“I Can’t Even Eat for 220 Bucks”: Boxing Hofer, Who Has an Active Deal With ESPN, Remains Brutally Honest About Mass Layoffs

ESPN has recently been under a lot of scrutiny from sports fans and experts alike, from all over the world. ESPN has been very popular amongst sports fans, which is the reason why, when the sports news network was at its peak, it had a reach of 100 million households all around the world. However, that is a decade-old story, it seems that the onset of Covid brought bad news for the network as well and there was a drastic drop in the number all the way down to 74 million homes.

This is mostly due to viewers picking other streaming options rather than the traditional networks. Moreover, it appears that they are losing their audience except from sports like the NBA and NFL. This led the network to fire its top 20 on-air hosts. Fans recently even shared their love for Max Kellerman as the news of him being laid off came out. Furthermore, even Andre Ward has now bid his farewell to the network. His co-worker Timothy Bradley has some words to say about the current situation.

Timothy Bradley gets candid about the situation

Bradley who is a former champion in two weight classes, has been enlightening the masses with his boxing knowledge along with the former champion and undefeated retired boxer, Andre Ward. He personally appeared hurt as his co-host had to part with the network. In a recent interview with FightHype.com, he remained honest as he shared his frustration with the situation. Addressing Kellerman being laid off he said, “Max [Kellerman] was an asset in my opinion but what people got to realize is that business is business.”

He further added that sometimes one’s performance does not matter. According to him, what matters is “How you’re performing, it matters about how these companies are going to be able to survive”. He stated that companies’ longevity is what matters in the end.

Bradley stated, “It just so happened that- it was just bad timing with this whole recession that we’re in. They won’t say it yet, the media won’t say we’re in the recession but dammit! I can’t even eat for 220 bucks man, we definitely in recession. It’s tough, it’s extremely tough bro.” Bradley remained brutally honest as he shared the tough period people are going through with their jobs on the line. This is undoubtedly stressful to people working at ESPN who are afraid of potentially losing their jobs.

Bradley breaks down in tears

Andre Ward wasn’t fired, unlike his other ex-co-workers. He has to leave ESPN as his contract with the network is now over. This news has definitely affected ‘Desert Storm’ as Ward parts his way from ESPN after working there for 6 years. The American boxer described the moment he received the news. He revealed that Mike McQuade, his head boss, “Dropped the news” on them.

Furthermore, he added that “It’s been a journey through pandemic”. Bradley stated that through these, they managed to “built this camaraderie amongst each other, our colleagues”. He added that “I’m gonna miss him [Ward] dearly”. Ward shared the surprising news on Twitter, stating that “Great things are ahead”.

The situation is concerning for everyone involved. For now, sports enthusiasts will have to wait to see how the situation develops further. Even Stephen A. Smith has recently hinted that this might not be the end of all troubles, and even he might end up getting sacked next.

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What do you think about the current situation? What do you think holds for the sports network’s future? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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