May 17, 2012

Season Premiere of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK

February 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment

HBO BOXING AFTER DARK®:  DEVON ALEXANDER VS. MARCOS MAIDANA

AND ADRIEN BRONER VS. ELOY PEREZ KICKS OFF A NEW YEAR OF ACTION

FOR THE HIT LATE-NIGHT RING FRANCHISE SATURDAY, FEB. 25

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2 DAYS: PORTRAIT OF A FIGHTER FEATURING JAMES KIRKLAND AT 9:45 P.M.

            HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise begins a new season with a double dose of action when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK:  DEVON ALEXANDER VS. MARCOS MAIDANA AND ADRIEN BRONER VS. ELOY PEREZ is seen SATURDAY, FEB. 25 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT), from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, exclusively on HBO.  The team of Bob Papa, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones Jr. will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates:  Feb. 26 (11:30 a.m.) and 27 (midnight)

HBO2 playdates:  Feb. 26 (4:45 p.m.) and 28 (11:00 p.m.)

HBO On Demand availability begins:  Feb. 27

In a welterweight showdown, hometown hero Devon Alexander (22-1, 13 KOs), who as a child found refuge from the hardscrabble Hyde Park section of St. Louis in a boxing gym, takes on the formidable Marcos Maidana (31-2, 28 KOs) of Buenos Aires, Argentina in a scheduled ten-round contest.  A former junior welterweight champ, Alexander brings speed and effective combinations to the ring.  Bouncing back from his only pro loss to Timothy Bradley with a victory over Lucas Matthysse, he is moving up to the talent-rich 147-pound division with the ultimate goal of capturing another title.

Maidana, known for his exciting style and knockout power, returns to the U.S. after a memorable victory over Eric Morales in April 2011, which followed his narrow decision loss to Amir Khan in 2010’s consensus Fight of the Year.  A decisive win could reestablish Maidana on the boxing landscape.

The opening bout is a junior lightweight title showdown of undefeated fighters, with Cincinnati’s Adrien Broner (22-0, 18 KOs) defending his crown against Eloy Perez (23-0-2, 7 KOs) of Salinas, Cal. in a scheduled 12-round bout.  Broner, who has taken the boxing world by storm with impressive wins and thrilling performances, is a budding star.  Perez looks to use his speed and aggressive style to halt Broner’s streak and take his title in this intriguing 130-pound contest.

The night of boxing programming kicks off at 9:45 p.m. (ET/PT) with the debut of a new 15-minute edition of “2 Days:  Portrait of a Fighter,” offering an intimate look at junior middleweight James Kirkland in the lead-up to one of his fights.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV.  HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Mike Sheehan.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

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Filed Under: Boxing, HBO

Showtime® Taps Barry Tompkins And Steve Farhood For Inaugural Showtime Extreme® Live Boxing Telecast

February 13, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Two-Fight Undercard Featuring Chris Arreola vs. Eric Molina

Begins at 8 p.m. ET Live On SHOWTIME EXTREME

Followed by SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Doubleheader

Featuring Paul Williams and Tavoris Cloud Live On SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET

Saturday, Feb. 18 from American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas

NEW YORK (Feb. 10, 2012)–-SHOWTIME Sports® has named award-winning sportscaster Barry Tompkins and renowned boxing historian Steve Farhood to serve as the announce team for the inaugural presentation of live undercard boxing on SHOWTIME EXTREME—Saturday, Feb. 18 live at 8 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).  The two-fight SHO EXTREME telecast immediately precedes the live SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING doubleheader featuring Paul Williams vs. Nobuhiro Ishida and Tavoris Cloud vs. Gabrielle Campillo, live on SHOWTIME at 10 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

A 12-round heavyweight bout between American contender Chris Arreola and Eric Molina will headline the SHOWTIME EXTREME telecast which also features Malik Scott vs. Kendrick Releford in an eight-round heavyweight bout.

SHOWTIME EXTREME, the premium network’s sports and action focused multiplex channel, is available in more than 99 percent of SHOWTIME subscriber households nationwide.

“We are proud to welcome Barry Tompkins to the family,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports. “He and Farhood bring a tremendous amount of broadcast and boxing experience to the booth. I am excited to expand our live coverage for the network’s loyal boxing fans and for the fighters who will benefit from the additional exposure.”

The versatile Tompkins’ 40-plus years in broadcasting include calling college football and basketball as well as many legendary fights such as “Sugar” Ray Leonard vs. Marvin Hagler, Mike Tyson vs. Trevor Berbick and Aaron Pryor vs. Alexis Arguello. In 2006, he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

Since transitioning from a full-time journalist as editor-in-chief of “The Ring” and “KO” magazines, Farhood has provided the color commentary for every ShoBox: The New Generation telecast in the series’ decade-long tenure. Still an active writer in the sport, he received the Nat Fleischer Award for “Excellence in Boxing Journalism” from the Boxing Writers Association of America in May 2011.

Tickets for the event are priced at $25, $35, $50, $75, $100 and will available at the American Bank Center box office and on Ticketmaster.com starting Saturday, January 14 at 10 a.m. CT. VIP packages are also available by calling (817) 296-4546.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please visit the website at http://sports.SHO.com.

Filed Under: Boxing, ShowTime

Season Premiere of World Championship Boxing

February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

HBO SPORTS PRESENTS A DOUBLEHEADER OF FISTIC FIREWORKS WHEN

 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®:  JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. VS.

MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO AND NONITO DONAIRE VS. WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR.

IS SEEN LIVE SATURDAY, FEB. 4

            HBO Sports’ flagship boxing series returns with an action-packed card headlined by two of the sport’s fastest-rising stars when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING:  JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. VS. MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO AND NONITO DONAIRE VS. WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR. is seen live SATURDAY, FEB. 4 at 10:00 p.m. (ET)/7:00 p.m. (PT) from the Alamodome in San Antonio, exclusively on HBO.  The HBO Sports team of Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant and Emanuel Steward will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates:  Feb. 5 (8:30 a.m.) and 6 (12:25 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Feb. 5 (3:30 p.m.) and 7 (12:40 a.m.)

After standout matches on HBO in 2011, Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Nonito Donaire of the Philippines begin 2012 against formidable opponents at a venue known for bringing out the best in fighters.

The 12-round, 160-pound main event features Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KOs) defending his hard-earned middleweight title against an experienced challenger in fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KOs).  Only 25, Chavez Jr. will have his work cut out for him in battling a prizefighter with 59 pro bouts under his belt.

The co-feature is an intriguing 12-round junior featherweight title fight pitting fan favorite Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18 KOs) against the formidable Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (21-1-1, 18 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.  Budding superstar Donaire, now residing in San Leandro, Cal., scored one of 2011’s most memorable victories when he knocked out Fernando Montiel last February.  Now, the engaging 29-year-old, who last lost a pro fight in 2001, moves up in weight to the 122-pound division in hopes of adding a new title belt to his collection.   Vazquez Jr., who hails from a boxing family, has other plans.

The night of boxing programming kicks off at 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 PT when an all-new edition of “2 Days: Portrait of a Fighter” debuts.  The Feb. 4 installment of this revealing and intimate look at a 48-hour span in the life of a boxer in the lead-up to one of his fights will focus on lightweight Brandon Rios of Oxnard, CA.  The feature is approximately 15 minutes.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV.  HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Marc Payton.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

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Filed Under: Boxing, HBO

World Championship Boxing Feb. 4: Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio, Donaire vs. Vazquez Jr.

January 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

HBO SPORTS PRESENTS A DOUBLEHEADER OF FISTIC FIREWORKS WHEN

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®:  JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. VS.

MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO AND NONITO DONAIRE VS. WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR.

IS SEEN LIVE SATURDAY, FEB. 4

HBO Sports’ flagship boxing series returns with an action-packed card headlined by two of the sport’s fastest-rising stars when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING:  JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ JR. VS. MARCO ANTONIO RUBIO AND NONITO DONAIRE VS. WILFREDO VAZQUEZ JR. is seen live SATURDAY, FEB. 4 at 10:00 p.m. (ET)/7:00 p.m. (PT) from the Alamodome in San Antonio, exclusively on HBO.  The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates:  Feb. 5 (8:30 a.m.) and 6 (12:25 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Feb. 5 (3:30 p.m.) and 7 (12:40 a.m.)

After standout matches on HBO in 2011, Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Nonito Donaire of the Philippines begin 2012 against formidable opponents at a venue known for bringing out the best in fighters.

The 12-round, 160-pound main event features Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KOs) defending his hard-earned middleweight title against an experienced challenger in fellow Mexican Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KOs).  Only 25, Chavez Jr. will have his work cut out for him in battling a prizefighter with 59 pro bouts under his belt.

The co-feature is an intriguing 12-round junior featherweight title fight pitting fan favorite Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18 KOs) against the formidable Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. (21-1-1, 18 KOs) of Bayamon, Puerto Rico.  Budding superstar Donaire, now residing in San Leandro, Cal., scored one of 2011’s most memorable victories when he knocked out Fernando Montiel last February.  Now, the engaging 29-year-old, who last lost a pro fight in 2001, moves up in weight to the 122-pound division in hopes of adding a new title belt to his collection.   Vazquez Jr., who hails from a boxing family, has other plans.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter attwitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV.  HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Marc Payton.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

Filed Under: Boxing, HBO

Rescheduled for March 24–World Championship Boxing: Morales vs. Garcia, Kirkland vs. Molina

January 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

EDITORS, PLEASE NOTE:

Due to illness, WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING:  ERIK MORALES VS. DANNY GARCIA AND JAMES KIRKLAND VS. CARLOS MOLINA has been postponed.  Originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 28, the HBO Sports presentation is now set for SATURDAY, MARCH 24 at 10:15 p.m. (ET)/7:15 p.m. (PT).

Filed Under: Boxing, HBO

Award-Winning Bernardo Osuna Named ESPN’s Friday Night Fights Studio Host

January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

ESPN’s Bernardo Osuna, one of the most honored boxing journalists in the industry, has been named ESPN’s Friday Night Fights new studio host on ESPN2 and ESPN3. Osuna will make his debut when ESPN’s Friday Night Fights kicks off its 14th season January 6 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.

“We are excited to welcome Bernardo full time to our team,” said Matt Sandulli, ESPN senior coordinating producer. “He has contributed in the past but now viewers will truly benefit from his 17 years covering boxing. He is well connected both domestically and internationally which is a huge asset covering the sport in 2012. The studio news and information presentation is a big part of Friday Night Fights and Bernardo will do a great job delivering that each week.”

Osuna served as a guest analyst in Friday Night Fights‘ studio in 2009-2010, part of a rotating list of guests that included World Champion Bernard Hopkins, ESPN.com’s boxing expert Dan Rafael, and cruiserweight contender B.J. Flores.

“Being entrusted with the studio host position for Friday Night Fights is a great honor and responsibility,” said Osuna. “I plan to bring my knowledge and passion for the sport of boxing to every telecast, and to continue the tradition of credibility which has been the hallmark of those who have preceded me on this show. I am excited about working with Joe Tessitore and Teddy Atlas as well as interacting directly with our viewers on our social media platforms.”

In addition to his Friday Night Fights responsibilities, Osuna serves as co-host of ESPN Deportes’ weekly boxing news and analysis show Golpe a Golpe, and is ESPN Deportes’ west coast bureau reporter and boxing analyst.  

Osuna will host from ESPN’s Connecticut studios, but occasionally will be on site at Friday Night Fights or in ESPN’s Los Angeles studios.

Osuna has received many honors for his work on boxing including, the 2003 Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America, four Emmy Awards, and six Golden Mic’s. Additionally, he has received the Puerto Rico Boxing Commission Broadcasting Award, and is a former member of the Ring Ratings Advisory Board.

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Filed Under: Boxing, ESPN

Victor Ortiz-Andre Berto II – Feb. 11 on SHOWTIME – SHOWTIME and CBS Join Forces in Support of Ortiz-Berto Rematch

December 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

VICTOR ORTIZ vs. ANDRE BERTO II

LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES & PHOTOS


Monday, Dec. 19, JW Marriott At L.A. LIVE, Los Angeles, Calif.


The Rematch Of One Of Most Exciting Fights Of 2011
Is Set For Saturday, Feb. 11, At The MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nev.

 

The Eagerly Awaited 12-Round Welterweight Fight To Be Televised Live with

Co-feature Bout(s) on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. EST/PST (Delayed on the West Coast);

Plus Additional Undercard Fights Will Air Live on SHOWTIME EXTREME

 

LOS ANGELES (Dec. 19, 2011) – Ten months after a classic and spirited slugfest that is a definite “Fight of the Year” candidate, former World Champions “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KO’s), of Ventura, Calif. and Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KO’s), of Winter Haven, Fl., will slug it out again on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. live on SHOWTIME (10 p.m. EST/PST, delayed on the West Coast).

The eagerly awaited 12-round fight is a rematch of a fiercely contested, multiple-knockdown affair on April 16 that Ortiz won by a unanimous decision (114-112, 114-111 and 115-110) while capturing Berto’s World Boxing Council (WBC) 147-pound title.  Both fighters were knocked down twice in the fight, with Berto being dropped in the first, Ortiz going down a round later and each of them hitting the deck in a wild sixth round that many are calling the Round of the Year.

“Repeat or Revenge: Ortiz vs. Berto II“ is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and DiBella Entertainment.  Tickets, priced at $300, $150, $100 and $50, are on sale and are available at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers and Ritmo Latino).  Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person.  To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000.  Tickets also are available for purchase atwww.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com.

Quotes from Monday’s press conference are below:

 

“VICIOUS” VICTOR ORTIZ

“My team kind of said it all.   I don’t need to say a whole lot.   I prepare very well.   I know I’m up against a tough opponent.  I captured the world championship and went for the best.  I’ll leave everything in the ring and bring home the victory once again.  I don’t hate anybody.  I respect all of them.  We’re here to box and fight and make a great show on February 11th.  I’m ready.

“I’m being counted out once again.  Once again, not the best of the best.  Once again, I’m too nice.  You know what, I’ll show you February 11th why Andre Berto belongs where he’s at and why I’ve made him belong there.  I don’t need to say anything more than that.”

ANDRE BERTO

“I have put in the time and worked very hard to get to where I am.

“This is a tremendous opportunity.  I’m ready to get it on.  I’ve had to improve my game.  I’ve had a hard, tough training camp and just have to stay focused and get the job done.

“I’m hungrier than ever.  I predict a win.”

 

 

RICHARD SCHAEFER (CEO of Golden Boy Promotions)

”We are definitely starting out 2012 with a big bang.  ‘Ortiz-Berto II’ is boxing at its best and the single biggest fight that can be made outside of Mayweather-Pacquiao.

“We are all very excited.  This is the first time a premium channel fight is being supported like a pay-per-view event.  SHOWTIME is planning to do a Fight Camp 360.

“Their first fight may be ‘Fight of the Year’ and both guys want to set the record straight.  The rematch might be 2012 ‘Fight of the Year.’  Both of these world champions are guaranteed to put on a great show.

The 147-pound division is the one with all the biggest names and we have two of them fighting each other.

“We’re expecting a sellout.“I really want to thank Stephen Espinoza and SHOWTIME for stepping up the way they have. This will be an incredible night of boxing.’’

 

STEPHEN ESPINOZA (Executive Vice President, General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports)

“I’m very excited and proud to have this as my first official press conference.  I’m more excited and more proud that this is the first fight that I acquired in my position as Executive Vice President (and General Manager) of SHOWTIME Sports and Event Programming. This fight is the most compelling, most exciting, most highly anticipated fight available.  That’s why it was my No. 1 priority from the very first minute I accepted the position with SHOWTIME…to make sure that this fight appeared on SHOWTIME.

“Not only am I excited and proud to have this as SHOWTIME programming but all of my colleagues are excited as well.  We will be receiving the support of our parent company, CBS and all of its platforms, which includes the free television network, CBS Interactive and other CBS Sports Networks. All of these plans will be developing more as time goes forward.

“When they are deserving, we’ll be airing what used to be non-televised undercards on SHOWTIME EXTREME before the telecast begins on SHOWTIME.  This will be an opportunistic play for our network based on multiple factors.  SHO EXTREME has blossomed into one of the strongest cable television and sports programming outlets. SHO EXTREME is where we replay all our boxing and MMA events, and the rest of our award-winning sports programming such as Inside the NFL, Inside NASCAR, The Franchise.

“This is going to be an amazing fight between two of the brightest young stars in the sport and that’s yet another reason why it was important for SHOWTIME to acquire this event.  These are two world-class athletes and just as importantly, if not more importantly, two world-class young men, very articulate, very personable and they are exactly the type of young men that SHOWTIME wants to be in business with.  I’m looking toward to February 11th.  It’s guaranteed to be a great event.’’

 

ROLANDO ARELLANO (Ortiz’s manager)

“We at Team Ortiz will convey nothing but respect to Andre Berto.  We know he is a great fighter.  We know that he has the courage of a warrior with a great team.  We know that he is hungry and that his thirst for revenge is present.  We clearly understand all those facts.  The only way we know how to respect him, our sport and the fans is to prepare for this fight like never before.

“I will pledge to our fans that Victor will raise his standards in this fight like never before.  If Andre Berto thought he ran into a freight train last time, this time he will feel the (hurt) of a nuclear bomb.’’

 

 

TONY MORGAN (Berto’s Trainer)

“Berto was just out of it the last fight.  He tried to come in light.  He was completely deficient.  We found out after that he was anemic, but no excuses.  Victor fought his butt off.  I’m not making excuses.  I’m just saying Berto wasn’t 100 percent.  This time, we’ll be 100 percent and we’ll see the true outcome.  I think we knock him out.  I just hope for a good fight.”

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA.  SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, SHOWTIME 2 HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™ and FLIX ON DEMAND®.  SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution.  All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1.  SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.

Filed Under: Boxing, CBS, ShowTime

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights Returns January 6

December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Series Saw Viewership Rise in 2011

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights presented by Corona Extra will kick off its 14th season January 6 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN3 featuring super middleweights Dyah Davis (20-2-1, 9 KOs: son of 1976 U.S. Olympic Gold medalist Howard Davis) and Alfonso Lopez (22-1, 17 KOs). The 10-round main event, outdoors at Mallory Square in Key West, Fla., is presented by DiBella Entertainment.

The January-August series concluded the 2011 season averaging 543,000 viewers, up 9% from 497,000 viewers in 2010. ESPN’s Friday Night Fights also saw gains in younger demos among adults ages 18-34 (+19%) and 18-49 (+22%).

“We look forward to building on the tremendous success of 2011 by showcasing familiar names that we trust will bring action and excitement to our Friday Night Fights fans,” said Doug Loughrey, ESPN director of programming and acquisitions. “I am most encouraged to have Dyah Davis, Teon Kennedy, Ruslan Provodinkov, Demetrius Andrade and John Molina in main events to kick-off our season.”

Matt Sandulli, ESPN senior coordinating producer, said, “We are really excited to get back at it. The 2011 season was a very good year for us and the fans of Friday Night Fights. We were fortunate to consistently have quality action in the ring. It’s one thing to have names on paper but it’s all about what the two fighters do when they face off. Last year we had great battles, breathtaking knockouts, and tremendous storylines and seemingly every week big-time upsets. We hope to continue with more of the same starting in January.”

Award-Winning Commentators

Blow-by-blow commentator Joe Tessitore and ringside analyst Teddy Atlas return. Both are recipients of the prestigious Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Broadcast Journalism presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America: Atlas (2001), Tessitore (2010).

 

Ultra-Mo

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will implement, an ultra slo-mo camera on select cards providing some of the most dramatic and amazing replays of a fight’s biggest punches.

ESPN 3D

ESPN 3D which presented boxing for the first time in the U.S. last February, returns in 2012 with a  telecast scheduled January 13 from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, in Las Vegas.

 

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes’ Viernes de Combates (“Friday Night Fights” in Spanish) will present every card, with Leopoldo Gonzalez and Lindsay Cassinelli anchoring the studio and Pablo Viruega and Delvin Rodriguez calling the fights. ESPN Deportes’ weekly 30-minute boxing news and analysis show Golpe a Golpe will air on Friday’s. It will be co-hosted by World Champion Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez and boxing expert Jorge Eduardo Sanchez.

ESPN3

ESPN3 will present every Friday Night Fights card live, including simulcasts of every ESPN2 telecast and exclusively live when delayed on ESPN2. ESPN3 is ESPN’s live multi-screen sports network, a 24/7 destination that delivers thousands of global sports events annually and is accessible online via WatchESPN.com.

Social Media

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will have an increased social media presence in 2012. Plans include making the fan feel more a part of the experience on Facebook and Twitter.

Upcoming Schedule and Coverage Plans

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights will total 30 dates in 2012. The show will present specials throughout the season, including features commemorating Muhammad Ali’s 70th birthday, coverage from the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s induction weekend, and coverage of the U.S. Olympic boxing team during the 2012 summer games. Upcoming schedule below:

 

Date Time (ET) Main Event Location Network
Fri, Jan 6 9 p.m. Dyah Davis vs.

Alfonso Lopez

 Mallory Square,

Key West, Fla

 ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
Fri, Jan 13 9 p.m. Teon Kennedy vs.
Chris Martin		 Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas ESPN2, ESPN 3D, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
Fri, Jan 27 9 p.m. Ruslan Provodnikov vs.
Julio “The Kidd” Diaz		 Northern Quest Casino, Airway Heights Wash. ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
Fri, Feb 3 10 p.m. Edison Miranda vs.
Yordanis Despaigne		 (TBD),

Las Vegas

 ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
Fri, Feb 10 9 p.m. Demetrius Andrade  vs.
Derek Ennis		 Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn. ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
Fri, Feb 17 9 p.m. John Molina vs.
Alejandro Sanabria		 UTA, College Park Center

Arlington Texas

 ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3
Fri, Feb 24 9 p.m. Juan Carlos Burgos vs. Cristobal Cruz USC, Galen Center,

Los Angeles

 ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3

 

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Filed Under: Boxing, ESPN

World Championship Boxing returns Saturday Night from Washington, D.C.

December 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

HBO SPORTS HEADS TO WASHINGTON, D.C. FOR A

UNIFIED SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE SHOWDOWN WHEN

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®:  AMIR KHAN VS. LAMONT PETERSON

AND SETH MITCHELL VS. TIMUR IBRAGIMOV

IS PRESENTED LIVE SATURDAY, DEC. 10 ON HBO

PLUS THE EXCLUSIVE REPLAY OF COTTO VS. MARGARITO II

            HBO Sports serves up an intriguing unified super lightweight title bout when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING:  AMIR KHAN VS. LAMONT PETERSON AND SETH MITCHELL VS. TIMUR IBRAGIMOV is presented live SATURDAY, DEC. 10 (9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 p.m. PT) from Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., exclusively on HBO.  Ringside for HBO Sports will be host and blow-by-blow announcer Jim Lampley joined by commentators Larry Merchant and Max Kellerman.  The telecast will be closed-captioned for the hearing impaired, presented in HDTV and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

With regular analysts Emanuel Steward and Roy Jones Jr. unavailable due to previous fight commitments, HBO will pair veteran commentators Merchant and Kellerman with Lampley on what should be a entertaining and engaging night of boxing commentary and opinions.  Merchant joined HBO in 1978, while Kellerman came on board in 2006.

A 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist, London’s Amir Khan (26-1, 18 KOs) faces the resourceful Lamont Peterson (29-1-1, 15 KOs) in a highly anticipated 12-round title match.  Khan, who is enormously popular in Britain and turns 25 two days before the fight, has displayed a willingness to cross the pond to meet formidable opposition, and will be putting his 140-pound belts on the line in his fourth U.S. fight.  Under the guidance of legendary trainer Freddie Roach, Khan has met every challenge, including a bout with Zab Judah last July.

Battle-tested Lamont Peterson has defied long odds to reach this point in his career.  He and brother Anthony survived a turbulent childhood that included homelessness on the streets of D.C.  Now the 27-year-old has a shot at the top in this highly competitive division.

The opening fight features Brandywine, Md. native Seth Mitchell (23-0-1, 17 KOs) in a ten-round heavyweight battle with Uzbekistan’s Timur Ibragimov (30-3-1, 16 KOs).  A former linebacker at Michigan State who didn’t begin boxing until his 20s, Mitchell is making his HBO debut.

The doubleheader marks HBO’s first visit to the nation’s capital for boxing since 1993.

Prior to the live action, HBO will kick off the night of boxing programming with the exclusive replay of Cotto vs. Margarito II.  The all-action fight took place on Dec. 3 at New York’s Madison Square Garden and featured Miguel Cotto scoring a 10th round TKO victory over Antonio Margarito.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV.  HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

The executive producer of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is Rick Bernstein; producer, Thomas Odelfelt; director, Marc Payton.

® WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

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Filed Under: Boxing, HBO

Cotto-Margarito II replay this Saturday

December 5, 2011 By Leave a Comment

HBO SPORTS® PRESENTS THE EXCLUSIVE REPLAY

MIGUEL COTTO VS. ANTONIO MARGARITO II

SATURDAY, DEC. 10

It’s a special edition of WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® when HBO Sports presents MIGUEL COTTO VS. ANTONIO MARGARITO II, the exclusive replay of their super welterweight title showdown, this SATURDAY, DEC. 10 at 9:45 p.m. (ET)/6:45 p.m. (PT) on HBO.  The HBO Sports team, which was ringside for the live event, calls all the action.  The replay will be available in HDTV.

Carried live on HBO Pay-Per-View®, the second chapter of the heated Cotto-Margarito rivalry took place Dec. 3 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, with Cotto scoring a resounding tenth-round TKO victory.

In addition to the exclusive replay, HBO will have its cameras ringside Saturday night for the previously announced live doubleheader from Washington, D.C., featuring Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson in a 12-round lightweight title matchup.

Other HBO playdates for all three bouts:  Dec. 11 (8:45 a.m.) and 12 (11:45 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates for all three bouts:  Dec. 11 (5:30 p.m.) and 13 (11:30 p.m.)

Filed Under: Boxing, HBO
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