Top Rank on ESPN Presents an ESPN+ Exclusive: Tyson Fury vs. Tom Schwarz

Saturday, June 15 at 10 p.m. ET from The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas

ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes to Air Live Undercards at 7 p.m. ET

The first-ever Top Rank on ESPN Triple Header culminates this Saturday when undefeated lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury (27-0-1, 19 KOs), the self-proclaimed “Gypsy King” and one of boxing’s most compelling characters, meets Tom Schwarz (24-0, 16 KOs) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas , live on ESPN+.   The high-stakes battle of unbeatens marks Fury’s Las Vegas and ESPN+ debut and is the first in a multi-fight agreement announced in February, in which Fury’s fights are co-promoted by Top Rank and Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.

Fury captured the lineal heavyweight title on Nov. 28, 2015, from longtime champion Wladimir Klitschko, with a unanimous decision victory that ended Klitschko’s 22-fight win streak and decade-long run as the heavyweight king. That win catapulted Fury to worldwide fame, but a host of personal demons threatened to end his career before he could defend his crown. He gained weight up to 400 pounds, only to author a 2018 comeback that ranks among the great redemption stories in sporting history. In the third fight of his comeback, Fury fought WBC champion Deontay Wilder to a disputed draw in a sensational fight of the year candidate.

The co-feature for the evening’s fight card will see a light heavyweight clash between former world title challengers Jesse Hart (25-2, 21 KOs) and Sullivan Barrera (22-2, 14 KOs). The full seven-bout undercard for Fury-Schwarz, headlined by unbeaten 2016 U.S. Olympian Mikaela Mayer (10-0, 4 KOs), will be carried live on ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, beginning at 7p.m. ET.

Calling the action for ESPN will be Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), former two-division world titleholder Tim Bradley (analyst) and former pound-for-pound two-division world titleholder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward (analyst). The on-location desk team will feature analysis from Mark Kriegel and Max Kellerman, and reporters Crystina Poncher and Bernardo Osuna. The ESPN+ Spanish-language coverage includes play-by-play from Jorge Eduardo Sánchez and former boxing champion Juan Manuel Márquez as analyst.

ESPN’s official coverage of fight week kicked off Tuesday, June 11, with Top Rank on ESPN: Updating the Heavyweight Division. The ESPN boxing teams sits down to preview all angles of Fury vs. Schwarz and provide their take on the current state of the heavyweight division, boxing’s crown jewel. Hall of Fame boxing promoter and Top Rank CEO Bob Arum also joins to re-trace his start with Muhammad Ali all the way to Tyson Fury. The 30-minute special will re-air on ESPN2 and ESPNEWS throughout fight week.

On Friday, June 14 beginning at 8 p.m. ET a live 2.5 hour preview special from Las Vegas will air on ESPN with coverage of the weigh-in from the MGM Grand, interviews and reaction from Max Kellerman and the ESPN boxing crew, and special features and all-access content with lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury. Starting with Friday’s live preview special, ESPN platforms will offer more than 16 hours of boxing coverage leading into Saturday’s undercard.

Coverage of fight night will include use of the Bow Tie camera, a point-of-view camera that provides a unique and immersive view inside the ring. The Bow Tie camera will be primarily used for replays of key moments and is worn by referees, double-pinned to their shirts.

ESPN.com and the ESPN App will have the Fury-Schwarz fight covered throughout the week with exclusive features on Tyson Fury from Kriegel and Tom Schwarz from Dan Rafael.  Nick Parkinson discusses the legacy of the lineal title while Steve Kim profiles Mikayla Mayer and Jesse Hart. Rafael will also offer his complete guide to the fight. ESPN.com and the ESPN App will be on site throughout the weekend offering analysis and insight every step of the way.

In just over a year since its launch, ESPN+ has already become a must-have destination for boxing fans, having already carried 21 exclusive world title fights, across 12 different weight classes and the four major sanctioning bodies (IBF, WBA, WBC and WBO) – with another scheduled Saturday (IBF Featherweight Champion Josh Warrington faces unbeaten challenger Kid Galahad in Leeds, 3 p.m. ET).  ESPN+ also gives fans thousands of hours of the greatest boxing matches of all time, on-demand, from the ESPN Big Fights Library and Top Rank Boxing Library.

Top Rank on ESPN: Tyson Fury vs. Tom Schwarz (All times ET)

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About ESPN+

ESPN+ is the multi-sport, direct-to-consumer video service from The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International (DTCI) segment and ESPN. It reached 2 million subscribers in less than a year and offers fans thousands of live events, on-demand content and original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks, along with premium editorial content.

Programming on ESPN+ includes hundreds of MLB and NHL games, exclusive UFC, Top Rank boxing and PFL fights and events, top domestic and international soccer, thousands of college sports events (including football, basketball and other sports), Grand Slam tennis, international and domestic rugby and cricket, new and exclusive series, acclaimed studio shows and the full library of ESPN’s award-winning 30 for 30 films. Fans can subscribe to ESPN+ for just $4.99 a month (or $49.99 per year) and can cancel at any time.

ESPN+ is available as an integrated part of the ESPN App (on mobile and connected devices) and ESPN.com. They are the industry-leading all-in-one digital sports platform, delivering a rich, personalized experience to tens of millions of fans every month.

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