NEW YORK – Saturday, April 20 at 9 p.m. ET, ESPN will air its inaugural Top Rank on ESPN PPV in what many fans consider the fiercest matchup of the year
Undefeated pound-for-pound king, three-division world champion and reigning WBO welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford faces former unified super lightweight world champion Amir “King” Khan live from Madison Square Garden.
Crawford vs. Khan will be available via all major cable and satellite providers with a suggested retail price of $59.95 (SD) or $69.95 (HD). All undercard bouts will air live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, beginning at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. For more details on the events, visit ESPN Press Room.
ESPN Marketing director Lucas Ferraro worked across The Walt Disney Company divisions to create a unique promo, weaving together the Crawford/Khan faceoff with Marvel Studios latest installment of the Avengers franchise Endgame, which hits theaters April 26.
ESPN2 will air the Top Rank-Avengers promo and the Avengers:Endgame trailer (see below) during live coverage of the Crawford/Khan Weigh In, today at 4 p.m.
Ferraro shares some highlights of the project with Front Row.
How did this idea come about?
The idea came about as a result of our marketing team and Top Rank brainstorming unique ideas to increase awareness for the event. Once we realized Marvel Studios would release the latest edition of the Avengers franchise shortly after the fight, we knew we could not pass up the opportunity to associate Top Rank on ESPN with the tremendous Marvel brand as only the TWDC can.
What was the internal process across business units to bring this idea to fruition?
This was truly a team effort and involved numerous teams and stakeholders, including Helen Wisniewski (Synergy), Jordan Francke (Disney Studios) and Geoff Bird (Grand & Leonard Creative, formerly CreativeWorks). The commercial was produced by Los Angeles-based Nathaniel Howe Studios.
This is something that only TWDC could realize. Why?
At no other company can you find so many powerful, globally recognized brands as you can at TWDC. This fact, combined with the efficient and effective resources that are in place thanks to the synergy team that connects the dots, we can bring ideas like this to life quickly. There is also unprecedented energy and enthusiasm internally for boxing and that was a huge help.
