BOXING has received a massive boost going into 2015 with the news that Carl Framptonโs February 28 IBF super-bantamweight defence against Chris Avalos will be broadcast live on ITV1. The contest is the first UK-staged world title scrap to be shown live on terrestrial television since Carl Froch beat Jean Pascal in 2008, and will be hosted at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.
Barry McGuigan, Framptonโs promoter and manager, seduced a nation when he was at his fighting peak in the 1980s. The Irishmanโs WBA featherweight title fights were broadcast by the BBC โ his 1985 championship-winning effort over Eusebio Pedroza secured a record 19.2 million viewers โ before concluding his Hall of Fame career on ITV.
โItโs a huge day for us,โ said McGuigan on the 21st floor of Londonโs plush Heron Tower where the announcement was made. โThis is a real fight. Chris Avalos is coming to win. Framptonโs fights are not just boxing matches, theyโre events in Belfast. With this platform on ITV, this could make him a superstar.โ
McGuigan masterminded Framptonโs rise through the ranks and was rightfully buzzing to bring world championship boxing back to such a huge platform. Four other parties were interested in broadcasting Framptonโs first fight since beating Kiko Martinez for the belt in September, but Barry โ who heads CWM Cyclone Promotions โ wanted it on ITV.
โI really believe that if terrestrial broadcasters are patient, and we deliver the right fights, the figures will be huge,” he said. “Boxing can be a regular sport on terrestrial television, as well as on satellite stations. We have to prove that it will work, and we will.โ
Niall Sloane, Head of Sport at ITV, admitted that McGuigan was the driving force in this exciting development.
โWeโre delighted to come back into boxing for this fight,โ said Sloane. โIโm sure a lot of you know that Barry is a very, very persuasive man. Carl is a very exciting boxer and this is an opportunity that excites us a lot.โ
Sloane โ who only began negotiations with McGuigan at the start of the month โ went on to explain that should the night be a success, further boxing will be broadcast on ITV.
The charismatic Frampton added: โIโm very, very honoured that this has happened,โ he said. To be on live terrestrial television is unbelievable. Iโm well known back home [in Northern Ireland] but this gives me the chance to show the mainland what I can do. Weโre talking millions and millions of viewers. I canโt wait to get going and put on a good show.โ
The undercard โ featuring Jamie Conlan โ will be shown live on ITV4, before the broadcast switches to ITV1 at 10.45pm, and the show will come just seven days after Channel 5 show Martin Murrayโs shot at WBA middleweight boss, Gennady Golovkin.
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