Moderated by Kate Abdo
No sport generates revenue in the millions of dollars like boxing, and no one does it better than Stephen Espinoza, the President of Showtime Sports. The man behind two of the biggest money-making fights in history: “Mayweather – Pacquiao” and “Mayweather – McGregor”, Espinoza shares his insights into his ground-breaking career, as well as looking ahead to the future of combat sports and the rise of his latest boxing star: YouTube sensation, Jake Paul.
Boxing, also known as the Wild Wild West of sports, is different from any other sport. There is no organized federation or league, no TV contract or schedule.
Espinoza’s dream at the start of his career was to be a sports agent, but landed at an entertainment law firm, representing names like Snoop Dogg, Shakira, Eminem and Tyler Perry.
Espinoza recalled numerous moments from his storied career, including first meeting Mike Tyson and their strong friendship, bringing Floyd Mayweather to where he is today, his 7 year journey to get the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao fight done, and the Connor McGregor phenomenon.
In 2011, still an attorney, Espinoza was offered the position of President of Showtime Sports. He had never worked in television before, and the leap of faith is something he never has regretted.
Espinoza says “Failure gives people a lot of freedom. If you’re going to fail, you may as well fall off a thousand foot cliff rather than a ten foot cliff. You need to take a chance.”
A year after joining Showtime, Espinoza closed a deal with Floyd Mayweather for $300 Million deal, taking him from HBO and making Showtime the #1 network for boxing. Espinoza says Mayweather bet on himself when joining Showtime, something similar to what he did when taking his own job.
