego Corrales- Jose Louis Castillo fight which, during my lifetime, is the best fight that I’ve ever seen and was later named fight of the decade.

Boxing champion Floyd Mayweather is “laser-focused” on putting together a May 2 fight with Manny Pacquiao as negotiations proceed, Showtime Sports executive vice president and general manager Stephen Espinoza said Saturday. 

Espinoza confirmed to Multichannel News that there are parts that have been completed for a May 2  Mayweather-Pacquiao mega pay-per-view fight, but a final agreement has yet to be reached.

“Talks are continuing and we’ve made meaningful progress, but we still have a significant distance to cover on a number of open points,” he said. “Until the whole thing is done, nothing’s done.”

Espinoza would not provide specifics on the talks. Showtime, which has two more fights on its six-fight TV deal with Mayweather, and HBO -- which has Pacquiao under contract -- are in negotiations to co-distribute the event via PPV.

 The last time the two rival pay TV services teamed to distribute a PPV fight was the 2002 Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson fight.

Earlier this week Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum said the Filipino fighter has agreed to terms to the fight, but added the undefeated Mayweather had not signed off on the deal. 

But Espinoza said that Mayweather is not hesitant to fight Pacquiao, but his strategy has been to keep as much of the negotiations out of the press as possible.

“Some has perceived that as lack of interest, but it’s the opposite – he’s so focused on getting it done that he doesn’t want to say anything publically that would complicate the negotiations,” Espinoza said. “He wants it as much as he’s ever had for any fight, and our marching orders are to do our best to get it done as fast as possible.”

Espinoza, speaking from Las Vegas in support of tonight’s Showtime telecast of the Bermane Stiverne-Deontay Wilder heavyweight championship fight, added that Mayweather will fight on May 2 against Pacquiao or another opponent.

Longtime boxing promoter Dan Goossen died Monday after battling liver cancer.

Goossen, 64, worked with numerous boxing champions during his decades long career, including Mike Tyson, Bernard Hopkins, and current super middleweight champion Andre Ward. He was diagnosed with liver cancer this past Labor Day, according to ESPN.com.

Showtime Sports general manager Stephen Espinoza said in a statement: “All of us at Showtime are deeply saddened by the passing of Dan Goossen.  This news has come as a shock to many of us who knew Dan personally, beyond our collaborative work on boxing events, for decades.  We will remember Dan as a passionate advocate for the sport of boxing, a fun-loving colleague and friend, and, above all, a devoutly religious family man.  Our deepest sympathies to the entire Goossen family.  May he rest in peace.”

Ken Hershman, President, HBO Sports said,"Everyone at HBO Sports is saddened by the sudden loss of Dan Goossen. Dan was a dedicated boxing promoter who we worked closely with for many, many years on some of the most important fights in the sport. But what was even more impressive was his total commitment to his family, who were always right by his side during fight week or wherever his business required him to be. Our prayers and thoughts are with his wife, Debbie, and the entire Goossen family."

ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions said of Goossen: “Dan Goossen was an absolute titan in the boxing industry and a great friend to ESPN. He was the mastermind behind bringing the WBC World Heavyweight Championship bout between Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola to the masses via ESPN back in May. He will be sorely missed.”