Top Rank, led by Bob Arum, ended its broadcast partnership with ESPN following an event featuring Xander Zayas versus Jorge Garcia Perez in New York. This marked an end to boxing broadcasts on linear TV in America and left Top Rank without an arena to call home; UFC secured an unprecedented $7.7 billion, seven-year agreement with Paramount shortly after merging Skydance into itself, signalling its departure from ESPN at 2025’s conclusion.
As part of their new deal, Paramount+ will exclusively host 13 numbered events and 30 fight nights annually in the US with select events also broadcast by CBS. This development has had an enormous impact on combat sports landscape, leaving Top Rank scrambling for another broadcast partner; discussions were reported among Warner Bros, Netflix, HBO and DAZN among other entities, but none ever materialised until recent developments came into fruition.
“Top Rank is finalizing a deal with a cable channel that has never featured boxing before, to air one show per month,” disclosed boxing insider Rick Glasser on X. This move signifies a return to traditional TV for boxing, continuing its long-standing tradition. The insider added, “The deal will not be exclusive to Top Rank, allowing them to partner with other platforms.”
This strategic partnership means Top Rank can showcase its fights across various platforms, similar to UFC’s initial strategy. “Top Rank will also retain the foreign rights to the shows. Out of some respect for Top Rank, I won’t disclose the network,” Glasser mentioned, not revealing the financial details but describing it as “middle of the road type money.”
DAZN has been nearing a monopoly over boxing broadcasts, but Top Rank’s decision to partner with a cable network hinders DAZN’s complete dominion. Top Rank still features stars like Naoya Inoue and Keyshawn Davis, despite having lost notable talents such as Terence Crawford and Shakur Stevenson over the years.
Major League Baseball will join UFC and boxing as another sport leaving ESPN following 2025 season, ending a longstanding partnership that began back in 1990. ESPN decided not to renew their seven year, $3.85 billion contract after opting out of three of those years; MLB expressed disappointment about this decision as MLB seeks increased national exposure through traditional broadcasters as ESPN moves away from covering three sports by then.
As combat sports fans wait in anticipation for further details regarding Top Rank’s broadcasting adventures, speculation regarding their next home continues to escalate.