Many of us who are now middle-aged can remember the days on any given Saturday afternoon when boxing was aired on networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC. That was “Free TV.” Just turn on your television set, and there was boxing!
The cable networks would follow suit. Remember “Tuesday Night Fights” on Cable Network USA? Or “Friday Night Fights” on ESPN? Respectfully, it was as though the two (USA and ESPN) were like the minor leagues of boxing. If the fighters did well on those networks, they would go on to fight on HBO or Showtime.
For the “Superfights,” they would fight on “Closed Circuit TV” or “Pay Per view” (PPV) where boxing fans or occasional viewers would pay to see the match. Sadly, USA stopped broadcasting weekly fights in 1998. ESPN stopped broadcasting “Friday Night Fights” in 2015.
Amazon Prime no doubt will take boxing to a new level to bring hardcore and occasional fight fans the best and entertaining fights
While ESPN has continued to broadcast boxing shows with various promoters until the present, ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights” format is missed.” HBO started airing fights in 1973 and was known as “HBO Boxing After Dark” and HBO PPV. Their HBO PPV shows were the big leagues of boxing until they stop broadcasting altogether in 2018.
That left Showtime boxing at the top of the heap. Showtime started competing and became a rival with HBO boxing in 1986. Their broadcast and PPV Showtime were just as good. Sadly, Showtime bowed out of boxing to the surprise and the dismay of fight fans in December 2023.
Who then would fill the void of the two broadcast giants HBO and Showtime? Amazon Prime has entered the boxing business in 2024 by partnering with Premier Boxing Champions. It’s a smart move because Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) arguably has the best boxing talent in the whole sport of boxing. PBC promotes or co-promotes fighters such as “Pound for Pound” best Terrance “Bud” Crawford, WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis, undefeated feared two-time former WBC supermiddleweight champion David Benavidez, undisputed Supermiddleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, and many more talented, exciting fighters.
The first fight card will be on PPV Amazon Prime in Mar. 30, 2024 when WBO Jr middleweight champion Tim Tszyu fights former unified welterweight champion Keith Thurman in a 12 round non-title bout. The second card will be on Cinco de Mayo weekend on May 4, 2024, when Saul “Canelo” Alvarez defends his undisputed super middle weight titles against fellow Mexican and former WBO junior middleweight champion Jaimie Mungia.
Amazon Prime no doubt will take boxing to a new level to bring hardcore and occasional fight fans the best and entertaining fights that can be made in 2024. Let’s see what else Amazon Prime and PBC have for the remainder of 2024.
Ralph Rimpel can be reached at Rluvsboxing@aol.com.
