Mayweather-Pacquaio is not the first boxing match to be dubbed by fans and pundits alike as the “Fight of the Century” but it may be the last. With stories of boxing’s decline in American culture well-documented for years now it’s hard to see another bout with this much anticipation, buzz and legacy making or breaking implications coming for a long, long time. Which is why networks like ESPN are turning the hype machine into full-on Super Bowl mode for the May 2 fight in Las Vegas.

“We’re giving it complete Super Bowl treatment and then some,” said SportsCenter anchor Steve Levy in a conference call with reporters Tuesday. “I think we have four sets—we don’t even have four sets at the Super Bowl, I don’t think. So that gives you an idea of where we stand.”

Levy, along with a cadre of SportsCenter‘s most recognizable talent, will be in Las Vegas this week. Other big-name anchors include Hannah Storm, Lindsay Czarniak, Stan Verrett and Neil Everett. The show will air from various locations including the main pool at the MGM Grand, Drai’s Beach Club, the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the MGM Grand Media Tent for pre and post-fight coverage and analysis.

SportsCenter will go live from the fight press conference on Wednesday and the official weigh-in on Friday.

The network caught some flack from a number of media watchers for Stephen A. Smith’s glitzy interview with Floyd Mayweather, which was heavy on Mayweather’s million dollar cars and lavish lifestyle, but light on the most serious issues he faces—a series of domestic violence charges, some of which ended in convictions.

A 30-minute special Mayweather: Behind the Scenes, which was culled from Smith’s more than seven hours of access to Mayweather, will air six times in the days leading up to the fight. In comparison, an Outside the Lines special detailing Mayweather’s violent history, does not appear to be airing in the final four days leading up to the fight, according to an ESPN press release.

When it comes to Mayweather’s history of domestic abuse, there’s been some cognitive dissonance at the network. Some, like Keith Olbermann and Sarah Spain, have called for fans to boycott the fight. Smith has seemingly served as a mouthpiece for Mayweather and hype man for the fight. Network Senior VP of News Rob King was circumspect with reporters.

“What we actually encourage our commentary voices to do is to be authentically themselves and that means they are not going to speak with the same voice,” King said. “We know that there will be debate and I view that as reflective of our broader society.”

King said the survivors of domestic violence deserve their stories to be told, but added, “I do think that we as a network, as a company, pledge to serve sports fans [and] should continue to cover sporting events as such. I am proud of the efforts that a number of our voices, a number of our shows have undertaken in making sure that even in the midst of serving sports fans, we are citizens of the world.”

Smith will be omnipresent in Vegas this week. First Take will air Wednesday-Friday live poolside from the MGM Grand with celebrity guests including Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx and 50 Cent. Smith will also host Red Carpet Special on ESPN Radio from the MGM Grand lobby on the afternoon of the fight.

“I just hope it lives up to the hype,” Levy said. “That’s going to be near impossible considering the amount of hype.”

The fight is coming in the middle of one of the wildest sports weeks in recent memory. On top of Mayweather-Pacquaio, ESPN is also preparing for SportsCenter live editions from Chicago on Thursday and Friday in conjunction with the NFL Draft. The network is presenting 42 hours of draft coverage, including 16 hours live from the Draft. Levy and Czarniak will be doing double-duty hosting shows both in Chicago and Vegas.

And just in case you forgot, there’s also the Kentucky Derby this weekend, the continuing NBA and NHL Playoffs and just for good measure how about Red Sox/Yankees Sunday night from Fenway Park. Where can you see that? The World Wide Leader of course.

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