We’ve seen a ridiculous amount of outlets announce deals with boxing promotions as of late, and another network is getting into the fray – truTV. The network has partnered with Top Rank for a total of eight cards in 2015. The first three of those cards will air on Friday nights in May before an HBO boxing card.
The series begins at 10 PM on May 1st, the night before Mayweather-Pacquiao, and will feature Takahiro Ao vs Ray Beltran in the main event for the WBO Lightweight World Championship. A pair of undefeated fighters will clash on the undercard for the NABF Welterweight Championship, as 26-0 Mikael Zewski takes on 27-0 Konstantin Ponomarev.
This is a pretty genius move from Turner, in my opinion. What better way to get some more exposure for truTV after the NCAA Tournament than pairing with Top Rank and HBO to put on some live fights before HBO boxing events? Considering HBO’s two other announced cards in May feature Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin, there’s definitely some potential to get some fans to tune in for the Friday card on truTV before the big card on HBO the next day.
Putting the cards on Friday nights also helps feed off of ESPN’s Friday Night Fights franchise, coming to an end after their new contract with Premier Boxing Champions begins this summer. It’s pretty amazing what’s happened with boxing leaping back into the mainstream this year – I think every major sports outlet now has a deal with a boxing promotion. It’s unbelievable.
Comments are closed.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.