Top Rank on ESPN is in the midst of a can’t-miss, 10-card run in 12 weeks, spanning Top Rank’s MAYhem Tour and continuing into the summer.
Following Naoya Inoue’s dramatic knockout win in the Tokyo Dome last week, ESPN shifts to Perth, Australia as former lightweight unified champions Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos look to regain the IBF world title (Saturday, 10 p.m. ET, on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN+).
Recently inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame, ESPN and ESPN Deportes’ Bernardo Osuna will be reporting from Perth, working with play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore and analyst Hall of Famer Tim Bradley Jr., who will be calling the fight some 11,601 miles away in ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., headquarters.
Versatile reporter and host Osuna talks about the teamwork involved in covering these bouts – including coordinating with his Bristol colleagues from the Land Down Under – his routine fight prep, and top moments from his Hall Of Fame induction.
ON THE CHALLENGES OF WORKING IN PERTH WHILE MANY OF HIS TEAMMATES – USUALLY WITH HIM RINGSIDE – ARE IN BRISTOL:
(Al Powers/ESPN Images)
ON PREPARING FOR AN EVENT WHILE TRAVELING:
Traveling gives you plenty of time to prepare. In my three decades of covering boxing, I have created an extensive database of fighters. Whether I’ve called their pro debut or when they fight for championships, telling their stories is the best way to create a connection for the fans.
KEY STORYTELLING STRATEGIES:
- I focus on the personal anecdotes I gather from weigh-ins or fighter meetings. Speaking about a fighter’s family, the struggles they have overcome, and the day jobs some of them have to work apart from the grueling sport of boxing humanizes them and allows fans to empathize with them as they exchange punches in the ring.
- On air, I have my one-sheet bio with both fighter’s history and a condensed version with bullet points essential for my storytelling.
- Highlighting my notes in blue and pink that represent the blue and red corners is key. That way I know exactly where to glance without missing any of the action.
ON THE ESPN BOXING TEAM:
The on-air team gets much of the credit, but in reality, it’s a team effort, and everyone has to be on point for the broadcast to go smoothly.
- We have an amazing team led by [ESPN Vice President, Executive Producer] Mike McQuade, Kaleigh Scott [managing producer], and Lynne West [remote productions operations specialist], who make sure that we have every tool available to continue to push the envelope of innovation.
- Director: Aladdin Freeman is an avid fight fan who specializes in giving fans the best viewing experience both in the ring and behind the scenes. He makes sure that the most experienced camerapeople in the business see their amazing work reflected on screen.
- Producers: Jim Zirolli, Mike Mascaro, and Evan Hickmon are our producers planning the content, alternating stints in the producer’s chair for our seven-hour broadcasts.
- Graphics: Our brilliant team, led by Mac Benson, is invested in storytelling, from supporting our outstanding features team, comprised of Matt Ruhe and Fernando Calderon, and creating graphics essential to contextualizing the event or highlighting statistics.
- Replay: Maya Bar-Lev and DeVry Smothers work closely with our replay squad of Matt Mills and JohnMark Stewart who combine for over 60 years of experience. They are adept at identifying and highlighting the key moments.
- Branding: Tim West and Robert Smoot have set the standard for maximizing our branding, making sure that our ring walk areas and locker rooms prominently display our logos and premiere fighters.
- On-site: Tracy Howe keeps things running smoothly, and when it comes to logistics, David Pent and Michael Maddry are indispensable, making sure that everything is ready for us from transportation, printouts, troubleshooting, catering, snacks, and those all-important Starbucks runs. I wish I could take care of the truck drivers like Taylor Swift does, but along with our core team of technicians and audio and video teams, they are the best in the industry.
- In Perth: Anthony Abrahams, a remote production coordinator, is a jack of all trades, specializing in his role as liaison between Top Rank and ESPN, ensuring that everything goes smoothly and that we have access to the fighters. I feel blessed to have Lynne and Anthony joining me in Perth. I am confident that they will have everything running at peak efficiency when the tally light comes on in prime time.
- Family: Sharing the moment with my family was incredible. My wife Veronica is a hall of famer as a life partner and mother. My twin daughters Sammy and Katey are graduate students who relished seeing their father’s career celebrated. The look of pride on my parents’ faces was priceless, and introducing my dad to Ruben Olivares, his favorite fighter when I was growing up, was beyond gratifying.
- Friends: Having some lifelong friends, college roommates, compadres, and colleagues in the crowd helped me reflect on how far I’ve come.
- Intro: Having boxing legend and boxing Hall of Famer Oscar de la Hoya fly in to do my introduction was special.
- Inductees: Sharing this dais with the other deserving inductees like [boxers] Evander Holyfield, Marco Antonio Barrera, Shane Mosley, and [cutman] Jacob “Stitch” Duran was something I will never forget.
- Fans: Taking pictures and sharing stories with fight fans was also very rewarding.
- Takeaway: My biggest takeaway was that the next generation of Latino and bilingual journalists can now look at me and say it is possible for someone who looks like me to make the hall of fame … “Sí Se Pudo.”
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ON HIS FAVORITE NATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAME MOMENTS:
ON MUST-HAVE TRAVEL ITEMS:
Apart from the obvious must-haves – a passport, clean underwear, and my cell phone/laptop – here are some others:
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1. Rave hairspray, which I have been using since high school.
2. Mentos because nobody wants to catch a whiff of bad breath.
3. Mini Tabasco Sauce bottles, because even if the food isn’t that great at your travel destination, Tabasco will surely help give it some flavor.
In the video below, ESPN boxing writer Mark Kriegel details how setbacks inside the ring for Vasiliy Lomachenko have allowed him to grow outside of it ahead of his fight versus George Kambosos Jr. in Perth, Australia.
