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.

NEW YORK – April 6, 2020 – SHOWTIME Sports will continue to serve boxing fans during the current hiatus from live sports, announcing today SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS with regularly scheduled replays of legendary bouts from the network’s deep archive of world championship boxing. SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS will air on three consecutive Friday nights beginning April 10, at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. The telecasts will also be available via the SHOWTIME streaming service and SHOWTIME ANYTIME^®.

The April slate of SHOWTIME BOXING CLASSICS will be highlighted by three Fight of the Year winners, which include some of the most heart-pounding and unforgettable fights in boxing history.

• Friday, April 10:
  • Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I – 2005 Consensus Fight of the Year (also featuring the Round of the Year and later named Fight of the Decade)
  • Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo II
• Friday, April 17:
  • Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I – 1999 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (Ayala earned Fighter of the Year honors)
  • Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia II
• Friday, April 24:
  • Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina – 2014 Consensus Fight of the Year
  • Mickey Bey vs. John Molina

During each 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.

“The greatest fight I’ve ever covered,” said Al Bernstein, the International Boxing Hall of Fame analyst. In a career that spans more than 40 years, including calling Hagler-Hearns, Bowe-Holyfield I and the Vazquez-Marquez trilogy, Bernstein says the first Corrales-Castillo war was the best. “This was Hagler-Hearns times three because it lasted so much longer. It was fought at a such an extraordinary skill level and to me that is what made it so special.”

The fights scheduled to air in April include:

Corrales-Castillo I (May 7, 2005, Corrales TKO 10) – After nine intense, back-and-forth rounds in a WBC and WBO lightweight unification bout, Corrales accomplishes the unthinkable, miraculously regrouping from two knockdowns in the 10^th to stop Castillo and etch his name in boxing lore. After managing to beat the count (and losing a point for spitting the mouthpiece), Corrales got Castillo on the ropes and connected with a huge right hand. Corrales continued to unload on a defenseless Castillo, forcing referee Tony Weeks to halt the blazing action.

Corrales-Castillo II (October 8, 2005, Castillo KO 4) – Castillo, who did not make the 135-pound weight limit, making the contest a non-title bout, avenges an earlier loss to the WBC and WBO Lightweight World Champion Corrales with a one-punch, fourth-round knockout. Castillo consistently outworks Corrales and lands the harder punches in a more one-sided bout than their first affair. Castillo staggers his opponent with a right hand in the third round that sends him stumbling backward across the ring. He then scores a finishing knockdown with a left hook in the fourth that puts Corrales flat on his back.

Ayala-Tapia I(June 26, 1999, Ayala W 12) – In some of the fiercest two-way action in the history of Las Vegas boxing, southpaw Ayala hands Tapia his first professional loss in 49 fights and captures the WBA Bantamweight Title by the scores of 115-114 and 116-113 twice. As the boxers were being announced, Tapia walked across the ring and shoved Ayala, causing a momentary skirmish.

Ayala-Tapia II (October 7, 2000, Ayala W 12) – In a rematch of 1999’s Fight of the Year, the action between the heated rivals does not disappoint. However, the outcome is the same as their first meeting, with Ayala winning via controversial unanimous decision. Mayhem ensues as the decision is announced and an incensed Tapia is ushered from the ring by security.

Matthysse-Molina (April 26, 2014, Matthysse KO 11) – Fighting in the night’s co-main event, Matthysse steals the show with a spectacular 11^th-round knockout over Molina in 2014’s Fight of the Year. The Argentine, then ranked No. 1 in the world at 140 pounds, is hurt in the first and dropped in the second and fifth rounds. But Matthysse comes back with knockdowns in the eighth, 10^th and 11^th rounds to turn back a determined bid by Molina.

Bey-Molina (July 19, 2013, Molina KO 10) – In one of ShoBox: The New Generation’s most unforgettable rounds, Molina comes back from the brink of certain defeat to dramatically knockout then-unbeaten Mickey Bey. Heading into the 10^th and final round, Molina was trailing on the three judges’ scorecards by 90-81, 89-82 and 88-83.

New customers who sign up on SHOWTIME.com and the SHOWTIME app before May 3 can take advantage of a recently announced 30-day free trial for the SHOWTIME streaming service, available on SHOWTIME.com and the SHOWTIME app on all supported devices.

NEW YORK (April 6, 2016) – SHOWTIME Sports® presents its latest installment of a year-long salute commemorating 30 years of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® with “Fights of the Year” in April on SHO EXTREME®.

The fourth round of a 12-month tribute will be highlighted by four of the most rousing and unforgettable fights in boxing history:
Jorge Castro vs. John David Jackson I – 1994 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (Round 9 earned Round of the Year honors)
Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I – 1999 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year (Ayala earned Fighter of the Year honors)
Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I – 2005 Consensus Fight of the Year (Round 10 earned Round of the Year honors)
Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr. – 2014 Boxing Writers Association of America Fight of the Year.

The four celebrated battles will air on “Throwback Thursdays” all month at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME and are available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and via the network’s online streaming service. Each fight will be wrapped with brief context and commentary from SHOWTIME Sports ring announcer and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Jimmy Lennon Jr.

Below is the schedule of SHOWTIME EXTREME premieres for the month of April:
Thursday, April 7: Jorge Castro vs. John David Jackson I
Thursday, April 14: Lucas Matthysse vs. John Molina Jr.
Thursday, April 21: Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo I
Thursday, April 28: Paulie Ayala vs. Johnny Tapia I

Castro-Jackson I (Dec. 10, 1994, Castro KO 9) –Castro, thoroughly battered, bloodied and losing by a wide margin, rallies from the absolute brink of defeat to score three knockdowns in the ninth round to overcome Jackson in one of the most dramatic turnarounds ever.

Ayala-Tapia I (June 26, 1999, Ayala W 12) – In some of the fiercest two-way action in the history of Las Vegas boxing, southpaw Ayala hands Tapia his first professional loss in 49 fights and captures the WBA bantamweight title by the scores of 115-114 and 116-113 twice. Game On: As the boxers were being announced, Tapia walked across the ring and shoved Ayala causing a momentary skirmish.

Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I (May 7, 2005, Corrales TKO 10) — After nine intense, back-and-forth rounds, Corrales accomplishes the unthinkable, miraculously regrouping from two knockdowns in the 10th to stop Castillo in the same round (2:06) and etch his spot in boxing lore. After managing to beat the count (and lose a point for excessive spitting out of the mouthpiece), Corrales got Castillo on the ropes and connected with a huge right hand. He continued to unload and Castillo got nailed with a bundle of vicious punches. Moments later, the ref stopped it.

Lucas Matthysse-John Molina Jr. (April 26, 2014, Matthysse KO 11) — A bloody slugfest, in which both fighters were knocked down multiple times, became an instant classic. Matthysse who went down in the second and fifth rounds, came back with a late-fight onslaught to wear down and drop Molina in the eighth, 10th and 11th rounds. The tremendous brawl was as brutal as it was exciting and more compelling to witness than anyone could have imagined.

# # #

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Prime Video. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.

NEW YORK (Feb. 4, 2016) – Round 2 of the SHOWTIME Sports® 12-round celebration commemorating 30 years of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® continues in February with “Rivalries’’ on SHO EXTREME®.

This month will be highlighted by five of the most exhilarating and memorable fights in boxing history: the two Paulie Ayala-Johnny Tapia battles and the first three Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez wars.

Ayala-Tapia I was 1999 Fight of the Year; Ayala was 1999 Fighter of the Year.

The initial three Vazquez-Marquez showdowns are universally acknowledged as among the best of all-time and were consensus Fight of the Year winners in 2007 and ’08. Additionally, the third round of Vazquez-Marquez II earned Round of the Year honors in ’07 while the fourth of Vazquez-Marquez III was 2008 Round of the Year.

These epic rivalries will air on “Throwback Thursdays” all month long at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME and are available on SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, SHOWTIME ANYTIME® and via the network’s online streaming service. Each fight will be wrapped with brief context and commentary from SHOWTIME Sports host Brian Custer.

Below is the schedule of SHOWTIME EXTREME premieres for the month of February:
Today/Thursday, Feb. 4: Ayala vs. Tapia I
Thursday, Feb. 11: Ayala vs. Tapia II
Thursday, Feb. 18: Vazquez vs. Marquez I & II
Thursday, Feb. 25: Vazquez vs. Marquez III

In celebration of the best rivalries on SHOWTIME, see below for a special column from SHOWTIME Sports expert analyst and boxing historian Steve Farhood.

RIVALRIES
By Steve Farhood

Boxing without rivalries would be like elections without debates.

Rivalries are natural, especially in boxing. Who is the best prospect in the neighborhood?
Who is the best bantamweight in Mexico? Who is the best fighter in the entire world?

Fans want to know, and so do the fighters, especially if a one-on-one matchup is likely to provide a definitive answer.

The best example comes from the best rivalry in history, regardless of sport: When Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier clashed in their rubber match in Manila, they were fighting for something much greater than the world heavyweight title. They were fighting for the championship of each other.

Ali-Frazier … Robinson-LaMotta … Louis-Schmeling … Barrera-Morales … Mayweather-Pacquiao … Pep-Saddler … Leonard-Duran … Holyfield-Tyson: Boxing history has been told through its juiciest rivalries.

In 30 years of memorable fighters and unforgettable fights, SHOWTIME boxing’s history can largely be told through its rivalries as well.

On SHOWTIME EXTREME, we’ll be focusing on two rivalries in particular: Rafael Marquez-Israel Vazquez and Paulie Ayala-Johnny Tapia.

Marquez-Vazquez is the equal of any pairing in recent history. So compelling were the battles, so consuming was the rivalry that many fans can’t tell you what the final scoreboard read. It didn’t matter all that much.

(Fittingly, the fighters split four bouts.)

What made Marquez-Vazquez different from most rivalries: They were defined more by similarities than differences. Most rivalries feature stark contrast. Think Borg-McEnroe. Or Bird-Magic. Or Evert-Navratilova. But Marquez and Vazquez were both classy champions from Mexico who needed each other to raise their profiles and all-time standings.

They gave us no trash-talking, no posturing, no hatred, real or imagined. Instead, they punched and bled and fought proudly and at the highest level. And because of the classic ring drama they created, that was more than enough.

Suffice to say that two of their bouts were chosen as Fight of the Year. And Marquez-Vazquez III was surely among the best fights I’ve covered live in my 37 years in boxing.
It was a bit different with Ayala and Tapia. When they first fought, Ayala wasn’t a familiar name. Tapia, on the other hand, was an undefeated and long-reigning champion with a unique personality and a distinctive ring persona.

A suitable rival is exactly what Tapia needed to fully realize the potential that we sensed when he soundly defeated New Mexico rival Danny Romero two years before.

A pair of controversial decisions, the contentiousness that marked the negotiations preceding the rematch, and Tapia’s raw emotion made Ayala-Tapia a particularly bitter rivalry.

It was a memorable rivalry as well.

# # #

Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Apple®, Roku®, Amazon and Google. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Hulu, Sony PlayStation® Vue and Amazon Prime Video. SNI also manages Smithsonian Networks™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution, which offers Smithsonian Channel™, and offers Smithsonian Earth™ through SN Digital LLC. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.