TONIGHT: SHOWTIME SPORTS CONTINUES SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS FRIDAY NIGHT WITH 1999 FIGHT OF THE YEAR JOHNNY TAPIA VS. PAULIE AYALA I & II

WHAT: SHOWTIME Sports will continue to serve boxing fans during the current hiatus from live sports with another edition of SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS this week featuring 1999 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year Johnny Tapia vs. Paulie Ayala I, followed by Tapia-Ayala II. 

WHEN: Friday, April 17, at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

WHERE TO WATCH: On SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME ANYTIME^®, and the SHOWTIME stand-alone streaming service

QUOTABLE: “Johnny had his struggles, but we were able to become friends near the end of his life, and I spoke at his memorial service,” Ayala said. “It’s an honor to be mentioned in the same breath as guys like Diego Corrales and Johnny Tapia, and the two fights with Johnny were a big part of my career.”

ADDED COVERAGE: During Friday’s SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS telecast, Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell, the network’s versatile combat sports analysts, will host a live companion episode of their digital talk show MORNING KOMBAT on the Morning Kombat YouTube Channel. Thomas and Campbell will watch the SHOWTIME replay and react to the fights in real time, feature special guest interviews with principal participants from the bouts (fighters, trainers, referees and promoters) and take questions from fans while the bouts replay on the network.

NEXT WEEK: Friday, April 24: Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr. in the 2014 Consensus Fight of the Year plus Mickey Bey vs. John Molina Jr.