Home

Boxing

“Get Your Info Right”: Showtime President Clarifies Viral Graphics Controversy After Former Lightweight Champion Highlights It on the Internet

Published 11/29/2023, 2:28 AM EST

Follow Us

via Imago

It’s a tragedy! Showtime hosted its last boxing event on 25 November, headling Jose Benavidez Jr. vs. Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez vs. Demetrius Andrade. While the epic clash of the middleweights conspired in front of thousands, a controversy was on the rise. In a surprising turn of events, Jamel Herring hopped on social media to highlight the same, prompting a response from the Showtime president.

Stephen Espinoza quickly hit back with a strong clarification on X (formerly Twitter). What’s the controversy? After the Saturday night fight concluded, a bamboozling graphic of the fight card came to light, starting the controversy. In the graphics in question, the names of the fighters are jumbled with each other. It also included some fighters who were not even in the fight. So, the former lightweight champion highlighted this graphic. Here’s what Espinoza has to say!

Stephen Espinoza highlights illegal streaming 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Turning to the platform everyone loves so much, the president of Showtime asked Jamel to check his information while revealing the real source of the graphic. “Get your info right. This screenshot is from the international telecast, not Showtime telecast,” Espinoza wrote in the tweet. He went on to clarify the entire debacle by denying Showtime’s involvement with the graphic.

“Showtime had nothing to do with this graphic,” Espinoza wrote. He went on to accuse people in America of illegally watching the event, which is the only way people in the US saw that graphic because it was shown in the international telecast. “Some of y’all are telling on yourselves. If you’re in the U.S.  watching the international feed, it’s obvious you’re illegally streaming,” wrote Espinoza. Moreover, since Showtime is the topic, here’s why they had to exit the sport.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Boxing stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Showtime President blames resource allocation

After the news broke about Showtime’s exit, Michael Benson released the statement from Espinoza on X regarding their exit. He began by suggesting Showtime’s exit does not show their work or history in the sport. “The company’s decision is not a reflection of the work we have done in recent years, nor of our long and proud history,” said Espinoza.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

He proceeded to reveal the real reason behind Showtime’s decision, blaming resource allocation. “Unfortunately, in a rapidly evolving media marketplace, the company has had to make difficult choices allocating resources,” said Espinoza. He concluded by suggesting it was a hard decision to make, but it was out of their control. 

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

After a successful boxing event on 25 November, Espinoza clarified the wrong graphic controversy floating on the internet. However, the bigger question is – where do you think the graphic came from? Did you see this graphic during the fight?

Watch This Story: David Benavidez possible next Opponents

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sudeep Sinha

1,158Articles

One take at a time

The first time boxing captured my attention, it was because of a line I heard in the film 'Rocky Balboa', a film surrounding boxing. The line went like this, "But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.
Show More>

Edited by:

Arijit Saha