NEW YORK — Count Bruce Carrington among those happiest about his promoter Top Rank getting a new broadcast deal.
Carrington, the WBC featherweight champion, was one of four boxers from the Top Rank stable to be in attendance at Wednesday’s press conference in New York, announcing their new deal with DAZN. While few details of the deal have been publicly confirmed, Carrington is looking forward to getting back to the business of pushing his career to the next level. Having won his world title in January, while Top Rank was without a broadcaster following the expiration of their ESPN deal, he hopes the new deal means new opportunities for his career.
“For me to be able to do it on a big platform like this, man, we went from ESPN and then now to DAZN, which is a growing platform overseas, they're known globally, this is what I want,” said Carrington, 17-0 (10 KOs). “This is the thing that I need in order to become a global star.”
While moving to DAZN would seemingly open up the possibility of fighting the best from the various promotions on the platform, Carrington feels the biggest fight he can make in his division would be against his stablemate, Rafael Espinoza. The WBO featherweight champion from Mexico is undefeated at 28-0 (24 KOs), and has scored stoppages in all four of his title defenses since winning the belt with a majority decision over Robeisy Ramirez in 2023.
While the 6’1” Espinoza would have about a five-inch height advantage over him, Carrington says that wouldn’t concern him.
“The biggest fight at 126 I think is me and Espinoza. A lot of people have him as the boogeyman which makes no sense. How are you the boogeyman when I’m the one chasing the boogeyman?” said Carrington, known as "Shu Shu".
“I feel like he is like looked at as the most competitive guy in terms of difficulty because of his height and whatnot. It makes sense, but again, I feel like everybody that's in my division, they all fall into my style. Great fighters, but I know I'll be the victor at the end of the day.”
Carrington, 28, of Brooklyn, New York recalls being on the card - stopping Jason Sanchez in two rounds - the night that Espinoza won his title with the upset of Ramirez in Florida. He says the performance made him a fan of Espinoza’s work, which he says made him want to fight him.
“No one puts fear in my heart. Let’s just get in the ring at some point to show who's the best. I've been asking for a fight with him since 2023 and I'm just ready to just get it on with the best,” said Carrington, adding that he has set a goal of becoming the first featherweight to unify all four major belts at 126lbs.
While a fight with Espinoza would bring some clarity to the 126lbs division, Carrington acknowledges that the biggest fight he could make is a showdown with pound for pound candidate Naoya Inoue. Inoue, 32-0 (27 KOs), is focused on his all-Japan super-fight on May 2 in Tokyo, which would be the final meaningful fight for him at 122lbs. Carrington figures that Inoue will emerge victorious, and hopes that Inoue sees him as the next big challenge once he moves up in weight again.
“I feel like that's another great fight as well. I feel like, stylistically, that would be a match made in heaven,” said Carrington of an Inoue fight. “A lot of people would tune into that fight. It is excitement with me putting on knockouts and him putting on knockouts. I feel like the time that we've been talking about this, it has marinated well enough to, if he decides to move up to 126 I will be right there. I'll be the first guy to beat him.
“Like I've been saying, it's a ‘Shu world order’. There's a new sheriff in town. We about to take over and really make boxing in the featherweight division super exciting.”
