Former Undisputed Welterweight Champion to Provide Unique Insight as Garcia and Thurman Join Boxing Royalty in 147-Pound Unification
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by Premier Boxing Champions, Live on CBS from 9 - 11 פּ.ם. און / 6 - 8 פּ.ם. פּט from Barclays Center In Brooklyn
נייַ יארק (פעברואר. 28, 2017) – Boxing Hall of Famer and former undisputed welterweight world champion צוקער Ray לעאָנאַרד will join the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS broadcast team on Saturday, מאַרץ 4 for GARCIA vs. THURMAN. The event will be headlined by the welterweight world championship unification bout between undefeated champions דאַני גאַרסיאַ און קיט טערמאַן. GARCIA vs. THURMAN is presented by Premier Boxing Champions and will take place at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, home of BROOKLYN BOXING.
The live broadcast will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports® for the CBS Television Network and will air live on CBS from 9-11 פּ.ם. און / 6-8 פּ.ם. פּט. גאַרסיאַ ווס. Thurman will be the first world title unification bout in any weight division on live network television in over two decades and just the second primetime boxing presentation on CBS in nearly 40 יאָרן. The first was headlined by a thrilling welterweight world championship fight between Thurman and Shawn Porter, אַ 2016 Fight of the Year candidate and one of the most watched boxing events of the year.
With SHOWTIME boxing analyst and active prizefighter פאולוס מאַליגנאַגגי scheduled to fight in London that evening, the broadcast seat opened up for Leonard. He will join SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING host ברייאַן Custer, play-by-play voice מאַוראָ ראַנאַללאָ, International Boxing Hall of Fame analyst על בערנסטין and Sports Emmy® Award-winning reporter דזשים גרוי אויף שבת.
Leonard made his professional boxing debut on CBS in 1977, less than one year after he won gold at the ‘76 Olympics in Montreal as part of what is considered the greatest American boxing team in Olympic history. He served as a boxing analyst for the network in the early 1980s during a temporary retirement, calling fights alongside CBS boxing announcer Tim Ryan and Hall of Fame trainer and analyst גיל קלאַנסי, before eventually resuming his professional boxing career. די מאַרץ 4event will reunite Leonard with former CBS producer and current SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Executive Producer דוד דינקינס דזשוניער., and director Bob Dunphy, the son of legendary boxing broadcaster Don Dunphy.
A five-division titlist and one of the most decorated boxers of all-time, Leonard brings unique perspective to the broadcast booth having been in a similar situation to Thurman and Garcia more than 35 יאר צוריק. גאַרסיאַ, the WBC 147-pound titleholder, and Thurman, his WBA counterpart, will unify the exact same titles that Leonard (וובק) and fellow Hall of Famer Thomas Hearns (וובאַ) unified in their classic 1981 פייט פון די יאר.
Heading into the מאַרץ 4 unification, Garcia and Thurman own similar records to those of Leonard and Hearns prior to their ‘81 showdown. Thurman is 27-0 and Garcia is 33-0, while Leonard was 30-1 and Hearns was 32-0. And like Leonard and Hearns, Thurman and Garcia are in their 20’s and their respective primes as they approach the career-defining fight.
“I’m thrilled to be working with the SHOWTIME team and to be part of the CBS broadcast of this great event,” said Leonard. “I’ve watched Danny Garcia and Keith Thurman develop as young men and mature both inside and outside of the ring. Now they are both champions facing their biggest test to determine the man to beat in the welterweight division. This fight reminds me of my incredible bout against Tommy Hearns. There’s nothing better in boxing than when champions meet to unify a division, and I truly believe this fight could go either way. I’m so excited and I can’t wait to be ringside דעם שבת at Barclay’s Center.”
“When Ray and I last spoke in January, we’d reminisced briefly about our work in boxing together and we’d promised to get together soon,” said Dinkins. “Who knew it would be to work on the biggest fight scheduled for 2017? I’m thrilled that Ray is available to join our SHOWTIME broadcast team on מאַרץ 4. His experience in fighting on the big stage for high-stakes will help put Garcia vs. Thurman into its proper context.
"גאַרסיאַ ווס. Thurman is a battle of undefeated champions,” Dinkins continued. “The winner of this fight will be the No. 1 welterweight in the world. Ray has been there. His classic battles with Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns at welterweight made him a legend. It is only fitting that he will be ringside when a new star is born.”
Leonard was down on the scorecards when he knocked out Hearns in the 14טה round of the 1981 קאַמף. It was only the second world championship unification match in welterweight history. Garcia and Thurman will face off in the 10טה unification in division history, and only the third between undefeated world champions.
After the Hearns fight, Leonard made one more defense of his welterweight belts before eventually moving up to challenge מאַרווין האַגלער ביי מידדלעוועיגהט. Leonard has served as a TV personality and boxing analyst since retiring from the ring in 1997, including a stint on CBS.
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ABOUT GARCIA vs. THURMAN
דאַני גאַרסיאַ ווס. Keith Thurman is a welterweight world title showdown between undefeated 147-pound titlists. The 12-round bout headlines SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS, presented by פּרעמיער באָקסינג טשאַמפּיאָנס,שבת, מאַרץ 4 פון באַרקלייַס צענטראַל, the home of BROOKLYN BOXING™. אין די גלויבנס-הויפּט געשעעניש, ונדעפעאַטעד רייזינג שטערן עריקסאַן לובין battles once-beaten knockout artist דזשאָרגע קאָטאַ in a super welterweight title eliminator bout on CBS at 9 פּ.ם. און/6 פּ.ם. פּט.
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