Two-Part Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. , Debuts Sunday, June 5
Part One Debuts Sunday, June 5, at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT on ESPNEWS
Part Two Debuts Sunday, June 12, at 1:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 p.m. PT on ESPN2
Blockbuster Top Rank Light Heavyweight Title Unification Showdown Airs Live
Saturday, June 18 at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on ESPN, ESPN Deportes & ESPN+
Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr., is a two-part series that goes inside the fight camps of WBC/IBF light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs) and WBO light heavyweight champion Joe Smith, Jr. (28-3, 22 KOs) ahead of their title unification bout Saturday, June 18, from the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
The two half-hour specials debut Sunday, June 5, at 11:30 a.m. ET on ESPNEWS and Sunday, June 12, at 1:30 a.m. ET on ESPN2, respectively. Both shows will reair multiple times on ESPNEWS and ESPN2 leading up to the much-anticipated fight. They will also be available after their initial airing on-demand on the ESPN App and ESPN.com.
Beterbiev is boxing’s only active world champion in any weight division with a perfect 100% knockout rate, and Long Island’s own Joe Smith, Jr., is a construction and tree-service laborer by day and world champion knockout artist by night. This high-stakes fight promises to feature plenty of action between two of the sport’s most dangerous punchers.
In addition to the Beterbiev-Smith, Jr. main event, the telecast includes a 10-round featherweight co-feature between Robeisy Ramirez (9-1, 5 Kos) and Abraham Nova (21-0, 15 KOs).
Beterbiev-Smith, Jr., and Ramirez-Nova will air live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. The undercard will stream exclusively on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT.
Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr.
| Date | Time (ET) | Program | Network |
| Tue., June 7 | 9 p.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 1) | ESPN2 |
| Wed., June 8 | 2:30 a.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 1) | ESPN2 |
| Fri., June 10 | 12:30 a.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 1) | ESPN2 |
| Sun., June 12 | 1:30 a.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 2) | ESPN2 |
| 9:30 p.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 1) | ESPNEWS | |
| 10 p.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 2) | ||
| Mon., June 13 | 1 a.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 1) | ESPN2 |
| 1:30 a.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 2) | ||
| Wed., June 15 | 10 p.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 2) | ESPN2 |
| Sat., June 18 | 5 p.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 1) | ESPNEWS |
| 5:30 p.m. | Blood, Sweat & Tears: Beterbiev vs. Smith, Jr. (Part 2) |
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ESPN+ is the industry-leading sports streaming service that offers fans in the U.S. thousands of live sports events, original programming not available on ESPN’s linear TV or digital networks and exclusive editorial content from dozens of ESPN writers and reporters. Launched in April 2018, ESPN+ has grown to more than 22.3 million subscribers.
Fans sign up to ESPN+ for just $6.99 a month (or $69.99 per year) at ESPN.com, ESPNplus.com or on the ESPN App (mobile and connected devices). It is also available as part of The Disney Bundle that gives subscribers access to Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $13.99/month (Hulu w/ads) or $19.99/month (Hulu w/o ads). Subscribers to Hulu+ Live TV also receive ESPN+ at no additional cost.
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