ESPN, FOX Sports Set Broadcaster Assignments Ahead of Fury vs. Wilder III Fight Week
Three Former Champions Serve as Analysts for ESPN and FOX
Multiple Events Highlight Fight Week Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 6
To Order PPV: ESPN+ and FOX
LOS ANGELES – ESPN and FOX Sports announce broadcaster assignments for Fury vs. Wilder III fight week with three former champions, veteran hosts and Hall of Famers set to call the action from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Highlighting the week, three-time world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis returns with undefeated former two-division world champion and 2004 U.S. Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward to call ring action with veteran play-by-play announcer Brian Kenny on Saturday, Oct. 9, at 9:00 PM ET.
Helming the desk will be FOX Sports host Kate Abdo, along with two-time welterweight champion Shawn “Showtime” Porter and well-known ESPN boxing commentator Max Kellerman. Abdo will also host the weigh-in (Friday, October 8, on ESPN2 and FS1 at 5:00 PM ET) and the main event press conference (Wednesday, Oct. 6, on ESPN2 and FS1 at 5:00 PM ET). Joining her for the weigh-in are Porter, Lewis and Ward. Kenny moderates the main event press conference alongside Porter and Lewis.
FOX PBC reporter Heidi Androl will join ESPN commentator, Bernardo Osuna, to handle reporting duties for fight night. Osuna will also handle fighter interviews during the weigh-in show and serve as interpreter on fight night, while International Boxing Hall of Famer Larry Hazzard returns as the unofficial scorer and rules expert.
Rounding out the broadcaster lineup for the week is ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr., who will appear at all three events. The Hall of Famer returns after announcing Wilder vs. Fury II.
Spanish-language coverage for Fury vs. Wilder III includes play-by-play from FOX Deportes’ Adrián García Márquez and four-weight world champion Erik Morales, along with famed ESPN Deportes broadcaster David Faitelson and veteran ESPN Deportes boxing journalist Carlos Nava with analysis. FOX Deportes’ Jaime Motta provides live reporting and interviews ringside.
Wilder vs. Fury III production will include a unique mixture of innovative camera mounts, super slow motion and high resolution. FOX Sports will add a pair of JitCam cranes on opposite sides of the rings, one with the ability to move up to 100 feet along a track from one side of the venue to the other. A Dynamicam, a mini three-axis cable cam system, functioning as a wired “drone” on the reverse side of the ring, will fly over the audience. A super high-resolution “c360” camera will be used above the ring in the place of a conventional robotic overhead to allow infinite zoom and pan functions to that position.
Additionally, FOX Sports will have an ultra-slow-motion camera on the reverse side of the ring, sporting a one-of-a-kind high-resolution lens to give a cinematic “Raging Bull” feel to replays. In addition, there will be several wireless cameras, including FOX Sports’ Megalodon shallow depth-of-field camera, made famous as part of FOX NFL coverage last season.
Of the 30-plus cameras, all ring coverage will be in super slow mo. On the audio front, FOX Sports will employ more than 50 wired and wireless microphones, including mics on referees and trainers.
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About ESPN
ESPN, the world’s leading sports entertainment brand, features eight U.S. television networks, direct-to-consumer ESPN+, ESPN Radio, ESPN.com, endeavors on every continent around the world, and more. ESPN is 80 percent owned by ABC, Inc. (an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company) and 20 percent by Hearst.
About FOX Sports
FOX Sports is the umbrella entity representing FOX Corporation’s wide array of multi-platform US-based sports assets. Built with brands capable of reaching more than 100 million viewers in a single weekend, the business has ownership and interests in linear television networks, digital and mobile programming, broadband platforms, multiple web sites, joint-venture businesses and several licensing relationships. FOX Sports includes the sports television arm of the FOX Network; FS1, FS2, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Deportes. FOX Sports’ digital properties include FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports App, which provides live streaming video of FOX Sports content, instant scores, stats and alerts to iOS and Android devices. Additionally, FOX Sports and social broadcasting platform Caffeine jointly own Caffeine Studios which creates exclusive eSports, sports and live entertainment content. Also included in FOX Sports’ portfolio are FOX’s interests in joint-venture business Big Ten Network, a licensing and commercial relationship with The Stars Group that created the FOX Bet sports betting platform and the FOX Bet Super 6 free-to-play game, as well as a licensing agreement that established the FOX Sports Radio Network.
For more information, visit FOX Sports Press Pass or ESPNPressRoom www.premierboxingchampions.com, www.toprank.com, www.foxdeportes.com and www.espn.com/boxing
CONTACTS:
Vernon Cheek, FOX Sports
424-325-9272
vernon.cheek@fox.com
Ardi Dwornik, ESPN
646-547-5612
ardi.r.dwornik@espn.com
Dave Nagle, ESPN
860-766-2241
dave.nagle@espn.com
Kevin Ota, ESPN+
860-839-7834
kevin.r.ota@disney.com
