On March 10, 1986, the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler entered the ring against John Mugabi. The bout entered the annals of boxing classics. On the same date, history buffs were treated to another interesting tidbit. Showtime Sports made its debut, showcasing the match as the undisputed middleweight champion defended his title for the twelfth time. Now, 37 years later, the network once again walks into history. Five years after rival HBO bids goodbye, Showtime follows suit, drawing the curtains on boxing.

Rumor mills were already rife with the news, but as the dust settled, it became clear that Showtime would no longer feature the sport after 2023. In many ways, that also left the fate of long-time partners on the fence. PBC and Showtime joined hands in 2013 and have been working closely ever since. Now that the network was calling it a day, Al Haymon‘s promotion had to look for a course correction. If recent reports are to be believed, the turnaround might have brought it to the threshold of the all-powerful Amazon Prime.

Movement on the correct path

Sourcing Ariel Helwani, Michael Benson tweeted, “Al Haymon’s PBC are reportedly now “very, very close” to a boxing broadcast deal with Amazon Prime after Showtime announced that they are set to leave the sport at the end of this year.” Given Amazon Prime’s reach and popularity, as of now, most of the fans have taken to the news. However, subscription-related doubts do persist, as appeared in some of the comments.

This user views the Amazon Prime and PBC deal as nothing less than a streaming knockout punch!

For the following fan, there will soon be a dramatic shift in the sport of boxing.

While wondering that PBC were once critical of DAZN, this user sounded ecstatic with the availability of PBC cards in the UK.

For the following fan, the new term for the headline fight would be primetime, not showtime.

Sounding very optimistic, this follower heaved a sigh of relief that they could finally witness some good-quality boxing matches.

It came as a big shock to many die-hard fans when they learned about Showtime’s exit from boxing. Some of the biggest fights in the sport’s history were aired by the network, including the Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Manny Pacquiao ‘Fight of the Century.’

Wrapping up

According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, DAZN was another choice for PBC. But noted boxer Dan Rafael sounded skeptical. According to him, it was a partnership that may not be considered. But an October article on the portal Nosmokesport mentioned the Amazon contract, which is PBC’s top aim. Incidentally, Paramount, which controlled Showtime, announced an exit from mixed martial arts as well. On November 20, they sold their rights to Bellator MMA to the Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Read More: With Showtime’s Exit From Boxing, Jake Paul and Al Haymon’s Plan With Netflix Can Be a Saving Grace for Boxing PPV and Here’s Why

What’s your take on PBC’s move? Do you agree with the sentiments shared by most of the followers? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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