FOX Sports Telecasts Premier Boxing Champions Under Multi-Year Media Rights Deal
FOX Sports today announced that it has reached a multi-year, multi-platform agreement to telecast Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), under which it will be the exclusive boxing program for FOX Sports 1, with content also going to FOX Deportes, bringing the sport’s best and brightest stars to both networks. The announcement was made by David Nathanson, FOX Sports Head of Business Operations.
FOX Sports 1 premieres TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS, a new, live primetime boxing series on Tuesday, Sept. 8 (9:00 PM ET), which continues for a total of 21 shows through the end of June, 2016. The fights are simulcast on FOX Deportes, under a series name to be determined soon.
“We’ve been invested in boxing as a cornerstone property since launching FOX Sports 1,” says Nathanson. “Premier Boxing Champions delivers high-profile, high-quality programing that is breaking viewership records in the boxing space. There is no question that this deal makes FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes true destinations for boxing fans.”
Hosting TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS is Brian Kenny, a veteran boxing announcer currently serving as an MLB Network studio host, a position he continues to hold. Kenny formerly anchored ESPN 2’s Friday Night Fights.
"I’m so excited to be working on FOX Sports 1 on this new PBC series,” says Kenny. “We’re looking forward to making boxing even more accessible to the fans, providing world class match-ups and putting the spotlight on fighters who deserve to be seen by both hardcore and mainstream fans. We will be real with the audience, show them respect and give them the landscape of the boxing world.”
On FOX Deportes, former featherweight world champion and 2000 Mexican Olympic team member Daniel Ponce de Leon joins Samuel Jacobo to call the action.
TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS kicks off on FOX Sports 1 on Sept. 8, with an exciting super welterweight bout between former world champion Austin “No Doubt” Trout (29-2, 16 KOs) and Joey “Twinkle Fingers” Hernandez (24-3, 14 KOs). The co-main event features a junior featherweight bout between undefeated Jorge Lara (27-0-1, 19 KOs) and Puerto Rico’s Jesus Rojas (21-1, 15 KOs).
After the series debut, the punches keep coming on Tuesday, Sept. 15 (9:00 PM ET), when inspirational war veteran and undefeated welterweight Sammy “The Sergeant” Vasquez (19-0, 13 KOs) faces Jose “Piston” Lopez (25-3, 15 KOs) in the headlining event. Light heavyweights Thomas Williams (18-1, 12 KOs) and Umberto Savigne (12-2, 9 KOs) are featured in the co-main event of the evening
On Tuesday, Sept. 22, Philadelphia’s undefeated rising star Julian “J-Rock” Williams (20-0-1, 12 KOs) tests his skills against tough veteran Luciano Cuello (35-3, 17 KOs) in a super welterweight battle. Also featured that night, Moises Flores (23-0, 16 KOs) fights to stay undefeated against Luis Emmanuel Cusolito (21-1, 19 KOs) in a junior featherweight bout.
Super featherweight world champion Javier Fortuna (28-0, 20 KOs) puts his belt on the line Tuesday, Sept. 29 against 2004 Puerto Rican Olympian Carlos Velazquez (19-1, 12 KOs) in the night’s main event. The co-main event features a battle of unbeaten super welterweight fighters when Detroit’s Domonique Dolton (17-0, 9 KOs) faces 2012 Mexican Olympian Oscar Molina (13-0, 10 KOs).
In the coming weeks, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Deportes will announce more on-air personalities, along with upcoming show airdates and times.
In addition, all TOE-TO-TOE TUESDAYS are streamed live on FOX Sports GO, the critically acclaimed app that provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content at home or on the go, and now is available in 70 million households. The Spanish-language telecast is also available on FOX Sports GO.
Full schedule is available in the PDF below.