Stephen Espinoza

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Stephen Espinoza
Stephen Espinoza.png
Born (1970-01-01) January 1, 1970 (age 52)
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 President of Showtime Sports.[1]

Early life[]

Espinoza is a native of El Paso, Texas and graduated from Coronado High School in 1988.[2] He is of Mexican descent.[3]

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.[4][5]

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.[3][6][5] 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.[7][8]

Introduction into boxing[]

Through his work at Ziffren Brittenham LLP, Espinoza came to represent professional boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson.[9]

Golden Boy Promotions[]

Espinoza formerly served as lead counsel for De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.[10]

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.[11] Espinoza was also reportedly "instrumental" in the Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight.[12] 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.[13] In January 2018, Espinoza was promoted from Executive Vice President to President of Showtime Sports.[1]

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. ^ Hubbell, Martindale (April 2003). Martindale-Hubbell International Law Directory: North America, South America, Central America, & the Caribbean (2003). Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561605897.
  3. ^ a b "El Paso native helped organize Mayweather, Pacquiao fight". El Paso Times. April 30, 2015.
  4. ^ "Espinoza bets 'Money' can lift Showtime to new heights". USA Today. April 23, 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Showtime Gets Game Face On". Broadcasting and Cable. January 20, 2012.
  6. ^ "Showtime Hires Stephen Espinoza As New Sports Boss". Deadline. November 14, 2011.
  7. ^ Ramos, Dino-Ray (2018-01-24). "Showtime Promotes Stephen Espinoza To President, Sports And Events Programming". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  8. ^ "Stephen Espinoza Named Executive Vice President of Showtime Sports". Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  9. ^ "Stephen Espinoza". CBS. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  10. ^ "HBO drops involvement with Golden Boy fighters". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 2013.
  11. ^ "Showtime Sports VP Explains Mayweather/SHO Deal". Boxingscene. September 14, 2015.
  12. ^ "Stephen Espinoza: Showtime boss traces journey to Mayweather-Pacquiao". The Ring Magazine. March 30, 2015.
  13. ^ "Showtime: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor did 4.31 million PPV buys in North America". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
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