SHOWTIME BOXING Thoob ntiaj teb® Lee vs. Saunders
Airs nyob Thaum 5 p.m. THIAB/PT rau Sho EXTEME
TSHIAB YORK (Dec. 1, 2015) - SHOWTIME kev ua si® yuav nthuav qhia qhov WBO Middleweight ntiaj teb Championship ntawm tiv thaiv titlist Andy Lee thiab unbeaten challenger Billy Joe Saunders rau Saturdathiab, Dec. 19, nyob rau Sho huab (5 p.m. THIAB/PT) los ntawm Manchester, Hais.
Lub SHOWTIME BOXING thoob ntiaj teb offering ntawm lub Box teb chaws telecast will feature analysis from SHOWTIME boxing experts Brian Custer, Al Bernstein thiab Paulie Malignaggi before and after the world championship showdown. An encore presentation of the bout will air on SHO EXTREME later that evening at 9 p.m. THIAB/PT.
"Peb nyob nraum pog xa no tseem ceeb matchup ntawm sab saum toj mus rau lub US middleweights. cov neeg tuaj saib,"Hais tias Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports. “The 160-pound class is one of boxing’s hottest and deepest divisions right now, thiab tus khiav ntawm no kev sib ntaus yuav tsum position nws tus kheej rau ib tug loj showdown los yog koom ua ke nyob rau hauv 2016. "
Ireland tus Lee (34-2-1, 24 Kos) yeej lub tsis muaj WBO npe nrog ib tug sixth-round TKO ntawm ces-undefeated Matt Korbov nyob rau hauv Kaum Ob Hlis Ntuj 2014. Lub 6-taw-2, 31-xyoo yog nyob rau hauv ib tug rau-sib ntaus yeej streak ua ntej boxing ib tug split 12-round kos nrog undefeated qub zus Peter Quillin on Plaub Hlis Ntuj 11, 2015, nyob rau hauv Brooklyn. Both fighters went down in a highly competitive scrap that was scored 113-112 rau Quillin, 113-112 rau Lee thiab 113-113.
Ua ntej koj tig pro Lee yog ib tug sab saum toj pib xyaum ua thiab sawv cev Ireland nyob rau hauv lub 2004 Olympic ua si nyob rau hauv Athens.
"Nws yog zoo uas kuv tus kivcua ntsawj nyob rau hauv lub U.S. yuav tau txais cov kev sib ntaus ntawm kuv thiab Saunders thiab kuv tau lees nws yuav mus yuav exciting,"Lee hais tias.
Saunders (22-0, 12 Kos), ntawm Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, yog lub WBO tus tsis. 1 middleweight contender. The 26-year-old is coming off a fourth-round TKO over Yoannan Bloyer kawg Lub Xya hli ntuj 24 nyob rau hauv London.
Ob tug pib dhau los, nyob rau hauv lub feem ntau daim ntawv-tsim nyog yeej ntawm nws cov hauj lwm, lub 5-ko taw-11, Saunders coj ib tug 12-round cais kev txiav txim siab dua Chris Eubank Jr. rau Nov. 29, 2014, nyob rau hauv London. Tag nrho tab sis ib tug ntawm Saunders 'fights muaj npaum li cas qhov chaw nyob rau hauv ces; lwm yam yog Northern Ireland.
Saunders yog kuj yog ib tug accomplished pib xyaum ua; nws sawv cev ces nyob rau hauv lub 2008 Olympic ua si raws li ib tug welterweight thaum lub hnub nyoog ntawm 18. Saunders is the great-grandson of one of Britain’s most famous gypsy bare-knuckle champions, Absolom Beeney.
"Qhov no yog ib tug loj heev hmo rau kuv thiab kuv zoo siab heev hais tias nws yuav mus tawm nyob rau America,” Saunders said. “The U.S. viewers will get to see just what I can do when I face Lee and become world champion. It’s a big boost for me and takes the fight to another level when American TV comes on board and then you know it’s a big fight on the world stage. I hope that (Gennady) Golovkin thiab (Miguel) Cotto yuav tau ob leeg saib vim hais tias kuv tab tom ceev ceev cuag lawv theem thiab lawv mam li tau mus saib dab tsi kuv tag nrho hais txog. "
Promoter Frank Warren hais tias, "Kuv zoo siab uas Showtime yuav tam sim no yuav televising Lee vs. Saunders nyob rau hauv lub U.S. as it confirms the importance of this fight on the world scene. My relationship with the network goes back many years with fights like Joe Calzaghe vs. Jeff lacy, Ricky Hatton vs. Kostya Tszyu, Frank Bruno vs. Oliver McCall, plus Naseem Hamed and Nigel Benn fights. I believe that Lee vs. Saunders will be another great fight to add to that list because of what’s at stake for both fighters. What lies ahead for the winner will make them fight to their very best.”