Stephen Espinoza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 1, 1970 El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (JD) |
| Occupation | Sports & 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]
Espinoza is a native of El Paso, Texas and graduated from Coronado High School in 1988. [3] He is of Mexican descent. [4]
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]
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]
Through his work at Ziffren Brittenham LLP, Espinoza came to represent professional boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson. [10]
Espinoza formerly served as lead counsel for De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions. [11]
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]
HBO World Championship Boxing is an American sports television series on premium television network HBO. It premiered on January 22, 1973, with a fight that saw George Foreman defeat Joe Frazier in Kingston, Jamaica.
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