Between 1980 and 1986 the sports network first started showing fights exclusively from Top Rank promotions. That weekly show was known as "Top Rank Boxing." They continued to work with Top Rank ever since then, providing great fights for fans to watch that included Terence Crawford vs. Julius Indongo and Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Miguel Marriage.
Their "Friday Night Fights" program officially ended in March 2015. However, the network announced a major deal two years later when they connected with Golden Boy Promotions. The network signed a two-year deal to present Golden Boy Boxing shows which included a total of 42 cards from the Golden Boy promotion. A total of 18 of those were seen in 2017, with the other 24 shown in 2018.
Since their channel's original launch, the network has featured a number of popular boxing stars that have appeared on their programming over the years. They've included Julio Cesar Gonzalez, Zab Judah, Nate Campbell, and "Irish" Micky Ward. Newer stars signed on for fights with the channel have included Terrence Crawford, Jeff Horn, Amir Kahn, and Vasyl Lomachenko. The trend of featuring world class boxers will continue as fans will get to see all sorts of exciting cards featuring the up-and-coming stars of the sport.
In August 2017, the sports network inked another major deal with Top Rank to become the exclusive broadcaster for their bouts. With this deal, the channel will show their boxing events via the various networks, digital platforms, and the newer ESPN+ (plus) subscription service, as well as through pay-per-view specials. That gives fans a lot of options to see great boxing events all year long.
How to View ESPN
The popular sports network offers multiple channels across cable and satellite packages. There will be different channels that correspond for the ESPN channel that one needs to watch. Cable and satellite customers can find these channels easily via their DVR, the cable/satellite provider's website, or other programming guide.
For example, ESPN is channel 140 on the DISH Network, and channel 206 on DIRECTV. Optimum TV offers the sports network on channel 36. For some cable services, customers will have a different channel based on their zip code, so it's best to consult the official cable provider's website or on-screen guide.
Streaming ESPN
Many cable and satellite customers will have access to WatchESPN/ESPN3. These are available on different platforms for computers including Microsoft Windows, Mac OSX, as well as iOS and Android mobile. In addition, the network's streaming app or channel is available on devices such as Apple TV, Amazon's Fire TV, Roku, Google Chromecast, and select video game platforms. To use the sports network's streaming customers will need a valid login via cable or satellite to use with an app or web browser.
There are also live streaming apps or channels offered as part of popular channel streaming services. They include SlingTV, fubo TV, DirecTV Now, Google TV, and Hulu with Live TV. These services have different costs for subscribers depending on which channel package and/or extras one has ordered.
There is also the newer subscription service known as ESPN+ which was released in April 2018. This service has a low monthly cost, which was around $4.99 a month, or $49.99 for a year. It includes a variety of different sports content which includes baseball, hockey, soccer, tennis, and boxing. More details are available through the Plus.ESPN.com website.
