Showtime Debuts Riveting “The Kings” Docu-Series Sunday Night

The debut of a highly anticipated four part, docu-series on the top boxers in the world in the late 70s-late 80s “The Kings” will be happening Sunday night on Showtime premium cable. And, in the best word to describe the shows is “riveting.”

Riveting because it weaves in and out of the stories of Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns and “The Hands of Stone,” Roberto Duran and how the four legends all ending up fighting each other.

Part one (which I have previewed) will air for the first time at 8pm East/West on the cable channel Sunday and for the next three Sundays forthcoming. And, it begins the series with the stories of all four legendary boxers rising through the ranks to win titles and culminates with the first Duran-Leonard Battle in Montreal in 1980.

That fight obviously sets off the litany of fantastic, dramatic, massive revenue battles between all of the fighters.

They walked through fire to achieve greatness. #TheKings premieres TOMORROW 8PM ET/PT on @Showtime. pic.twitter.com/ie3IsAz7lW

— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) June 5, 2021

We further discussed the debut episode of “The Kings” on this week’s “Big Fight Weekend Podcast” with the former editor of Ring Magazine/boxing historian Steve Farhood of Showtime. Farhood is featured throughout the series giving historical perspective.

Hear more by clicking below:

As we wrote previously from the Showtime release on the docu-series,

“THE KINGS spotlights boxing’s evolution from the end of Muhammad Ali’s era to the era of the Four Kings, set against the seismic political and socio-economic shifts taking place in the United States. The Four Kings rose to fame as the presidency of Jimmy Carter and economic recession gave way to the boon of 1980s capitalism and excess harnessed by the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Through in-depth interviews and archival footage, the series also examines the very personal battles that each man waged on his unique journey to the center of the sports world.

“These four men defined an era in boxing,” said Stephen Espinoza, President, SHOWTIME Sports. “Their individual stories, forever linked by the spectacular battles they waged, reflect a tumultuous period in American culture and history.

THE KINGS takes the viewer beyond the glorious action of some of history’s most memorable prizefights to illuminate each man’s dramatic journey and the societal context that made them stars of sports and popular culture….

Fittingly, THE KINGS premieres in the 45th anniversary year of Leonard winning an Olympic gold medal, and the 40th anniversary year of the welterweight world title unification battle between Leonard and Hearns, widely considered their greatest fight and a symbol of the era. 

THE KINGS is produced by Box To Box Film in association with Ingenious Media. The series is executive produced by James Gay-Rees (Amy, Senna, Drive To Survive) and Paul Martin (Diego Maradona, Drive To Survive), produced by Fiona Neilson (Oasis: Supersonic, Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams) and directed by Mat Whitecross (Oasis: Supersonic, Road To Guantanamo, Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams).”

If you are a fight fan, you will want to see these episodes either first run on the network, through their on-demand services or through the Showtime app.