Alvarez vs. Kirkland brings in big ratings on HBO

By Boxing News - 05/12/2015 - Comments

LOS ANGELES (May 12) – After an electrifying night at Minute Maid Park in Houston where more than 31,000 fans gathered to watch live on May 9, Canelo vs. Kirkland brought in a stunning number of viewers on HBO World Championship Boxing (WCB) with an average viewership of 2,146,000 for the live, first-time airing on HBO and peaked at 2,296,000 viewers. Canelo vs. Kirkland is the top-performing bout on HBO’s flagship boxing platform since the Antonio Tarver-Bernard Hopkins light heavyweight title battle delivered 2,460,000 viewers in 2006. This also marked the Mexican superstar’s first appearance as a headliner on the HBO WCB platform.

“With more than 31,000 people coming to Minute Maid Park and more than 2.1 million tuning in to watch on HBO, Canelo Alvarez is quickly making the leap from the biggest boxing star of the future, to the biggest boxing star of the present,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “Given his sizzling, fan-friendly performance in knocking out James Kirkland, attendance and viewership will only continue to soar. Boxing’s future is now.”

Amanda Serrano ‘Honored’ to Represent Women’s Boxing’s Return to Network Television

Women’s multiple-time world champion Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano says she considers it a great honor to be part of the return of women’s boxing to network television.

Serrano (23-1-1, 18 KOs), of Brooklyn, will face Plattsburgh, New York’s two-time world title challenger Jackie “The Force” Trivilino in a six-round super bantamweight rematch on Friday, May 29, at the WC Handy Pavilion on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, and broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network (10:00 PM, ET).

Serrano vs. Trivilino will serve as one of the televised supporting bouts on a show, entitled “Championship Boxing on CBS Sports Network”, presented by Greg Cohen Promotions, in association with GH3 Promotions, Prize Fight Promotion and Adam Wilcock’s Fight Card Productions, produced by David Schuster’s Winner Take All Productions. Headlining the show will be a 10-round cruiserweight battle between Lateef “Power” Kayode (20-0, 16 KOs) and “Slick” Nick Kisner (14-1-1, 5 KOs).

In the co-main event, promising WBO #10 lightweight Josh King of Australia will make his US television debut in a regional title fight against Batesville, Arkansas’ Rogelio Casarez (9-3, 4 KOs). Also featured in televised action will be super middleweight Derrick “Take It to The Bank” Webster (18-0, 9 KOs) putting his undefeated record on the line in a six-rounder.

Tickets for “Championship Boxing” are priced at $20 General Admission and $30 VIP and are available by calling 901.900.2236.

Serrano will be facing Trivilino for the second time. The pair met in both of their pro debuts in 2009, with Serrano winning a majority decision. “I’m excited and ready,” she said. “I’m honored to have a team in place that can put me on TV and showcase women’s boxing across the country. Girls can fight too! It’s a great honor. I’m super pumped and getting ready to show my talent.”

“She (Trivilino) is the one that got away,” said Serrano’s career-long trainer, Jordan Maldonado. “We only won a majority decision against her. Jackie has got skills and is very tough and durable, but Amanda has progressed a long way since then. We will be looking to make a statement against Jackie. It’s awesome to have a promoter behind us that believes in female boxing. We’re ready to put on a great performance.”

David Schuster of Winner Take All Productions, who will be producing the May 29 show, is a close associate of both Maldonado and promoter Greg Cohen. It was Schuster along with Sarah Fina who arranged the co-promotional deal with the Serrano sisters, Amanda and Cindy, who signed with Cohen not long ago.

“I applaud Greg Cohen for having the courage to put female fighters back on national TV,” said Schuster. “I’ve been working with Jordan Maldonado and the girls since 2012 and they are ready to dominate. The Serrano sisters have the talent to not only produce ratings, but generate respect from both male and female fans of the sport. Amanda is one of the most feared female fighters in the world and that pool of talent includes Rhonda Rousey.”

“Amanda is a force of nature in the ring, of course I want her on national television” said Greg Cohen. “Women’s MMA has shown there is a market for talented fighters, regardless of gender and Amanda and Cindy are two fighters ready to take it to the next level as female ambassadors of a suddenly rejuvenated and thriving sport. It is my honor and pleasure to be making this rematch happen on CBS Sports Network.”

Several local favorites will be showcased on the night’s undercard. On fight night, doors open @ 6:00 pm. The live television telecast will run from 10 pm to 12 am EST on CBS Sports Network. For more information, visit www.gcpboxing.com.



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