Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions has yet another broadcasting partner added to its list.
Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions series, which seeks to bring high-level boxing back to network and cable television and away from the dominant HBO/Showtime/PPV market, is now headed to ESPN. In a press release issued by the sports broadcasting giant, it was confirmed that PBC would replace the long-running Friday Night Fights weekly series that had been a staple of ESPN2's programming for nearly 2 decades. The final FNF will air on May 22nd, and PBC on ESPN monthly shows will be the norm starting Saturday, July 11th. Primetime events will air on ESPN, while ABC will receive an undetermined set of Saturday afternoon cards. Weigh-ins and non-televised fights will stream on ESPN3/WatchESPN.
Haymon has managed a series of time-buy arrangements -- this means the networks are not purchasing rights fees, but rather Haymon (and backing investors) are using their own money to buy air time to show the product -- with NBC, NBC Sports Network, Spike TV, CBS, among several other networks. The reported deal with ESPN has him paying them $16 million over the next two years.
PBC's first two outings have seen them average 3.4 million viewers for the March 7th NBC broadcast featuring Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero, while the March 13th Spike TV event headlined by Andre Berto and Josesito Lopez averaged 869,000 and peaked at 1 million, which is about double the typical FNF ratings. The next PBC show is an April 4th light heavyweight (175 lbs) showdown between Canadian KO artist Adonis Stevenson and veteran Sakio Bika in Quebec City.
Friday Night Fights has long been the home for young prospects, many of whom would become future champions such as Floyd Mayweather, Yuriorkis Gamboa, and Guillermo Rigondeaux. Action fighters such as Micky Ward, Emmanuel Augustus (who fought Ward in the 2001 Fight of the Year), Delvin Rodriguez, and others made their appearances on the program. The aim of PBC is to switch from weekly to monthly and produce higher quality main events than in recent years as the FNF brand has faded.
Card and venue details are not yet known for the July 11th show, but with the broadcast window set for 9-11 PM ET, will go head-to-head with the 2nd half of the UFC 189: Aldo vs. McGregor prelims and the first half of the pay-per-view broadcast. It's really nothing to be too bothered about, but it just serves as a programming note if you're a fan of both sports.
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