How to watch Top Rank Boxing's TV finale: Xander Zayas, Jorge Garcia battle for world title

New York Times

a day ago

Rising Puerto Rican star Xander Zayas will take on Mexican veteran Jorge Garcia this Saturday at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Perhaps more significant after the final bell, which will crown a new WBO junior middleweight world champion, is that this main event will be the final Top Rank boxing show on ESPN.
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Here's how to watch it live.
Live coverage is also available on ESPN+.
Top Rank and ESPN decided to have their final fight card together, showcasing perhaps their hottest prospect in the former's half-century of existence as a boxing promotion. In 2019, then 16-year-old Zayas became the youngest signee in Top Rank history, a company that has promoted greats like Muhammad Ali and Manny Pacquiao.
Now 22, Zayas (21-0, 13 KOs) looks to win his first world title since turning pro six years ago. He faces upset-minded 28-year-old Garcia (33-4, 26 KOs).
On the undercard is 2023 Ring Magazine Prospect of the Year Bruce 'Shu Shu' Carrington (15-0, 9 KOs). Carrington, 28, takes on Mateus Heita for the WBC interim featherweight world title.
After Saturday's fights, it will be the first time in more than 80 years that boxing will not be shown on linear television in the United States. The first boxing TV broadcast in U.S. history was in 1939, a heavyweight bout between Max Baer and Lou Nova.
Top Rank was the last major boxing promotion in the country that had a media rights deal with a 'mainstream' TV network. The boxing company's agreement with ESPN expires in August after the parties reached a seven-year deal in 2018. In those seven years, ESPN broadcast some of the biggest fights in the sport's history, including the second and third heavyweight title fights between Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder.
Other boxing promotions — such as Golden Boy, Premier Boxing Champions and Matchroom — have switched to streaming platforms like DAZN, Amazon Prime and Netflix to show their respective fighters. Top Rank has yet to announce a new broadcasting partner.
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(Photo of Xander Zayas: Al Bello/ Getty Images)