Card Highlighted by Title Bout Between Jose Benavidez Jr. & Jorge Paez, Jr.
truTV and Top Rank will exclusively present the MetroPCS Friday Night Knockout on truTV, a live primetime boxing series on Friday, May 15, at 10 p.m. ET from the US Airway Center in Phoenix. The new boxing series, produced in association with Turner Sports and HBO Sports, will feature a 12-round bout for the WBA interim World Super Lightweight title between champion Jose Benavidez, Jr. (22-0-0, 15 KOs), fighting in his hometown against Jorge Paez, Jr. (38-5-2, 23 KOs) of Mexico. Additionally, Antonio Orozco (21-0-0, 15 KOs) will meet Emmanuel Taylor (18-3-0, 12 KOs) in a 10-round super lightweight bout.
Commentators for the event will include Kevin Kugler providing play-by-play with analysts Timothy Bradley and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and reporter Crystina Poncher. Kugler is a veteran announcer who has called college basketball and NFL coverage for Westwood One and college football for the Big Ten Network. Bradley is a former WBO welterweight champion and former WBO and two-time WBC junior welterweight champion. Mancini is a 2015 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and former NABF and WBA lightweight champion. Poncher is a commentator and reporter for Top Rank, as well as a host, reporter and correspondent for NFL Network and NFL.com. Closed captioning in Spanish will be available for the truTV telecast.
The network’s presentation will feature the continued use of “Spidercam” technology, the first of its kind for a live domestic boxing telecast, providing dynamic coverage during the series. “Spidercam” operates on a four-point system of cables from designated points beyond the corners of the boxing ring. The suspended camera has the ability to provide compelling 360-degree angles of the action including the ability to move in three dimensions – left/right, forward/backward and up/down.
As part of its entitlement sponsorship of the boxing series on truTV, MetroPCS will receive camera-visible center ring and corner pad brand placement for each fight, as well as inclusion in all promotional messaging across truTV and other Turner Broadcasting networks.
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