ESPN.com's Dan Rafael noted viewership for HBO and Showtime boxing cards on Saturday night "are not pretty." Terence Crawford's victory over John Molina Jr. on HBO averaged 806,000 viewers. Although Crawford is "one of boxing’s elite pound-for-pound fighters," he is "regressing in his television drawing power." The audience was "by far his worst for any of the live main events he has had on HBO." HBO on Saturday night also drew 636,000 viewers for the Raymundo Beltran-Mason Menard bout. Meanwhile, Showtime drew 327,000 viewers for the Abner Mares-Jesus Cuellar featherweight world title fight, marking the "least viewed live, prime-time boxing match on premium cable so far this year" (ESPN.com, 12/14).
NIGHT AND DAY: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes ESPN analyst Jon Gruden's QB Camp show is "terrific -- as he candidly and often charmingly speaks strengths, weaknesses, instruction and advice to incoming NFL QBs in a calm, clear, breezy manner." However, in the "MNF" booth. Gruden "sounds as if he is working a shift speaking track changes in Grand Central Terminal -- everything spoken as if it's an announcement" (N.Y. POST, 12/16).
SPORTS WRITER MOVEMENT: In N.Y. Mark Feinsand writes he is "passing the Yankees beat torch to Mike Mazzeo after a decade" of covering the team for the N.Y. Daily News and 16 years overall (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/16)....In Detroit, Mike Brudenell writes his farewell column for the Detroit Free Press after 15 years as the motorsports writer and boxing scribe. Brudenell: "For an Aussie, the chance to work in the auto capital of the world and cover racing and boxing was the rare opportunity, a privilege" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/16)....In Toronto, Bruce Arthur writes a farewell to Cam Cole, who "leaves Postmedia on Friday." Cole is "one of the great sports columnists" Canada has "ever seen, full stop" (TORONTO STAR, 12/16).
