Showtime to Distribute July Errol Spence-Terence Crawford PPV Boxing Event
Welterweight unification fight set for July 29 in Las Vegas
The pay-per-view boxing category’s already strong 2023 campaign will get a major boost in July as Showtime will distribute the much anticipated welterweight boxing match between champions Errol Spence Jr. and Terence Crawford.
The fight, for the undisputed welterweight championship, will take place in Las Vegas and will pit the undefeated WBC, WBA and IBF 147-pound champion Spence Jr. against WBO champion Crawford. Both fighters have headlined PPV boxing cards, and industry observers believe that the fight could surpass the industry standard 1 million PPV buys.
“Spence vs. Crawford is the type of matchup that will demonstrate boxing’s enduring popularity – a marquee event to bring the sports world to a halt with all eyes on the center of the ring in Las Vegas,” Showtime Sports president Stephen Espinoza said. “This fight will be talked about alongside all of the legendary welterweight and undisputed world title bouts throughout history.”
The fight is the seventh major PPV fight card in 2023 and fourth for Showtime. The network’s April 22 Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia fight is the highest-performing fight of the year thus far, generating a reported 1.2 million PPV buys.
Most recently, DAZN’s May 6 Canelo Alvarez-John Ryder bout drew a reported 450,000 PPV buys.
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R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.