Through an expansion of ESPN’s agreement with Top Rank, ESPN+ will add 12 exclusive world-class Top Rank on ESPN cards to the annual line up. Top Rank’s monthly live ESPN+ events start Saturday, June 9 with a world championship bout showcasing pound-for-pound superstar Terence “Bud” Crawford as he seeks to win a world title in a third weight class when he challenges welterweight world champion Jeff “The Hornet” Horn at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
ESPN+ will also exclusively stream six international Top Rank on ESPN cards per year, giving subscribers access to some of the sport’s best international fights. The first international live event to stream on ESPN+ will be Saturday, April 21, when former unified junior welterweight world champion Amir Khan faces Phil Lo Greco in a welterweight battle, live from Liverpool, England.
The agreement sets the table for an integrated alliance between Top Rank and ESPN’s industry-leading networks and platforms to allow all forms of Top Rank content, including additional original programming and library content, to reach more fans in a variety of new ways.
The 12 additional Top Rank on ESPN cards and six international live events are exclusive to ESPN+. Subscribers of ESPN+ will also have access to a variety of new and existing boxing content throughout the year, including:
* A consistent studio show covering all the latest news, results and storylines
* The unmatched, on-demand treasure chest of the greatest fights of all time, including hundreds of fights from the ESPN Big Fights Library and the Top Rank archive, including Ali vs. Frazier I-III, Ali vs. Foreman, Leonard vs. Duran I-III, Hagler vs. Hearns and Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, among many, many more
* All Top Rank on ESPN undercard fights
* Re-airs of all Top Rank on ESPN and Top Rank on ESPN PPV bouts
* Weigh-ins, post-fight interviews and press conferences
* News, information and opinion across ESPN platforms
“ESPN is thrilled to take our relationship with Top Rank to a new level via this innovative and exclusive distribution on ESPN+,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming and Scheduling. “By distributing more Top Rank events and boxing content than ever before, we are showing fans our commitment to boxing through a more personalized and targeted manner.”
“Top Rank is thrilled to extend our agreement to include these additional world-class events for ESPN+,” said Todd duBoef, Top Rank President. “This addition offers a 360 approach to the entire boxing vertical, including live world class events, unparalleled coverage, as well as access to historical moments in the sport.”