Showtime Championship Boxing
Encyclopedia
Showtime Championship Boxing is a television boxing program airing on Showtime. Debuting in March 1986, it is broadcast live on the first Saturday of every month. Showtime Championship Boxing, which is very similar to HBO World Championship Boxing, features Gus Johnson
on blow-by-blow, Al Bernstein
as the color analyst and Jim Gray
and Karyn Bryant
as reporters.
Gus Johnson (sportscaster)
Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
on blow-by-blow, Al Bernstein
Al Bernstein
Al Michael Bernstein is an American sportscaster, writer, stage performer, recording artist, and speaker.-1970s:In the 1970s, he was a newspaperman, working at Lerner Newspapers in Chicago. He eventually became a managing editor at that newspaper....
as the color analyst and Jim Gray
Jim Gray (sportscaster)
Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. He has previously worked as a reporter with NBC Sports and CBS Sports. He is currently with Westwood One radio network, Showtime, Golf Channel, the Sacramento Kings, and ESPN/ESPN on ABC...
and Karyn Bryant
Karyn Bryant
Karyn Bryant is an American actress, writer, and television personality.-Early life:Bryant was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, completed secondary school at Lawrence Academy at Groton, and received bachelor's degrees from Brown University in political science and...
as reporters.
Notable fights
Some of the memorable fights on Showtime Championship Boxing include:- "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler defeated John "The Beast" Mugabi in an 11th-round knockout on the debut broadcast of Showtime Championship Boxing in March 1986.
- Diego CorralesDiego CorralesDiego "Chico" Corrales was an American boxer.He was the WBC, WBO, & The Ring lightweight champion, and the WBO & IBF super featherweight champion....
defeated José Luis CastilloJosé Luis CastilloJosé Luis Castillo is a Mexican boxer. Nicknamed El Temible, Castillo is considered one the best lightweights of his era. He is the former The Ring and two-time WBC Lightweight champion....
for the WBCWorld Boxing CouncilThe World Boxing Council was initially established by 11 countries: the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Philippines, Panama, Chile, Peru, Venezuela and Brazil plus Puerto Rico, met in Mexico City on February 14, 1963, upon invitation of the then President of Mexico, Adolfo...
lightweight title in a 10th-round TKO on May 7, 2005. The fight is almost universally regarded as the best fight of 2005.
- The four fight series of Israel VázquezIsrael VázquezIsrael Vázquez Castañeda is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former Super Bantamweight world champion, having held titles at this weight from 2004 to 2008...
and Rafael MárquezRafael Márquez (boxer)Rafael Márquez Méndez is a Mexican professional boxer. He is a former world champion at the IBF / IBO Bantamweight and WBC Super Bantamweight divisions....
. Marquez won the first fight on March 3, 2007, after Vazquez couldn't continue after round 7. Vázquez would knock out Marquez in the sixth round of their second fight on August 4, 2007. This fight won Fight of the Year and Round of the Year (Round 3) honors for 2007 by The RingThe Ring (magazine)The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...
. Their 3rd fight was considered to be the most exciting, which took place on March 1, 2008. Vazquez won the fight by split decision, after an incredible twelfth-round which saw Vázquez knock Márquez into the ropes, which prevented Marquez from hitting the canvas, resulting in a critical knockdown in the closing seconds of the fight. This fight was recognized as Fight of the Year for 2008 by Ring magazine as well. Marquez won their fourth fight by a third round technical knockout.
Commentators past and present
- Gus JohnsonGus Johnson (sportscaster)Augustus Cornelius "Gus" Johnson, Jr. is an American sportscaster. Formerly employed by CBS Sports, he currently calls play-by-play for Fox Sports, Showtime, the Big Ten Network and EA Sports.-Education:...
(blow-by-blow) - Al BernsteinAl BernsteinAl Michael Bernstein is an American sportscaster, writer, stage performer, recording artist, and speaker.-1970s:In the 1970s, he was a newspaperman, working at Lerner Newspapers in Chicago. He eventually became a managing editor at that newspaper....
(color analyst) - Steve FarhoodSteve FarhoodSteven "Steve" Farhood is an American boxing historian and analyst.Farhood was born in Brooklyn, New York, New York to Lebanese American parents. Farhood served as editor-in-chief of The Ring and KO Magazine...
(color analyst) - Jim GrayJim Gray (sportscaster)Jim Gray is an American sportscaster. He has previously worked as a reporter with NBC Sports and CBS Sports. He is currently with Westwood One radio network, Showtime, Golf Channel, the Sacramento Kings, and ESPN/ESPN on ABC...
(roving reporter) - Ratpack Dapz (roving reporter)
- Steve AlbertSteve AlbertSteve Albert is a sportscaster. He has served as a play-by-play announcer for the New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets, Golden State Warriors, New York Mets, and Cleveland Cavaliers...
(former blow-by-blow; substitute for Johnson when necessary) - Ferdie PachecoFerdie PachecoDr. Ferdie Pacheco was the cornerman for multiple boxing champions, most famously Muhammad Ali, for whom he was also a personal physician. Beginning in the late 1970s, Pacheco was a TV boxing analyst for several networks, most notably Showtime. Pacheco is also a prolific author and painter...
(former color analyst) - Bobby CzyzBobby CzyzRobert Edward "Bobby" Czyz is a retired American boxer. A New Jersey native of mostly Polish and Italian descent, he is both a former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion.Czyz was born in Orange, New Jersey...
(former color analyst)
Facts
- Showtime Championship Boxing has had a spinoff series, ShoBox: The New GenerationShoBox: The New GenerationShoBox: The New Generation is a boxing television program, on Showtime. Debuting in 2001, it focuses mainly on up-and-coming boxing prospects. This program, which is a spin-off of its sister boxing program, Showtime Championship Boxing, usually televises live at 11 p.m. ET/PT on selected Fridays...
. - This program celebrated its 20th-anniversary year in 2006.
- Older fights from Showtime air on ESPN ClassicESPN ClassicESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
and ESPN2ESPN2ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
.
See also
- ShoBox: The New GenerationShoBox: The New GenerationShoBox: The New Generation is a boxing television program, on Showtime. Debuting in 2001, it focuses mainly on up-and-coming boxing prospects. This program, which is a spin-off of its sister boxing program, Showtime Championship Boxing, usually televises live at 11 p.m. ET/PT on selected Fridays...
(a television boxing program airing on Showtime from 2001–present) - HBO World Championship Boxing (a television boxing program airing on HBO from 1973–present)
- HBO Boxing After Dark (a television boxing program airing on HBO from 1996–present)