ESPN’s Coverage of Miguel Cotto vs. Sergio Martínez
Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
ESPN will present extensive pre- and post-fight coverage across its platforms in English and in Spanish surrounding the 12-round WBC World Middleweight Championship fight between former three-division world champion Miguel Cotto (38-4, 31 KOs) and reigning titleholder Sergio Martínez (51-2-2, 28 KOs).
The fight – from Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday, June 7 – will be produced and distributed live by HBO-Pay-Per-View beginning at 9 p.m. ET. As part of ESPN and HBO Sports’ boxing programming and marketing agreement, ESPN will have access to key content, including press conference and weigh-in coverage, classic Cotto and Martínez fights, the Cotto vs. Martínez pre-fight show, which includes non-televised undercard fights, and post-fight, in-ring interviews.
Highlights:
Television
· SportsCenter:
o Pre- and post-fight analysis and interviews with ESPN’s Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) and Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn).
o Highlights of Friday’s weigh-in.
ESPN Deportes’ Semana de Campeones (Week of Champions)
o Golpe a Golpe weigh-in show (Friday, June 6, 6 p.m.): commentators Jorge Eduardo Sánchez, Osuna, and analysts Juan Manuel Márquez, Joe Cortez and Julio César Chávez, Sr. will provide the latest news and analysis from Madison Square Garden.
o Golpe a Golpe pre-fight and post-fight show: (Saturday, June 7, 8 p.m.; Sunday, June 9, 2 a.m.). Sánchez, Márquez, Cortez, Osuna, and Chávez will be joined by commentator Claudia Trejos and analyst Delvin Rodríguez for pre-fight coverage. Following the fight, ESPN Deportes will air a special post-fight show.
o ESPN Deportes news and information platforms will also have coverage of Wednesday’s press conference and Friday’s weigh-in.
o SportsCenter, Capitanes, Radio Fórmula, Cronómetro, and Nación ESPN will have daily segments previewing the fight.
· Classic Cotto and Martínez fights (ESPN Deportes): ESPN Deportes will re-air Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito II (Saturday, June 7, 6 p.m.) and Julio César Chávez Jr. vs. Sergio Martínez (Saturday, June 7, 7 p.m.). In 2011, Cotto defeated Margarito in their second fight, scoring a 10th–round TKO to retain the WBA Jr. Middleweight title. In 2012, Martínez scored a 12-round unanimous decision win over Chávez to win the WBC Middleweight title.
Digital
· Press conference, weigh-in and pre-fight show on ESPN3: Coverage of the Wednesday, June 4, press conference (1 p.m.) and Friday, June 6, weigh-in (2:30 p.m.) will be live on ESPN3 via WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and on televisions through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and Roku to fans who receive their Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider. ESPN3 will also carry the pre-fight show, which includes non-televised undercard fight action (Saturday, 6:15 p.m.).
· ESPN.com:
o Comprehensive coverage including pre- and post-fight features, videos and blogs from ESPN’s Rafael, Brian Campbell and Osuna.
o “Fight Credential,” ESPN.com’s home page for all Cotto vs. Martínez coverage, updated with features, video, photos and social media from all platforms throughout the week and through the fight.
o Rafael and ESPN SportsNation host and HBO boxing analyst Max Kellerman preview Cotto vs. Martínez in a special feature.
o HBO’s Face Off with Max Kellerman: Cotto/ Martínez. Both fighters square off debate-style with Kellerman serving as moderator.
o “Hot Botton”: Rafael and Campbell make their case for both fighters.
o Former Welterweight titlist Timothy Bradley Jr. will join Rafael and Campbell on site to preview the fight on Making the Rounds, ESPN.com’s original boxing show.
o ESPN3 live streams of Wednesday’s press conference, Friday’s weigh-in, and Saturday’s pre-fight show which includes non-televised undercard fights.
· ESPNdeportes.com: ESPNdeportes.com will also present comprehensive in-depth reporting leading into the bout including exclusive interviews with the fighters, coverage of their training, analysis, stats, live coverage of the press conference and weigh-in, and video analysis and interviews. On Saturday, the Spanish-language online destination will be covering on-site with live reporting, recaps, real-time fight score and video analysis.
Schedule of Cotto vs. Martínez coverage across ESPN platforms:
Fri, Jun 6
2:30 p.m.
Cotto vs. Martínez Weigh-in Live
ESPN3, ESPN.com, ESPNdeportes.com
6 p.m.
Golpe a Golpe (special weigh-in show)
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
Sat, Jun 7
6 p.m.
Boxeo Clásico: Cotto vs. Margarito II
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
6:15 p.m.
Cotto vs. Martínez Pre-Fight Show
ESPN3, ESPN.com
7 p.m.
Boxeo Clásico: Chávez Jr. vs. Martínez
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
8 p.m.
Golpe a Golpe (Pre-Fight)
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
2 a.m.
Golpe a Golpe (Post-Fight)
ESPN Deportes, WatchESPN
*Schedule subject to change
