SHOWTIME Sports will continue to present classic bouts from its vast archive of world championship fights every Friday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME throughout May. SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS will also be available via the SHOWTIME streaming service and SHOWTIME ANYTIME®.
(Photo credit: Showtime Boxing Classics)
The May SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS line-up highlights some of the biggest names in boxing in a slew of signature fights, including the 2017 blockbuster pay-per-view event Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor. Every Friday night, viewers will be able to relive classic encounters from all-time greats such as Mayweather, Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, and more, as well as the stars of today, including Premier Boxing Champions fighters Errol Spence Jr., Leo Santa Cruz, Keith Thurman and more.
The schedule is as follows.
Friday, May 1 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Kell Brook vs. Errol Spence Jr.
Spence vs. Lamont Peterson
Friday, May 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Keith Thurman vs. Shawn Porter
Thurman vs. Danny Garcia
Friday, May 15 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana I
Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor
Friday, May 22 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Kostya Tszyu vs. Ricky Hatton
Joe Calzaghe vs. Jeff Lacy
Friday, May 29 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Leo Santa Cruz vs. Carl Frampton II
Santa Cruz vs. Abner Mares II
Combat sports analysts Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell will host live companion episodes of their digital talk show MORNING KOMBAT on the Morning Kombat YouTube Channel for select SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS telecasts. They will watch the fights along with viewers, give their real-time reactions, and take questions from fans throughout the replay. Viewers can follow along and participate in the discussion by using the hashtag #FightFromHome.
A synopsis of the bouts featured on SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS is listed below.
Brook-Spence (May 27, 2017, Spence KO 11) – Spence goes into enemy territory and takes the IBF Welterweight Title away from Sheffield, England’s own Brook in an all-action affair at Bramall Lane in Sheffield. Brook’s left eye is badly damaged from Spence’s powerful punches, and that proves to be the deciding factor in the bout. By the end of round nine, Brook’s left eye is grotesquely swollen, and in series 10, Spence drops Brook with a flurry of punches. The 27-year-old Spence pours on the pressure in round 11, and with Brook’s eye in serious condition, he takes a knee on his own accord. Brook gets up at the count of 9, but referee Howard Foster waves it off, much to the disappointment of the 27,000 fans in attendance.
Spence-Peterson (January 20, 2018, Spence TKO 7) – Undefeated welterweight world champion Spence retains his IBF title with an impressive stoppage of former two-division champion Peterson. In his first defense since dethroning Brook, Spence outboxes a tough Peterson from start to finish, showcasing a wide array of skills, speed, and power. The fight ends before the beginning of the eighth round after Peterson’s trainer, Barry Hunter, calls for the stoppage.
Thurman-Porter (June 25, 2016, Thurman W 12) – In an old-fashioned Fight of the Year candidate, undefeated welterweight world champion Thurman defends his title. It edges out former world champion Porter in a close, but unanimous decision scored 115-113 by all three ringside judges at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The two fighters throw over 1200 punches combined in the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® on CBS event.
Thurman-Garcia (March 4, 2017, Thurman W 12) – Thurman unifies boxing’s glamour division with a split-decision victory over Garcia, defending his WBA belt and picking up the WBC crown on boxing’s biggest stage in primetime on CBS. The close affair, which was only the third time undefeated fighters met to unify the 147-pound division, is scored 116-112 Thurman, 115-113 Thurman and 115-113 Garcia. Thurman comes out swinging and is the busier and more accurate fighter in nine-of-the-12 rounds. Garcia picks up the pace in the final rounds, but it’s too little too late for the previously undefeated Philadelphia native.
Mayweather-Maidana I (May 3, 2014, Mayweather W 12) – Mayweather prevails with a hard-fought majority decision victory over Maidana to become the WBA and WBC Welterweight Champion in front of over 16,000 fans at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. For a moment, it seems like Maidana could do the unthinkable and hand pound-for-pound champion, Mayweather, the first loss of his brilliant career with his suffocating and blazing style. Instead, Mayweather’s defense and punching accuracy allow him to pick up his 46th consecutive win with scores of 114-114, 117-111, and 116-112.
Mayweather-McGregor (August 26, 2017, Mayweather TKO 10) – Floyd Mayweather ends his historic career in style with a convincing technical knockout victory over UFC mega-star Conor McGregor in an unprecedented global sporting event that delivers 4.4 million domestic pay-per-view buys, second only to Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao in 2015. The 40-year-old Mayweather, fighting for the first time in 714 days, punishes McGregor with a series of blows to end the fight in the 10th round. Mayweather goes out on top, becoming the first boxer to finish his career at 50-0, eclipsing the record he had previously shared with the legendary Rocky Marciano.
Tszyu-Hatton (June 4, 2005, Hatton TKO 11) – In front of 22,000 screaming fans, a mostly unproven but hungry Ricky Hatton announces his entry to the upper echelons of the world boxing scene by recording an 11th-round TKO over one of the world’s top pound-for-pound boxers to win the IBF Junior Welterweight World Title. After 11 rounds of boxing marked by Hatton’s signature stamina, aggression, and heart, Tszyu’s corner decides to retire before answering the bell for the final stanza in one of the most memorable upsets British boxing has ever seen.
Calzaghe-Lacy (March 4, 2006, Calzaghe W 12) – In the most anticipated super middleweight match since Roy Jones defeated James Toney 12 years prior, Calzaghe produces a masterpiece win over the heavy pre-fight favorite Lacy to earn the WBO and IBF Super Middleweight titles. Calzaghe dominates throughout the fight, with the British fight fans chanting “Over-rated” at the American Lacy during the last three rounds. Calzaghe cuts Lacy over both eyes and causes blood to flow from Lacy’s nose midway through a fight that could have been stopped several times, and floors him in the 12th. It is the 17th time that Calzaghe defends his WBO 168-pound belt since outpointing Chris Eubank for the vacant title in October 1997.
Santa Cruz-Frampton II (January 28, 2017, Santa Cruz W 12) – Leo Santa Cruz executes his game plan brilliantly to reclaim the WBA Featherweight Championship in a rematch of his epic first fight with Frampton on July of 2016. Frampton is the more aggressive fighter in the second half of the encounter, but his aggression opens him up to effective counter shots from Santa Cruz, who wins with scores of 114-114 and 115-113 twice.
Santa Cruz-Mares II (June 9, 2018, Santa Cruz W 12) – In an electrifying war that has the STAPLES Center crowd on its feet chanting for more, Santa Cruz defends his WBA Featherweight Championship by winning a unanimous decision in a rematch against four-division world champion Abner Mares. In a near statistical replica of the first fight that Santa Cruz won by majority decision in 2015, the three-division world champion Santa Cruz wins on all three of the judges’ scorecards by scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111.
Last month, SHOWTIME announced that new customers who sign up before May 3 could take advantage of a 30-day free trial for the SHOWTIME streaming service, available on SHOWTIME.com and the SHOWTIME app on all supported devices.
