While $2.2 Billion Worth Showtime Puts 38 Employees’ Job at Risk by Shutting Down Their Sports Division, PBC Makes Major Moves To Secure Their Future and Here’s How It Could Benefit Boxing

After entertaining boxing fans for 37 years, Showtime is finally curtailing its services. The brand is following in HBO’s footsteps and will move on from boxing at the end of 2023. The shocking news came from Paramount, which has decided to streamline its services and ditch Showtime Sports altogether. With this latest development, the boxing world is descending into an era of uncertainty and opportunity.

Showtime Boxing has telecasted one of the most iconic fights in boxing history. The fans witnessed Mike Tyson biting Evander Holyfield‘s ear in 1997 and the PPV-shattering clash between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in 2015 on Showtime. In recent years, Showtime benefited from its tie-up with Al Haymon’s PBC, which produced exciting events and did splendid business, such as the 2023 super-fight between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. However, with Showtime closing down, the race is on to bag the star-clad stable.

PBC: The golden egg-laying chicken of Showtime is now available on the market

Imagine the roster of Canelo Alvarez, the Charlo twins, Errol Spence Jr., and Caleb Plant up for grabs. In a few months, the PBC will pen a new exclusive deal with a new entity. And thus, it will make its A-listers available to feature on their PPVs. While the talks are going on with Amazon Prime and DAZN, the boxing world will benefit if the deal with DAZN goes through.

Consequently, it will address one of the primary grievances of the fans. Having multiple promotions hinders matchmaking and offers fans thin fight cards with almost no chances of big names fighting each other. With Showtime bowing out and the PBC in talks with Amazon Prime and DAZN, this means better fights and an expanding international presence for the PBC.

DAZN is currently home to YouTubers-turned-prizefighters through Misfits and British-centric Matchroom Boxing. Crossover fighting is the new craze, and despite being frowned upon by purists, it is only on the rise. Adding PBC to its services will offer fans more stacked cards and better value for their subscribers.

Read More: “One of the Worst Feelings in the World”: Boxing World Devasted as 38 Employees Could Lose their Jobs After $2.2 Billion Worth Showtime Shuts Down It’s Sports Division

Meanwhile, even if the PBC strikes a deal with Amazon Prime, the American fans would have no qualms. They will have access to the NFL as well. Boxing fans are therefore set to enjoy the perks whichever way PBC heads. Fighters and promoters, on the other hand, are still reeling from the effects of the announcement.

Reimagining the boxing world without Showtime Boxing

With Showtime now out of the boxing business, the fighters are calling for collective action and transforming how boxing works. Ryan Garcia, saddened by the news, declared, “All us boxers need to make this our collective fight. We gotta be thinking about marketing, new audiences, investors, global, all of it… We just gotta reimagine it.”

Likewise, Terence Crawford chimed in and added, “We gotta think different. Look at every other sport is building empires by doing it right. Us fighters need to come together. We can fight in the ring but work together for our sport and our families.” Agreeing with the fighters, Oscar De La Hoya stressed the importance of promoters coming together and putting up big fights for the fans.

“I am hopeful that we promoters can use this unfortunate situation to put our differences aside and start working together more often to help make more of the bigger fights and grow our sport,” the American promoter reiterated.

The fighters and promoters are working in unison to make sure such a situation doesn’t develop again. The desire to put aside their differences and make bigger fights has long been muted. Hope is then the new buzzword amid the uncertainty over the future of 38 Showtime employees. Whatever may be the case, with the shutting down of $2.2 million worth Showtime and the PBC finding a new home for boxing, the boxing world will see a new dawn.

What do you make of this latest development concerning Showtime Sports? Where do you think the PBC will head now? Let us know in the comments below.

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