“It’s A Shame”: Despite Its Success, Showtime Sports President Remains Brutally Honest About Day Of Reckoning Card’s Lost Opportunity

Last night, one of the grandest events in boxing history took its course at the newly built Kingdom Arena in Riyadh. The ‘Day of Reckoning’ card was stacked with the who’s who of the heavyweight class, and the Saudis left no stone unturned in making the event a staggering success. Even the event’s trailer garnered more than 15 million views on YouTube in under a week. However, in the wake of it, Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza, thinks that the big event did not completely achieve what it was supposed to do.

After 37 years in the business, Espinoza’s Showtime Boxing pulled out of operations this year. Once renowned for broadcasting the iconic bouts, the company experienced a decline in profits, leading to its eventual downfall. In contrast, its competitor, DAZN, which broadcasted the Day of Reckoning, is currently enjoying the success of its latest endeavor. Espinoza, however, expressed his sentiments about the event on Twitter, characterizing the show as a “squandered” opportunity.

Espinoza’s Critique of the Day of Reckoning

Talking about how last night’s fights clashed with the holiday season in the US, the ongoing NFL and College Football season, he suggested that the event did not get the awareness that it deserved. On his X profile, he noted, “Entertaining card this afternoon, but it’s a shame that the scheduled date drastically limited U.S. awareness. Due to holiday, competing NFL doubleheader & CFB, today is, at best, a challenging PPV date. Would’ve been much bigger on almost any other date. Opportunity squandered.”

Suggesting that the card could have been scheduled anytime early in 2024, Espinoza added in another tweet, “And yes, I know the event was scheduled to provide content for the Riyadh Season festival & the U.S.. market isn’t necessarily top priority. But those festivals continue through March 2024. And this was a lost opportunity to expose & grow the sport.”

The card, perhaps the biggest in recent times, featured ace fighters like Anthony Joshua, Deontay Wilder, Daniel Dubois, and Dmitry Bivol. However, Espinoza still thinks it missed its mark at least in regards to its US showing.

Despite what Espinoza had to say about the event, Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren believe that it signals a good start for something even bigger.

Hearn and Warren Will Work Together

Once scorned rivals, Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren came together to get the massive Day of Reckoning clash rolling. With their recent revelations, it seems like the event did well. Ahead of the card, at the weigh-ins, speaking to DAZN, Hearn remarked, “We love the sport, and when there are massive opportunities for our fighters and our business and the sport of boxing, we’d be plonkers if we didn’t try and make this work.”

Adding to Hearn’s revelation, Warren continued, “We’ll be working in association with each other in quite a few of the events. So, I’m looking forward to it because I think this is the start of something really, really big.”

Also Read: Conor McGregor To Sit Beside Cristiano Ronaldo For the ‘Day Of Reckoning’ Card

The Saudis are bringing the resources they have in their kitty to host one of the most pertinent fights of this era. Joining these efforts are Hearn and Warren, with the hopes of pushing boxing to its highest peak. However, Espinoza is right. They need to weigh global factors when organizing such events so that they reach audiences all over.

Do you agree with Espinoza? Let us know in the comments section below.

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