Ousted ESPN star makes TV return two years after layoff in familiar role
Max Kellerman has been out of a job since being laid off by ESPN in 2023, but the popular presenter will return to TV screens later this year with a new role
Max Kellerman, the former ESPN star, is set to make a much-anticipated comeback to television later this year as part of Netflix's broadcast team for the Canelo Alvarez-Terence Crawford fight on September 13.
The well-liked host has been unemployed since his departure from the sports entertainment behemoth in 2023, but he has now secured a new position nearly two years later. At a press conference for the major unified Super Middleweight championship showdown, Kellerman was all smiles as UFC president Dana White announced him as a member of the broadcast team.
This news comes as Jake Paul criticized Crawford and Alvarez for dining together ahead of their high-profile bout later this year. Meanwhile, 'First Take' host Stephen A. Smith had an awkward response when Kellerman, his former coworker, was mentioned on ESPN.
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Kellerman's return to boxing brings his career full circle. He began as the host of 'Max on Boxing' on New York's public access channel as a teenager and served as an analyst on ESPN's Friday Night Fights.
Now, at 51, the sports TV personality is back doing what he loves. It has been confirmed that he will be part of the Netflix broadcast team for the Alvarez vs. Crawford fight in just a few months.
The upcoming mega-fight, promoted by TKO and supported by Saudi official and entertainment mogul Turki Alalshikh, was the talk of Sunday's press conference where Kellerman hailed the Canelo-Crawford bout as a "perfect storm," expressing gratitude for Alalshikh's passion for boxing.
"I know you guys are excited about this fight. But I don't think you understand what a big deal it is. This is a perfect storm," Kellerman told the enthusiastic New York audience.
"First of all, [Saudi Arabia General Entertainment Authority chairman] Turki Alalshikh, we're lucky he happens to be a boxing fan. None of this happens if he doesn't happen to be a boxing fan. If he doesn't happen to be a boxing fan, none of us are here.
"[WWE President] Nick Khan, the best in the business. Dana White is the greatest combat sports promoter of my lifetime. And it's his first-ever boxing promotion. So that's who's behind what you're gonna see."
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Kellerman wrapped up his remarks by sharing his excitement about being involved, sparking speculation about whether this event marks a full-time return to television for the beloved broadcaster.
One of the most memorable moments in Kellerman's career occurred in 2021 when he left 'First Take' after reported tensions with Smith over their on-air chemistry.
In 2023, the forthright ESPN personality confessed: "I heard some of it. I would take full responsibility for that. It was totally my fault and the reason it was my fault is because I didn't like working with him," he admitted. "It's just that damn simple. I didn't like it.
"I thought the show was stale. I thought that we had flatlined when it came to the public at large. I didn't want to go from No. 1 to No. 2. when Skip [Bayless] left. I wasn't having that. That s--- wasn't gonna happen."
