Joe Tessitore will be absent from the February 14, 2025, episode of WWE SmackDown due to his commitments with ESPN’s Valentine’s Fight Night. The boxing event takes place at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, with undercard fights beginning at 5 PM ET on ESPN+.
ESPN confirmed Tessitore’s role as part of the commentary team for the boxing event, which features Berinchyk’s first WBO lightweight world championship defense against Keyshawn in the main event. The championship fight is scheduled for 9 PM ET, overlapping with SmackDown’s 8 PM ET broadcast on USA Network.
Tessitore will call the action alongside Timothy Bradley, Jr., Mark Kriegel, and Bernardo Osuna at the boxing event. His absence comes just days after joining Wade Barrett as SmackDown’s commentary team on February 10, following Michael Cole and Pat McAfee’s return to RAW on January 6.
The February 14 episode of SmackDown from Capital One Arena in Washington DC will feature two Elimination Chamber Qualifying Matches for the upcoming March 1 premium live event.