LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2012)-Golden Boy Promotions, SHOWTIME Sports and CBS Sportswill team up to showcase standout boxers from the 2012 Summer Olympic Games making their professional debuts live on the CBS Television Network. The initial live boxing broadcasts, which will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports, include two dates, Sunday, October 14 and Saturday, December 15 with additional dates to follow.
“It is a great pleasure for Golden Boy Promotions to be working with CBS on this exciting network television opportunity for these young athletes,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “It is a chance of a lifetime and a guaranteed career jumpstart for some of these fighters to be able to make their professional debuts in front of millions of viewers on the CBS Television network.”
“It is a dream come true for any Olympic fighter to make his or her pro debut on network television,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “I am grateful to my colleagues at CBS who are giving SHOWTIME the opportunity to present the future of the sport to the largest possible audience. It will be an exciting moment for boxing and I am proud to be part of this special presentation.”
Schaefer will travel to the Olympic Games in London which begin on Friday, July 27. He will attend the boxing events watching closely for breakout performances by fighters in all weight classes. Schaefer expects to keep a keen eye on the 12 men and women representing the United States, one of the largest U.S. boxing delegations at the Olympic Games in recent years.
“On behalf of Golden Boy Promotions, I am excited to attend the Olympic Games and see firsthand the worldwide talent that will be competing in the tournament,” said Schaefer. “We know these men and women have the potential to become the future champions in our sport and it will be a thrill to see what boxing can look forward to in the years to come.”
In addition, Olympic gold medalist and Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya, who this year celebrates the 20th anniversary of his own Olympic gold medal win (1992 Barcelona), has pledged to be personally involved in the development of these fighters as they look for advice and guidance when he or she transition from their amateur to professional careers.
“I know from my own experience the pressure these young fighters are under to compete in the Olympics, to represent their country well and to bring home a medal,” said De La Hoya. “Once the celebrating is over and they turn professional, there are certain things that happen during that transition that I feel I can assist them with because I did it myself.”
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About Golden Boy Promotions
Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar de la Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. In 2007, in its fifth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions set a record by selling over 2.5 million in pay-per-view homes in a single night. Also in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions established the record for highest grossing pay-per-view homes in a single year with more than 4 million total. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the United States on networks such as HBO, SHOWTIME, TeleFutura, FOX Deportes and FOX Sports Net.
Golden Boy Promotions currently has over 50 fighters under contract, from future Hall of Famers Bernard Hopkins and Erik Morales to current world champions and superstars Devon Alexander, Canelo Alvarez, Adrien Broner, Pablo Cesar Cano, Danny Garcia, Robert Guerrero, David Haye, Chris John, Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Abner Mares, Paulie Malignaggi, Anselmo Moreno, Victor Ortiz, Leo Santa Cruz and Humberto Soto. Also included on the company’s roster are top contenders Librado Andrade, Alfredo Angulo, Erislandy Lara, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Jorge Linares, James Kirkland, Lucas Matthysse, Seth Mitchell and Peter Quillin as well as highly regarded prospects Randy Caballero, Omar Figueroa, Eddie Gomez, Antonio Orozco, Keith Thurman and Deontay Wilder.
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 which includes the SMITHSONIAN CHANNEL™. 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®.
