NEW YORK (June 26, 2013) – Last Saturday night’s hotly contested Paulie Malignaggi vs. Adrien Broner Welterweight World Championship fight attracted an audience of 1.3 million viewers, the second-largest viewing audience for a bout on SHOWTIME since the network began tracking individual fights in 2009.
The average viewership for the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING televised tripleheader—promoted by Golden Boy Promotions from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center—was also the second highest average since Nielsen began separating SHOWTIME from the networks’ multiplex channels in 2004.
In the nearly 10 years since 2004, three of the top-four most watched SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live telecasts have aired in the last seven months—Cotto vs. Trout, Dec. 2012; Malignaggi vs. Broner, June 2013; Canelo vs. Trout, April 2013—marking an upward trend. The fourth was Bernard Hopkins vs. Jean Pascal in 2010.
Further, the top-four largest audiences for an individual bout on SHOWTIME have come in the last 10 months—the aforementioned three plus Canelo vs. Lopez in Sept. 2012.
The surge in average viewership over the past two years represents an increase of over 50% since 2011 with two consecutive years of double-digit percentage gains. From 2011 through 2012, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING ratings were up more than 30 percent and from 2012 to present, including last Saturday’s telecast, they are up 16 percent.
Gary Shaw Supports WBC’s Stance Against AIBA Rule To Have Professional Boxer At Olympics
NEW JERSEY (June 26, 2013) – Promoter Gary Shaw is standing behind Jose Sulaiman and the WBC’s stance against AIBA (International Amateur Boxing Association) and its ruling to have professional boxers at the Olympic Games.
“I would like to respectfully inform you that the WBC has expressed its opposition to the monopoly to be instituted at the Olympic Games, by a ruling of AIBA to have professional boxers at the Olympics, but exclusively with those that have signed for AIBA, no one else.” said Suliman.
“They have also publicly expressed that they will not allow in the future having promoters of professional boxing, sign Olympic fighters. They claim that professional promoters come to sign boxers using their Olympic medals to take them for their promotions to exploit them.” Suliman concluded.
“As a promoter in professional boxing, I’m disturbed by the ruling come forth by the AIBA and its decision to have professional boxers at the Olympics. All fighters who have come from the amateur ranks try to achieve the goal of becoming an Olympian to represent their respective country. That dream will now die with professional boxers being able to compete in the Olympics.” stated Shaw.
“It appears to me that the AIBA wants to have a strangle hold on the sport of boxing.” Shaw continued. “The AIBA has no right to exclude any professional boxing promoter from singing an Olympic fighter. We promoters go to great lengths and take enormous risks to promote our fighters in hopes they become stars in the sport. Olympic boxing should be solely for amateur competition and all fighters should have the right to pursue the professional career as they see fit, once their amateur career is over.”
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