Stephen Espinoza
Early life
Espinoza is a native of El Paso, Texas and graduated from Coronado High School in 1988. He is of Mexican descent.[2]
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.[3][4]
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.[2][5][4] 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.[6][7]
Introduction into boxing
Through his work at Ziffren Brittenham LLP, Espinoza came to represent professional boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson.[8]
Golden Boy Promotions
Espinoza formerly served as lead counsel for De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions.[9]
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.[10] Espinoza was also reportedly "instrumental" in the Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight.[11] 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.[12]
In January 2018, Espinoza was promoted to from Executive Vice President to President of Showtime Sports.[1]
Personal life
Espinoza currently resides in New York City.[8]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Battaglia, Stephen (January 24, 2018). "Showtime promotes Stephen Espinoza to president of sports and event programming". L.A. Times.
- 1 2 "El Paso native helped organize Mayweather, Pacquiao fight". El Paso Times. April 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Espinoza bets 'Money' can lift Showtime to new heights". USA Today. April 23, 2013.
- 1 2 "Showtime Gets Game Face On". Broadcasting and Cable. January 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Showtime Hires Stephen Espinoza As New Sports Boss". Deadline. November 14, 2011.
- ↑ Ramos, Dino-Ray (2018-01-24). "Showtime Promotes Stephen Espinoza To President, Sports And Event Programming". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- ↑ "Stephen Espinoza Named Executive Vice President of Showtime Sports". Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- 1 2 "Stephen Espinoza". CBS. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
- ↑ "HBO drops involvement with Golden Boy fighters". Los Angeles Times. March 20, 2013.
- ↑ "Showtime Sports VP Explains Mayweather/SHO Deal". Boxingscene. September 14, 2015.
- ↑ "Stephen Espinoza: Showtime boss traces journey to Mayweather-Pacquiao". The Ring Magazine. March 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Showtime: Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor did 4.3 million PPV buys in North America". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-14. Retrieved 2018-04-18.