Stephen Espinoza

Stephen Espinoza
Born (1970-01-01) January 1, 1970 (age 55)
El Paso, Texas, U.S.
EducationStanford University (BA)
University of California, Los Angeles (JD)
OccupationSports & 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]

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. ^ a b c Battaglia, Stephen (January 24, 2018). "Showtime promotes Stephen Espinoza to president of sports and event programming". L.A. Times.
  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. ^ 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. ^ a b "El Paso native helped organize Mayweather, Pacquiao fight". El Paso Times. April 30, 2015.
  5. ^ "Espinoza bets 'Money' can lift Showtime to new heights". USA Today. April 23, 2013.
  6. ^ a b "Showtime Gets Game Face On". Broadcasting and Cable. January 20, 2012.
  7. ^ "Showtime Hires Stephen Espinoza As New Sports Boss". Deadline. November 14, 2011.
  8. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (January 24, 2018). "Showtime Promotes Stephen Espinoza To President, Sports And Events Programming". Deadline. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  9. ^ "Stephen Espinoza Named Executive Vice President of Showtime Sports". Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  10. ^ "Stephen Espinoza". CBS. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  11. ^ "HBO drops involvement with Golden Boy fighters". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 2013.
  12. ^ "Showtime Sports VP Explains Mayweather/SHO Deal". Boxingscene. September 14, 2015.
  13. ^ "Stephen Espinoza: Showtime boss traces journey to Mayweather-Pacquiao". The Ring Magazine. March 30, 2015.
  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. ^ "After 38 years of boxing, Showtime Sports shuts down; Espinoza and all employees laid off". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved February 5, 2024.