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kenyan_cheena · 11-07-2007, 09:02 PM

HBO SCORES A KNOCKOUT
WITH IBL COVERAGE

Tuesday 27 August 2002

Cable network Home Box Office announced this morning that approximately 15.2 million American viewers tuned in to watch last night's debut fight card of the International Boxing League. The broadcast of the event, which was held at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh has given HBO one of its largest audiences of 2002, far exceeding intital expectations.

"We would have been over the moon to get ten million," said programming director Milt Jacobs. "But 15.2? That's just fantastic."

Heavyweight Boxing Federation fight cards are broadcast on ESPN and since competition in their World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments commenced back in January the most watched fight card has been the May 31 Indiana event that featured Elmer Ray and Jimmy Young in the headlining bout. 15.6 million were watching on that night, so for the IBL to come close to that number on its debut is quite an achievement. The league's Chief Director James Molk was pleased with the news.

"I think it shows that we've promoted ourselves to the public in a really effective way," he said. "People are excited about boxing: it's a sport that on a professional level is fresh and new and exciting. We can't rest on our laurels, though. We have to keep working hard to ensure that this popularity lasts for the long term."

The card featured a sextet of intriguing matchups in the league's Middleweight division, but one of the main talking points happened after all the bouts had been fought and won. The unveiling of the schedule for series two of the North America Central region had Charley Burley and Harry Greb set to clash in five week's time. Both Pittsburgh natives and both favourites to qualify for the World Championship tournament, the bout figures to be a real blockbuster and many have said today that the series two card should also be held in Pittsburgh. Molk did not confirm whether or not that will be the case.

"It's something that actually caught us a little by surprise," he admitted. "We had planned to alternate the venues for each group as much as possible from series to series, but we'll have to consider it, no doubt."

Action in the league's first week of competition continues today with the Middleweights of Europe stepping in the ring at the Casino Di Campione in Lombardia, Italy...

11-07-2007, 09:02 PM	#294 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,287	HBO SCORES A KNOCKOUT WITH IBL COVERAGE Tuesday 27 August 2002 Cable network Home Box Office announced this morning that approximately 15.2 million American viewers tuned in to watch last night's debut fight card of the International Boxing League. The broadcast of the event, which was held at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh has given HBO one of its largest audiences of 2002, far exceeding intital expectations. "We would have been over the moon to get ten million," said programming director Milt Jacobs. "But 15.2? That's just fantastic." Heavyweight Boxing Federation fight cards are broadcast on ESPN and since competition in their World Championship and 1st Defense tournaments commenced back in January the most watched fight card has been the May 31 Indiana event that featured Elmer Ray and Jimmy Young in the headlining bout. 15.6 million were watching on that night, so for the IBL to come close to that number on its debut is quite an achievement. The league's Chief Director James Molk was pleased with the news. "I think it shows that we've promoted ourselves to the public in a really effective way," he said. "People are excited about boxing: it's a sport that on a professional level is fresh and new and exciting. We can't rest on our laurels, though. We have to keep working hard to ensure that this popularity lasts for the long term." The card featured a sextet of intriguing matchups in the league's Middleweight division, but one of the main talking points happened after all the bouts had been fought and won. The unveiling of the schedule for series two of the North America Central region had Charley Burley and Harry Greb set to clash in five week's time. Both Pittsburgh natives and both favourites to qualify for the World Championship tournament, the bout figures to be a real blockbuster and many have said today that the series two card should also be held in Pittsburgh. Molk did not confirm whether or not that will be the case. "It's something that actually caught us a little by surprise," he admitted. "We had planned to alternate the venues for each group as much as possible from series to series, but we'll have to consider it, no doubt." Action in the league's first week of competition continues today with the Middleweights of Europe stepping in the ring at the Casino Di Campione in Lombardia, Italy... __________________ The Heavyweight Boxing Federation The Heavyweight Boxing Federation: Tournament Group Standings The International Boxing League MLB: 1958 and Beyond...