Thoughts and Predictions on ESPN Launching a Weekly Boxing Show Around Max Kellerman

ESPN announced that they will be debuting a weekly boxing show built around First Take co-host Max Kellerman.

Here are some thoughts on the announcement:

It will difficult for it to be a rating success

Unlike most of ESPN’s new shows, this one will not air on ESPN+ but one of their linear networks, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Whether that be ESPN or ESPN2, it is hard to imagine the show being able to pull in strong ratings by itself. Of course, it could if surrounded by live events, but does not project to be a ratings monster without that.

Some of this is to do with the times, as even new daily general shows on ESPN like SC6, Get Up, and High Noon could not attract positive ratings until drastically tweaked or moved. Given where boxing ranks on the sports popularity pantheon, there likely is not a large group of people craving for a television show exclusively for the sport.

It will be a good show

For boxing fans, this is good news. Kellerman is the very best at talking the sport in the industry and surely the quality of this show will be good. Knowing Kellerman’s style, expect that this show will include smart boxing analysis, high energy, and coverage that does not always trend toward serious. Kellerman has not had the opportunity to speak at large on boxing in a while as his role on HBO was dedicated to the fights they had, and First Take rarely talks about it. This limited him to it only really talking about it when on the Fight Game, where he sold the sport like the top salesman in the district. Having this show weekly will serve boxing fans well as a place for recaps and to get excited for the action the coming weekend.

It will help boxing’s mainstream conversation

Even if the show does not pull in massive ratings on television, it is an ESPN platform built around a needle mover. While boxing has been rising over the past few years, it has struggled to get back into the conversation other than with Floyd Mayweather. Having a boxing show with Kellerman will create buzz on social media, and get people talking about boxing more than they were before the show. Given Kellerman’s passion for the sport, he will also bring to light fighters the average person had never heard of.