Stephen_Espinoza

Stephen Espinoza

Stephen Espinoza

American sports and corporate executive

Stephen Espinoza (born January 1, 1970) is an American sports and corporate executive. He is the former president of Showtime Sports.[1][2]

Quick Facts Born, Education ...

Early life

Espinoza is a native of El Paso, Texas and graduated from Coronado High School in 1988.[3] He is of Mexican descent.[4]

Education

Following his graduation from high school, Espinoza attended Stanford University, obtaining a B.A. in communication in 1992. He then went on to earn a J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1996.[5][6]

Career

While still at UCLA, Espinoza began working for sports agent Leigh Steinberg. However, he switched career tracks and accepted a position at Greenberg Glusker in 1996 before eventually moving on to Ziffren Brittenham LLP in 2002. Both firms specialize in entertainment law.[4][7][6] His clients included Vanessa Hudgens, Josh Gad, Snoop Dogg and Tyler Perry, as well as former NFL star Michael Strahan and MMA fighter Gina Carano.[8][9]

Introduction into boxing

Through his work at Ziffren Brittenham LLP, Espinoza came to represent professional boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson.[10]

Golden Boy Promotions

Espinoza formerly served as lead counsel for De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.[11]

Showtime Sports

On November 14, 2011, Espinoza was announced as the new head of Showtime Sports, replacing Ken Hershman.[1] Since his move to Showtime, Espinoza has made boxing a focus of the network. In 2012, he signed Floyd Mayweather Jr. to a six-fight, multi-year deal.[12] Espinoza was also reportedly "instrumental" in the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight.[13] Under Espinoza's supervision, the Showtime-Mayweather deal accounted for the three highest-grossing pay-per-view events in television history — Mayweather-Canelo in September 2013, Mayweather-Pacquiao in May 2015, and Mayweather-McGregor in August 2017.[14] In January 2018, Espinoza was promoted from Executive Vice President to President of Showtime Sports.[1]

Espinoza, along with the entire staff of Showtime Sports, was laid off in October 2023 when Paramount shuttered the division.[15]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Battaglia, Stephen (January 24, 2018). "Showtime promotes Stephen Espinoza to president of sports and event programming". L.A. Times.
  2. [2]
    Esco, Wil (February 3, 2024). "'Can change the trajectory of the sport': Stephen Espinoza talks PBC's transition to Amazon Prime". Bad Left Hook. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. [3]
    Hubbell, Martindale (April 2003). Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory: North America, South America, Central America, & the Caribbean (2003). Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 978-1-56160-589-7.
  4. [4]
    "El Paso native helped organize Mayweather, Pacquiao fight". El Paso Times. April 30, 2015.
  5. [5]
    "Espinoza bets 'Money' can lift Showtime to new heights". USA Today. April 23, 2013.
  6. [6]
    "Showtime Gets Game Face On". Broadcasting and Cable. January 20, 2012.
  7. [7]
    "Showtime Hires Stephen Espinoza As New Sports Boss". Deadline. November 14, 2011.
  8. [8]
    Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 24, 2018). "Showtime Promotes Stephen Espinoza To President, Sports And Events Programming". Deadline. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  9. [9]
    "Stephen Espinoza Named Executive Vice President of Showtime Sports". Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  10. [10]
    "Stephen Espinoza". CBS. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  11. [11]
    "HBO drops involvement with Golden Boy fighters". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 2013.
  12. [12]
    "Showtime Sports VP Explains Mayweather/SHO Deal". Boxingscene. September 14, 2015.
  13. [13]
    "Stephen Espinoza: Showtime boss traces journey to Mayweather-Pacquiao". The Ring Magazine. March 30, 2015.
  14. [14]
    "Showtime: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor did 4.31 million PPV buys in North America". MMAjunkie. December 14, 2017. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  15. [15]
    "After 38 years of boxing, Showtime Sports shuts down; Espinoza and all employees laid off". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
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