LOS ANGELES (Sept. 24, 2015)-It was one year ago that Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya, HBO Sports President Ken Hershman, and Mexican superstar boxer Canelo Álvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) hosted a press conference in Los Angeles to announce a major new agreement granting HBO Sports exclusive rights to televise Canelo’s fights in the U.S.
Canelo’s road to HBO was paved by his perseverance and desire to become one of boxing’s best. He has never shied away from fighting the toughest fighters in his quest for greatness, earning the respect of fans, media, and even his rivals. On May 9, 2015, Canelo made his first appearance on HBO Sports since announcing his exclusive deal with the network and secured an impressive victory over the dangerous James “Mandingo Warrior” Kirkland before a crowd of more than 31,000 screaming fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Canelo vs. Kirkland registered the highest viewership for an HBO World Championship Boxing event since 2006 generating an average of 2.1 million views for the live airing of the event.
“I am pleased to celebrate my first anniversary with HBO. HBO is my family, and I am glad to be home. Together, we will continue to make history. I look forward to celebrating many anniversaries together with all my family members at Golden Boy Promotions and HBO. I will continue producing the best possible fights for my fans and will blindly dedicate myself to my best performances every time,” Canelo Álvarez said.
“The fans absolutely love Canelo. They are loyal and are the most passionate fans of any fighter in the sport of boxing today. Canelo’s exciting fighting style keeps them coming back, and he works hard to not let them down, both inside and outside of the ring. HBO is the best network for boxing, hands down, so I knew it would be the right home for Canelo and the best way for his fans to see him in action,” said Oscar De La Hoya.
“HBO Sports is thrilled to be the U.S. television home of Canelo Alvarez,” said Ken Hershman, President of HBO Sports. “He is one of the sport’s brightest superstars and our platform is ideally suited to maximize all of his goals and dreams. At only 25 years old he has so many incredibly exciting chapters ahead of him. We at HBO are looking forward to being an integral part of what will be a historic career.”
Canelo is a knockout artist known for his tremendous power and durability against the toughest opponents in the ring who made his professional debut at 15-years-old and quickly became one of the most popular fighters in the sport. His fan base spread quickly in his home country of Mexico as his style captured and enthralled fans. His fan base exploded, crossing the border in to the U.S. and ultimately spreading around the world. Canelo’s good looks and charisma outside the ring attracted a legion of fans from around the world rooting for him every step of the way on his journey to the top.
A former world champion, Canelo is eager to once again hold a title and will get the opportunity again on Saturday, Nov. 21 when he faces reigning WBC, Ring Magazine and Lineal Middleweight World Champion Miguel Cotto in a classic Mexico vs. Puerto Rico rivalry battle. The event will take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View. The epic battle is being called by many the most anticipated fight of 2015 and will also mark Canelo’s first Pay-Per-View appearance since his exclusive agreement with HBO.
For Canelo, this is still only the beginning. The way he sees it, the best is yet to come and the fans will be able to watch him every step of the way on HBO.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing, www.canelopromotions.com.mx; follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, @HBOBoxing; become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/SaulCaneloAlvarez, and www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing; and follow on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @Canelo, and @HBOboxing.
About Golden Boy Promotions
Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by 10-time world champion in six divisions Oscar De La Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the world and has worked with networks such as HBO, HBO Latino, Estrella TV, ESPN, TeleFutura, FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes, Televisa and TV Azteca. In its 13-year existence, Golden Boy Promotions has promoted some of the biggest and highest grossing pay-per-view events in the history of the sport. In 2007, the company broke all boxing records with more than four million pay-per-view buys in a single year. Golden Boy Promotions also promoted the fight that formerly held the record for the highest grossing and most pay-per-view buys of all time: De La Hoya vs. Mayweather which generated 2.5 million buys and grossed over $120 million and Mayweather vs. Canelo which generated 2.2 million pay-per-view buys and grossed over $150 million in revenue. On May 9, 2015 before a crowd of more than 31,000 fans at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Canelo vs. Kirkland registered the highest viewership for an HBO World Championship Boxing event since 2006 generating an average of 2.1 million views for the live airing of the event. The company has also promoted other notable pay-per-view fights featuring fan favorites Bernard “The Alien” Hopkins, Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Marco “Baby Faced Assassin” Antonio Barrera, Erik “El Terrible” Morales and Sugar Shane Mosley.
