ESPN senior deputy editor Elizabeth Baugh has left the company for The Ring Magazine as executive editor Cristina Daglas has been under HR investigation, Baugh confirmed to Front Office Sports.
FOS first reported that Daglas has been on administrative leave since January after she was the subject of multiple HR complaints. An attorney for Daglas later sent a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN, accusing the network of harassment and retaliation. The lawyer also sent the letter to FOS by accident.
OutKick first reported that Baugh was also placed on administrative leave at ESPN as part of the Daglas investigation.
Baugh had been at ESPN for almost 10 years. In her most recent role, she oversaw coverage of boxing, WWE, UFC, tennis, golf, and the NHL. At The Ring, she will be head of marketing, communications, and branding.
“I am thrilled to join The Ring at such an important time for the legacy brand, and am excited to help carry out the vision,” Baugh told FOS in a statement. “I loved working at ESPN and will cherish the near-decade I spent there.”
ESPN declined to comment for this story.
Earlier this week, FOS reported that boxing reporter Mike Coppinger was also leaving ESPN for Ring Magazine. Baugh was Coppinger’s editor at ESPN.
Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority and an advisor to the country’s Royal Court, purchased The Ring from Oscar De La Hoya last year for a reported price tag of $10 million. Alalshikh is putting on a number of massive fights this year, including a Times Square bonanza in May under the banner of The Ring. He’s also lined up Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford to fight in September under the Riyadh Season umbrella.
Alalshikh and Ring Magazine also announced last month they are partnering with TKO—the Endeavor-formed parent company of WWE and UFC—on an upstart boxing league.
