Espinoza Responds to Negative Chatter
With the revelation that Wilder v Ortiz 2 would broadcast live on FOX PPV rather than on SHOWTIME, many thought the worst. The WBC heavyweight champion Deontay “The Bronze Bomber” Wilder has enjoyed a fruitful coexistence with the network for several years now.
Not to mention SHOWTIME is who broadcast the original scrap. The sudden apparent split led to speculation that perhaps there was a permanent or even underhanded implication in the action.
IS HAYMON A DIRTBAG?!
One such person was UK promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Promotions, who quickly took the doom and gloom route. When questioned on his opinion on the matter Hearn told Michael Benson that he felt Haymon dealt Stephon Espinoza a raw deal. In his estimation, a dastardly Al Haymon played Espinoza, SHOWTIME’s president of sports and event planning, for a patsy. In his vision, Haymon cunningly bolstered Wilder’s notoriety on SHOWTIME with ulterior motives. His end game would be to snatch Wilder off the network when heading into a big money PPV.
Hearn openly wondered if such a devastating blow as this could lead to the full demise of boxing on SHOWTIME. The abrupt switch was at the very least a curious occurrence. If there was indeed bad blood, maybe a last minute evacuation was not so out of the question.
“I think Al Haymon’s done Stephen Espinoza nice and dirty. They got him to invest in the poor fight against Brazeale, then took him off SHOWTIME. A brutal move. I think that’s probably the end of boxing on SHOWTIME.
Eddie Hearn – Director of Matchroom Boxing”
The WBC champion is at the peak of his popularity. Beyond mere public notoriety, his powerful straight right appears one of the biggest draws in the heavyweight division. No matter whom a pundit ranks as the number one heavyweight, Wilder has got to be in the top three. This grants him legit big dog positioning in the “best of the division” quest, and solidifies his undeniable economic drawing power.
So, would it be out the question to wonder if the Bronze Bomber jumped ship for a bigger bag?
UNCLE AL ISN’T SO BAD AFTER ALL
Well, whether it is right or wrong to assume, Stephen Espinoza himself put all rug pulling, back-stabbing theories to rest. Obviously, Espinoza got wind of the conspiracy-filled chatter and swiftly stamped out the budding firestorm. The SHOWTIME big-wig corrected the narrative by explaining that rather than being a case of nefarious double-dealings, it was more an instance of practical business sense.
Apparently, Team Wilder did give SHOWTIME the first crack and distributing the compelling rematch. Yet, caught at the end of the year, and the short side of their own budget, Espinoza and his think-tank thought it a more prudent idea to pass on the stellar event.
Their calculations surmised that a PPV with all the bells and whistles would require more money than they were prepared to bankroll. After sharing this information with the champ, it was decided that the move to FOX would be the best for all parties involved. Thus, we have the current situation.
“We had the opportunity to distribute the PPV, but the deal didn’t make sense for us…We’re not going to take what we feel is a disproportionate risk to distribute it.
Stephen Espinoza – President of Showtime Sports”
In all likelihood, there is a fantastic chance that right after his business with Ortiz is concluded, the Bronze Bomber will return back to his comfortable nest at SHOWTIME.
In terms of Eddie Hearn, it’s no surprise that he was lightning fast to paint the most detrimental picture of what was going on. The UK promoter was just as quick on the draw to think Wilder v Fury wasn’t going to happen. Even before the cut, he publicly doubted the Wilder v Fury rematch probably would come off as planned.
At one point, Hearn lamented how Wilder’s poor promotional team had failed him in terms of getting his name out to the masses. Times have certainly changed.
However, at the end of the day, Hearn and Haymon are direct competitors in a literal blood sport. No one is supposed to play nice or whisper sweet-nothings when discussing the enemy. Said to say, Eddie saw a tender spot to jab and took his shot. Can’t really blame the man, he is trying to win for the home team after all.
Yet it’s always best to get the verified facts, straight from the horse’s mouth.
By: Bakari Simpson
