When Errol Spence, Jr. and Terrence Crawford step into the T-Mobile ring in Las Vegas later tonight to unify the welterweight division for the first time in the four-belt era, there will be two men in charge.
First, it’s the referee in the ring, veteran official Harvey Dock, who will control the action itself. Second, and less visible, is David Dinkins, Jr. — yes, the late Mayor’s son — who will control what you watch on Showtime’s Pay-Per-View telecast from the broadcast truck.
This is boxing’s biggest fight of the year as Spence, holder of three belts (IBF, WBA, WBC), faces Crawford (WBO champ), but this mega-fight is not Dinkins’ first rodeo. He has produced over 600 championship and 1,000 professional bouts.
“[This fight] has more details, more moving parts,” acknowledges Dinkins, who’s been in his current position at Showtime since 1987. “As I’ve said to the crew, if you’re not up for this, you’re in the wrong job.”
He’s gone from CBS Sports starting in 1981 to ABC Sports to his present Showtime gig. Dinkins has produced every major fight you can think of from Mike Tyson vs. Holyfield (I and II) to Pernell Whitaker vs. Julio Cesar Chavez to Buster Douglas vs. Evander Holyfield. He was also at the controls for Floyd Mayweather, Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao.
This is the mega-bout the boxing community has been waiting for.
“Spence-Crawford is a big fight that everyone was looking forward to. It’s summertime and there’s not a lot of big events around this time,” says R. Tom Umstead, Jr. senior content producer for programming for Multichannel News and Broadcasting and Cable Magazine. “I’m optimistic that this one will continue the trend and potentially hit that Holy Grail of one million buys.”
Dinkins isn’t worried about the numbers. His numerical concern is the cohesiveness of his crew of over 100.
“Document the event accurately,” he simply explains. “Anticipate as best you can, the twists and terms of the competition and the plot. Pay attention to what’s going on in the corners. It’s going to be vital as always.
“Staying in touch with the announcers during the broadcast and balance the commentary and portray the ebb and flow of the fight. This kind of broadcast is a team sport. All the pieces need to be in place.”
One of those pieces is International Boxing Hall of Famer Al Bernstein. He’ll be one of the analysts for the bout and he knows what Dinkins brings to the table.
“He’s always got a plan and backup plan. Plan B and a Plan C,” says Bernstein. He has worked in TV since 1980 starting at ESPN and for the last 23 years at Showtime with Dinkins. “A live broadcast can go in different directions. You have to at least know what some of the possibilities are and be ready for them.”
A Showtime production is known for endless rehearsals to get it right.
“Sometimes our rehearsals last longer than the Jerry Lewis Telethon,” notes Bernstein with a chuckle. “That’s what keeps people centered. David is a unifying force. He’s the most organized person and I’ve worked in television for 43 years.”
“He’s a task master. He wants to make sure everything is in place.”
When Dinkins broke into TV, he was on an island.
“There weren’t as many places to do these jobs back then. There was ABC, NBC and CBS,” he recalls. “There was no ESPN, no FOX. If you were able to get a job, you were in a very small, exclusive handful.” But he learned and survived under the tutelage of producer-director Joe Aceti.
“He was very good to me,” remembers Dinkins, now 69. “At a time when my apprenticeship at ABC Sports could be difficult at times, he believed in me and was a great mentor and a good friend.”
His learning helped him produce many memorable fights.
“Corrales-Castillo has to be at the top of the list for what transpired between the ropes,” states Dinkins. “The Marquez-Vasquez rivalry. The shows we did overseas were challenging. It exposed me to the rabid fans of the UK.
“Shows in Mexico like the Chavez-Haugen fight with 130,000 people in Azteca Stadium. That’s an [attendance] record that will stand for quite a while.”
So, Spence-Crawford must be your Leonard-Hearns, De La Hoya-Trinidad.
“I think so going in,” he says. “This is that fight for this generation.”
While Dinkins never followed his father into politics, he did pass on some knowledge to whom he always called, “my baby boy.”
“He said it was important to have a job that I liked doing and share the credit,” he says. “He and I have different leadership styles. Some of my colleagues say I am my father’s son, but I’m also very much my mother’s son.”
And he’s ready to lead his team.
“It is a group effort and it’s my responsibility to make sure everybody is ready,” he notes, “starting with me.”
