ESPN’s coverage of boxing will have a different look moving forward.
On Friday, as part of a series of dramatic cost-saving cuts, Max Kellerman was among the nearly 20 on-air talent to be laid off from the Disney-owned company.
Kellerman, who’ll turn 50 years old in August, was a TV and radio fixture on ESPN for 25 years dating back to the network’s programming of “Friday Night Fights.” Kellerman joined ESPN’s now-defunct boxing show in 1998 out of college.
Most recently, Kellerman hosted the “Max on Boxing” show, had a national daily radio show, and was frequently featured on Top Rank Boxing cards on ESPN.
Kellerman was also an analyst for HBO until the network left boxing in 2018. According to the New York Post, Kellerman was making in the $5 million-a-year neighborhood at ESPN.
Along with Kellerman, the likes of his radio co-host Keyshawn Johnson as well as Jeff Van Gundy, Steve Young, Jalen Rose, Suzy Kolber, Todd McShay, Matt Hasselbeck, and Laphonso Ellis were among the talent who were let go.
On Saturday, shortly after serving as an analyst for the ESPN card headlined by Jared Anderson’s win against Charles Martin, Hall of Fame fighter Andre Ward announced on social media that he would no longer continue working for ESPN, a role he’d held since 2017 upon retirement.
“Tonight’s show was the last fight under my ESPN contract,” the 39-year-old Ward wrote. “It’s been a great ride and I’m going to miss the whole ESPN crew that I’ve worked with for the last six years. I’m excited about my future and the chance to work on new projects and endeavors. Great things are ahead.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer, and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com, or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.