NEW YORK (May 8, 2019) – Four undefeated Murphys Boxing warriors are set to show their skills on Friday as FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Powered by Everlast celebrates two full years of action in the ring and heated debate in its comments section. Beginning at 8 p.m. ET live from the new MGM Resort and Casino in Springfield, Mass., the interactive, FREE Facebook series showcases several up-and-comers looking to protect their unblemished records and represent the boxing promotion born out of the Dropkick Murphys popular Celtic punk band.
“We are excited to be showcasing our talented roster of fighters for our third-straight event with FIGHTNIGHT LIVE. We have a great night of fights planned at a terrific new venue at MGM Springfield,” saidKen Casey, Dropkick Murphys Frontman and President and Founder, Murphys Boxing. “This card is stacked with undefeated fighters who all possess knockout power, this promises to be an exciting night.”
The FIGHTNIGHT LIVE lineup is headlined by unbeaten Ecuadorian Olympian Carlos Gongora (15-0, 12 KOs), who will put his unblemished record on the line against veteran Damien Ezequiel Bonelli (23-6, 20 KOs) in a matchup between two South American knockout artists. Fellow Murphys Boxing prospects Ray Jay Bermudez (6-0, 4 KOs) of Albany, N.Y., Anthony Velazquez (5-0, 5 KOs) of Springfield, Mass., and four-time Boston Golden Gloves Champion James Perella (2-0, 2 KOs) – who has fought each of his pro contests to date on FIGHTNIGHT LIVE – will look to preserve their perfect records on Friday, free on Facebook.
In addition to the action in the ring, former world title challenger turned commentator and trainer to world champions John “The Iceman” Scully will be honored with the latest installment of the Murphys Boxing “Warrior’s Code Award.” Scully becomes the third recipient of the honor, a tribute to the legendary “Irish” Micky Ward.
“We’re excited to be back with the Dropkick Murphys after amassing close to 500,000 views across two Murphys Boxing shows this Spring,” said Mark Fratto, Principal and Director of Business Development, Linacre Media. “Carlos Gongora and the rest of the Murphys’ area prospects will deliver knockout performances for our free, interactive series, and we expect to elevate the profiles of those young warriors as we celebrate two full years of free boxing on Facebook via our platform.”
Now in its second season, FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Powered by Everlast is the fan-friendly Facebook platform that – among other aspects – prides itself on the real-time conversations held between fight commentators and the viewing audience. FIGHTNIGHT LIVE has showcased more than 555 fighters and 17 promotions during 34 live event broadcasts from 19 different cities since May 2017, and in doing so, the interactive platform has generated the loyal interest of fight fans from across the United States and around the globe, including significant audiences in Mexico, the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, and even fans in South America, Asia and Australia.
Since May 2017, the numbers on the 34-show FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series showed promise and potential for the new platform with an average of 172,989 views per event and almost 5.9 million total views for the franchise. Since Sept. 2018, seventeen FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Season II shows have reached 4.5 million fans and have averaged more than 262,000 views.
The Sept. 2018 “Kings Boxing Tuesday Night Fights” (594,447) from the Sands in Bethlehem, the Dec. 2018 “Queens and Kings of Queens Card” (379,758) in New York, the Nov. 2018 “Hard Hitting Showtime Collaboration” (372,662), the Dec. 2018 “Roy Jones Jr. Texas Throwdown” (318,886), the Oct. 2018 “Hard Hitting Philly Special” (297,545), the Oct. 2018 hour-long Bareknuckle “Freeview” (292,253), the Nov. 2018 “Titans In The Capital” (256,871) and the March 2019 Murphys Boxing “St. Patrick’s Day Clash” (252,065) all logged 250,000 or more views, and collectively the 34-show series has seen a total of more than 5,881,646 views across all devices.
In addition to the raw viewership numbers, the fully-interactive, fan-friendly productions have seen almost 440,000 collective live post engagements (almost 13,000 per show), including almost 340,000 “likes” or “loves,” almost 60,000 comments and almost 20,000 shares.
The Sept. 2018 “Kings Boxing Tuesday Night Fights” from the Sands in Bethlehem set a new bar with 594,447 views. The Sept. 2017 DiBella card saw more than 40,000 viewer interactions including almost 39,000 “likes” or “loves” and the March 17, 2018, Murphy’s “St. Patrick’s Day Clash” set a new high-water mark for shares with 2,182.
The FIGHTNIGHT LIVE page on Facebook has almost 89,000 fans and almost 97,000 followers.
Created and produced by Linacre Media out of New York City, the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series features professional announcers, multiple camera angles, television graphics, replays and behind-the-scenes access and interviews. The streamed shows are available globally wherever Facebook is available. The initiative not only enables fans from around the world to tune in, but also gives up-and-coming fighters a global platform to showcase their abilities, gives promoters an accessible “broadcast” solution and gives sponsors the ability to reach a mass audience via branded content.
Additional FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Spring and Summer 2019 dates will be officially announced in the coming weeks.
FIGHTNIGHT LIVE is available online at: https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE/
Follow all the action via social media at FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Facebook, @FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Instagram and@FIGHTNIGHTLIVE_ on Twitter, or by using the hashtag #FIGHTNIGHTLIVE. For the latest Linacre Media events and broadcast schedule, follow @LinacreMedia across all social platforms or use the tags #LinacreMediaEvents or #LinacreMediaOnTV.
About Everlast Worldwide Inc.
The preeminent brand in boxing since 1910, Everlast is the world’s leading manufacturer, marketer and licensor of boxing, MMA and fitness equipment. From legendary champions Jack Dempsey and Sugar Ray Robinson to current superstars Deontay Wilder and Dustin Poirier, Everlast is the brand of choice for generations of world champion professional athletes. Built on a brand heritage of strength, dedication, individuality and authenticity, Everlast is a necessary part of the lives of countless champions. Based in Manhattan, Everlast’s products are sold across more than 75 countries and 6 continents. For more information, visitwww.everlast.com.
