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Premier Boxing Champions

If there was any criticism to be had in Showtime unveiling its loaded spring/summer boxing schedule on Tuesday, it was that the fluid nature of negotiations surrounding some of the higher-end fights delayed the announcement long enough so that many of the events had already been leaked through various media reports.  

The reality, however, is that Showtime took an impressive step forward this week toward its claim, alongside its presentation of Bellator MMA, for it being the industry leader in combat sports coverage. The robust lineup encompassing nine events over five months to close out the first half of 2022 largely speaks for itself in terms of quality and anticipation from blockbuster pay-per-view bouts to sneaky-good action fights aimed at serving the sport's most fervent fan base.  

The names highlighting Showtime's announcement, through it's ongoing partnership with Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions, are among the most popular and accomplished in the sport today, including Errol Spence Jr., Gervonta "Tank" Davis, David Benavidez and the world champion Charlo brothers, Jermell and Jermall.  

Among the matchups announced, 18 of the fighters are below the age of 28 while 21 competitors in all will bring unbeaten records into their respective fights. The announcement also features two title unification bouts, an undisputed championship rematch, seven world title fights and three world title eliminators.

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"The goal -- and I think we achieved it -- was evenly matched fights against top-tier fighters," Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza told "Morning Kombat" on Tuesday. "That sounds simple enough and that's what the sport should be everyday, whether it's MMA or boxing. That is what we all aspire to. But I think this time, we nailed it and we are excited." 

PPV bouts pairing Spence and Yordenis Ugas for three welterweight world titles on April 16 in Arlington, Texas, and Davis opposite Rolando "Rolly" Romero in a lightweight grudge match on May 28 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, were the two flashiest of the group. Meanwhile, a May 14 undisputed title rematch at 154 pounds pairing Jermell Charlo and Brian Castaño is among the most important fights on the schedule and furthered Showtime's investment into the division alongside Tim Tszyu-Terrell Gausha on March 26 and Erickson Lubin-Sebastian Fundora on April 9.  

Yet, for as impressive as the announcement was, it was hard not to imagine how much bigger it was expected to be given how close the network came to retaining the services of pound-for-pound king and the sport's biggest draw, Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican icon returned to Showtime PPV last fall for the first time since 2014 when he knocked out Caleb Plant to become the sport's first four-belt undisputed champion at 168 pounds.  

Alvarez was reportedly offered a lucrative two-fight deal from Showtime and PBC to face unbeaten rising stars Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez in consecutive fights in 2022. The deal was even sweetened once more, according to reports, until Alvarez ultimately chose a return to DAZN and promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport for a May challenge of unbeaten light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and a possible September trilogy with longtime rival Gennadiy Golovkin. 

"It's a very personal decision," Espinoza said. "At the end of the day, when you get to Canelo's level, you are entitled to make your own decisions. It's normal to say, 'This is my career and I'm doing it my own way.' And that is certainly his right. I think we put together a very strong package, it was financially the most lucrative package and, for my money as a fan, I think we put on the table for him the biggest legacy fights that could've happened. But I think there is also a part of Canelo that wanted to do something new and different, and going to 175 is a big challenge.  

"I think the biggest fight for the U.S. market would've been Charlo, but I'm not trying to denigrate the Bivol fight, it is a big challenge. I respect what he's doing and I wish it was with us but you can't win it all." 

Instead, Jermall Charlo will return on Showtime for a June 18 defense of his WBC middleweight title against the battle-tested Maciej Sulecki, although even that fight was a last-minute addition to the schedule after Showtime nearly pulled off a third PPV bout featuring Charlo against unbeaten former 154-pound champion Jaime Munguia. The beloved Mexican brawler agreed to the fight before Golden Boy Promotions attempted to force its own involvement with DAZN into a two-network deal that Espinoza ultimately rejected. 

"I don't blame Munguia at all. For his part, he accepted his deal," Espinoza said. "Then, where it sort of fell apart was at the promoter discussion level. We were backing an offer from TGB Promotions and PBC and when we back a fight like that, we are going to say it's on Showtime. There was pushback from Munguia's team saying there needs to be a split with DAZN. Candidly, the fight is a very good fight and it's interesting and one I want to see but it's not [Floyd] Mayweather-[Manny] Pacquiao. We don't need two different platforms on it. There is just not enough room and it's overkill." 

Espinoza said further attempts at concocting a two-fight deal in which Munguia, should he be victorious in the first fight on Showtime, would be allowed to bring the rematch to any platform of his choice, including DAZN, ultimately fell on deaf ears.  

"[Golden Boy] felt an obligation to involve DAZN," Espinoza said. "My understanding is it's not a legal or contractual [obligation], there is not exclusivity here but they wanted to kiss DAZN into the deal. Now, I'm not sure DAZN really wanted into the deal. I have heard they weren't even interested in collaborating for their party, either." 

Focusing too much on the names or fights Showtime didn't land in the end only takes away from the compelling parts of the fights in which it did. Take Tszyu (20-0, 15 KOs) for instance, the unbeaten 27-year-old son of a legend, Hall-of-Famer Kostya Tszyu, who will make his U.S. debut by following in his father's footsteps as a featured fighter on the network. And then there's the case of rising welterweight stud Jaron "Boots" Ennis, who returns on May 14 in the co-main event of the Charlo-Castaño II card opposite Custio Clayton.  

Ennis (28-0, 26 KOs), the 24-year-old native of Philadelphia who appears poised to possibly take over the entire division in the coming years, is the rare boxer featured on Showtime who isn't signed with Haymon and PBC. Yet Ennis, who is promoted by Cameron Dunkin, signed his own multi-fight contract with Showtime this week and, despite rumors threatening the contrary, isn't expected to be frozen out of opportunities to fight PBC opponents, per Espinoza, which includes Clayton.  

"The reality is, we have worked with many fighters who are not PBC fighters," Espnioza said. "[PBC] has the bulk of the talent and provide the bulk of our schedule. But it would be shortsighted for us and them if we didn't have any flexibility to go out and grab a fighter like 'Boots' and do it. As long as he is in the mix, it really doesn't matter. PBC is not out there trying to sign everybody in the world. They are going to have access to Boots and Boots can get the fights that he wants through the network." 

The one notable name missing from either Showtime's release or the rumored fights which weren't consummated is YouTube star Jake Paul, who crossed over to professional prizefighting three times in 2021, including a pair of PPV events against former UFC champion Tyron Woodley. Espinoza said Paul is taking some time off before a possible summer return and believes Showtime is positioned strongly to continue its relationship with the 25-year-old influencer moving forward.  

"I thought he was a really interesting and positive addition to our portfolio and the sport, itself," Espinoza said. "I get that not everyone is a fan of every event he or even we do, but what I think Jake has demonstrated repeatedly is that he's out there to build the sport. It's not all about Jake, he is supporting other fighters like Amanda Serrano. He's bringing eyeballs to the sport and eyeballs on issues within the sport, including fighter pay. And there's no shortage of [opponents].  

"It's sort of like fantasy boxing, meaning what kind of matchup would you like him to make? Is it a boxer or an MMA guy? It's all on the table."  

No Canelo? No problem. It may have been a bit of a soap opera in getting here, with a few hopes and dreams deferred to a future date, but Showtime has clearly placed itself in a power position within the sport of boxing as the first half of 2022 rolls on.