http://www.fightbeat.com/news_details.php?NW=20828 ESPN Classic will broadcast the exclusive replay of Ricardo Mayorga's decision over Fernando Vargas on Saturday, Dev. 1 at 8 p.m., ET. Last night, at the Staples Center in Los Angles, Mayorga knocked down Vargas in the first and 11th rounds to capture a majority decision in a 12-round super middleweight bout. Two judges scored the Nicaraguan fighter a winner by scores of 115-111 and 114-112 while the third saw the bout as a 113-113 draw. Mayorga, who dominated the bout early and late, improves to 28-6-1. Vargas, who said before the fight that win or lose he would retire, falls to 26-5. He had 22 victories by knockout.
This is the strangest announcement I've read in a while. I know that by it airing at 8PM, the replay won't conflict with its own card for that evening. But why not just replay it on Showtime? It's their money. The ESPN part is what through me off - I guess that means Main Events retains rights to the fight, since their preferred method of rebroadcast is ESPN classic. I thought it was a King card, though, unless his end came in on the International rights
This explains why the ESPN networks were showing Mayorga and Vargas fights this week, and why ESPN Classic aired the preview show Saturday night.
