The reviews are in, and the numbers are in, and the decision is unanimous: the debut of FIGHTNIGHT LIVE, on Facebook Live Rāpare evening from Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, was a KO victory.

Watchers of the stream, which drew 37,000-plus “uniques” on fight night, and continues to draw clicks, enjoyed a Star Boxing main event topped by a junior middleweight scrap between vet Delvin Rodriguez and up ‘n comer Courtney Pennington.

More numbers: Tata 3,000 comments were shared by watchers during the four plus hour show, which provided incredible value for fans of the sweet science. Fans said things like, “This is the future of the sport, live FREE streaming.” “This stream is giving expose to young guns that would not ordinarily get it on broadcast TV!” “I muri i i teie pô o te streaming many will talk about it and many more will watch if there’s a next time, this is the bomb!”

“I was inundated with complimentary texts, emails and calls almost as soon as the stream started, and it was a lot of fun watching the numbers swell from 27 views at the start of the broadcast to 40,000-plus by now,” mea Mark Fratto, Tumuaki o Linacre Media. “Like many others, we believe that the present and future of ‘televised’ mekemeke, MMA, Muay Thai and really all live sports is digital. I tua atu, by putting these events on Facebook we’re providing an interactive environment for fight fans to not only view the events, but to connect with each other and provide their own real-time commentary during the bouts. We believe in high-quality, cost-efficient production that can give fans free access to hundreds of global, national and regional live fight nights without breaking the bank of the promoter and also without sacrificing what sports fans have come to expect from their viewing experience – koki kāmera maha, graphics, replays a muri-te-scenes wāhi me ngā uiuinga. We don’t want traditional fans, digital customers and cord-cutters to be relegated to trying to watch other spectators’ live feeds off their cell phones.”

Kaiwhakatairanga Joe DeGuardia went on air during the main event. He was visibly impressed and shared his enthusiasm while watching Pennington spring the upset.

“This has been incredible,” DeGuardia said. “It is great that fans will now be able to see more fights on a platform with massive reach. This is good for everyone and a perfect way for fighters to expand their fan base. I am pleased to be involved.”

Said boxing fan-favorite Ray Flores, who sat in the blow-by-blow chair, “It was an honor to be a part of FIGHTNIGHT LIVE and work with such talented individuals. I’m extremely excited about what the future has in store for the series. Neke atu i te tetahi mea, thank you to all the fight fans who tuned, shared it, and commented. Fan interaction and world class fights is the basis for FIGHTNIGHT LIVE. I cannot wait for the next show!”

“We want to have something of a distinct identity,” said analyst Michael Woods, who publishes NYFights.com and does the TALBOX podcast for Everlast. “We want watchers to be able to interact with us, be part of the show, have a voice. We also want to have fun, keep it loose at times, me. We will be incorporating that interactivity even more going forward. This series aims to be and I think is well on its way to establishing a paradigm in the space.”

“We firmly believe this new series is beneficial to all parties involved. More exposure for the sport and for the fighters,” said Fratto, whose production services company does 200 live events each year. “This production model is designed to be lean and cost-effective. And that enables us to cover more events, and with Facebook, we know we are being seen world wide and on a platform with a great deal of potential.”

Future FIGHTNIGHT LIVE dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

He wātea ipurangi FIGHTNIGHT LIVE i: https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE/

Follow all the action via social media at FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE i runga i Facebook, @FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Instagram and @FIGHTNIGHTLIVE_ on Twitter, or by using the hashtag #FIGHTNIGHTLIVE. Hoki te hou ngā Linacre Media me rärangi päho, follow @LinacreMedia across all social platforms or use the tags #LinacreMediaEvents ranei #LinacreMediaOnTV.

NEW YORK (Kia 9, 2017) – Beginning Rāpare, fight fans from around the globe no longer have to miss out on their favorite boxing, MMA or Muay Thai cards, nor will they be forced to search desperately for a ringside spectator’s blurry mobile phone feed at non-televised events.

Supporters of the Sweet Science, MMA and other combat sports can now tune-in to Facebook, as fans from around the planet will be introduced to “FIGHTNIGHT LIVE” tenei Rāpare, Kia 11, i 7:30 p.m. AND. The new fan-friendly, interactive vehicle delivering big TV quality to on any Facebook-enabled device “goes live” from Mohegan Sun Arena as the exclusive carrier of Star Boxing Inc.’s “Slugfest at the Sun,” with a number of future fight dates to be announced.

I Rāpare po, Ka taea e pā titau i te nui-pānga, wheako roma maha-kāmera oti ki whakairoiro, hākoritanga, replays, interviews and an announce team anchored by blow-by-blow announcer Ray Flores of Premier Boxing Champions, Showtime mekemeke, HBO Boxing and CBS Sports Network boxing fame. To provide spectators with a fully-interactive ringside experience, ka ui körero, me te whakautu ki ngā pātai i te whakarongo Facebook puta noa te haapurororaa. Rounding out Rāpare o announce team at ringside are Michael Woods of the TalkBox Podcast, NYFights.com and The Ring and former Golden Gloves Champion Cara Castronuova, inaianei o te Knockout mōmona Foundation.

Promoted by Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, each action-packed “Slugfest at the Sun” bout will be streamed exclusively via Facebook Live on the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE Facebook Page. The card is highlighted by a main event featuring former world title contender and Connecticut fan favorite Delvin Rodriguez (29-8-4, 16Koó), as he takes on upset-minded Courtney Pennington(10-4-1, 5KO o) in a 10-round Junior Middleweight bout at Mohegan Sun Arena. Former WBC women’s world champion Kali Reis (10-6-1, 4 Koó) meets determined veteran Ashleigh Curry (7-10-4, 8 Koó) i roto i te tahi-āhuatanga.

“Our ability to leverage Facebook is great for the future of boxing. It is a fantastic way to reach our fans and create a wider and younger audience,” Na ka mea a Joe DeGuardia, Te peresideni a CEO o Star Boxing. “I’m thrilled to help bring boxing to this platform and believe it will be fantastic for Star Boxing, our fighters and other fighters and promoters. The future is extremely bright for boxing, which has traditionally been a leader in finding new ways to connect with the world. In the past it was radio, then TV, then Closed Circuit, Cable and ultimately PPV. Watching boxing live via a stream on a platform like Facebook is the next frontier.”

Hanga, ka whakaputaina e te Linacre Media i roto o New York City, the FIGHTNIGHT LIVE series will feature multiple camera angles, graphics, replays a muri-te-scenes wāhi me ngā uiuinga. The streamed shows will be available globally wherever Facebook is available. Ko te kaupapa e kore anake e āhei pā i huri noa i te ao ki te rangi i roto i, engari homai ano hoki ki runga-a-haere mai whawhai i te papa ao ki te whakaatu i ō rātou āheinga, homai ngā kaiwhakatairanga te wātea “pāhotanga” solution and gives small business sponsors the ability to reach a mass audience via branded content.

“Like many others, we believe that the present and future of ‘televised’ mekemeke, MMA, Muay Thai and really all live sports is digital. I tua atu, by putting these events on Facebook we’re providing an interactive environment for fight fans to not only view the events, but to connect with each other and provide their own real-time commentary during the bouts,” said Mark Fratto, Principal and Director of Business Development, Linacre Media. “We believe in high-quality, cost-efficient production that can give fans free access to hundreds of global, national and regional live fight nights without breaking the bank of the promoter and also without sacrificing what sports fans have come to expect from their viewing experience – koki kāmera maha, graphics, replays and behind-the-scenes access and interviews.”

He wātea ipurangi FIGHTNIGHT LIVE i: https://www.facebook.com/FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE /

Follow all the action via social media at Facebook FIGHTNIGHTLIVE i runga i Facebook, @FaceFIGHTNIGHTLIVE on Instagram and @FIGHTNIGHTLIVE_ on Twitter, or @STARBOXING on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and by using the hashtags #FIGHTNIGHTLIVE and #SlugfestAtTheSun. For ticket information and updates on upcoming Star Boxing events please log on toStarBoxing.com. Hoki te hou ngā Linacre Media me rärangi päho, follow @LinacreMedia across all social platforms or use the tags #LinacreMediaEvents or#LinacreMediaOnTV.