ESPN boxing dominating TV ratings

ESPN’s live telecast of the Saturday, November 11 Top Rank on ESPN (10:30 p.m. ET to 12:15 a.m. ET) scored two major victories. The overall event delivered 0.9 metered market rating according to Nielsen, making it the second highest-rated boxing telecast on cable television in 2017. The featured co-main event, a battle between Artur Beterbiev (12-0, 12 KOs) and Enrico Köelling (23-2, 6 KOs) for the vacant International Boxing Federation (IBF) light heavyweight world title, delivered a 1.0 metered market rating, making it the year’s second highest-rated boxing main event on cable television.

Showtime is strangely absent, despite some really good telecasts. This also doesn’t include PBC shows on network television.

Also of note:

– The November 11 Top Rank on ESPN scored two of the eight highest-rated bouts for cable television in 2017

– The second co-main event (Ramirez vs. Reed) averaged a 0.7 metered market average, making it eighth highest-rated boxing event for cable television in 2017

– Birmingham was the top local market, where the telecast averaged a 8.2 metered market rating, including a 10.8 rating during the first main event

– New Orleans was the second highest-rated local market, where the telecast averaged a 4.3 metered market rating

Two more Top Rank on ESPN fights are scheduled for 2017. Both are highly anticipated.

December 9, 9 p.m. ET Live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App
Top Rank on ESPN from New York City’s The Theater at Madison Square Garden on December 9 at 9 p.m. main event features Lomachenko (9-1, 7 KOs) against Rigondeaux (17-0, 11 KOs), the first time two-time Olympic gold medalists have fought each other professionally at the highest level. Lomachenko will defend his WBO junior lightweight world title against the reigning (WBA) super bantamweight champion Rigondeaux.

December 13, 6:30 a.m. ET Live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN App
Boxing’s Cinderella Man and Brisbane, Australia’s favorite son, Jeff “The Hornet” Horn, returns to the ring in the first defense of the world title he won off the legendary Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao. Horn (17-0-1, 11 KOs) will be risking his newly-minted World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight crown against Top-10 contender Gary “Hellraiser” Corcoran (17-1, 7 KOs), of London.