ESPN Exiting Big-Time Boxing – No Renewal for Top Rank Deal

ESPN will not renew its long-standing deal with Top Rank when their eight-year partnership concludes in August 2025, according to sources from Front Office Sports.

The Top Rank-ESPN deal was signed in 2017, committing to 54 events per year across ESPN and ESPN+. However, ESPN has decided not to extend the agreement, leaving Top Rank in search of a new broadcast partner.

Top Rank’s Response

Evan Korn, Top Rank’s Director of Communications, commented:

"We are in discussions with ESPN and multiple other parties regarding our media rights. While we never disclose details of these discussions, we greatly value our relationship with ESPN and the industry-defining experience we've delivered to fight fans worldwide over the past eight years."

Potential New Homes for Top Rank:

– Top Rank reportedly reached out to Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery, but neither platform has shown serious interest so far.

– Discussions with ProBox TV have taken place, with the idea of occasionally featuring some of Top Rank’s fighters, as has been done in the past.

– DAZN has emerged as a possible destination, with Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh reportedly interested in bringing Top Rank to the platform.

With ESPN stepping away from boxing, Top Rank now faces a pivotal decision on where its fighters will land next.