Former Undisputed Welterweight Champion to Provide Unique Insight as Garcia and Thurman Join Boxing Royalty in 147-Pound Unification

Bontša bo-rakhoebo tsa Championship ho CBS, e hlahisitsoeng ke baetsi ba pele ba pele, Live on CBS from 9 - 11 p.m. LE / 6 - 8 p.m. PT from Barclays Center In Brooklyn

NEW YORK (Feb. 28, 2017) - holo ea mabokose a foro le mosali eo e neng e sa tsotelloe le balebeli ba lefatše ba sa tsotelleng Sugar Ray Leonard will join the SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on CBS broadcast team on Saturday, March 4 for GARCIA vs. Thurman. The event will be headlined by the welterweight world championship unification bout between undefeated champions Danny Garcia le Keith Thurman. 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 p.m. LE / 6-8 p.m. PT. Garcia vs.. 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 lilemo tse. The first was headlined by a thrilling welterweight world championship fight between Thurman and Shawn Porter, e 2016 Fight of the Year candidate and one of the most watched boxing events of the year.

With SHOWTIME boxing analyst and active prizefighter Pauluse Malignaggi scheduled to fight in London that evening, the broadcast seat opened up for Leonard. He will join SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING host Brian Custer, Play-by-play lentsoe Mauro Ranallo, Holo ea machabeng ea mabokose a mahlale a bokhelohi Al Bernstein and Sports Emmy^® Award-winning reporter Jim Gray ka moqebelo.

Leonard o ile a etsa hore a qale ho etsa lipatlisiso tsa bokhachane ho CBS ho 1977, Ka tlase ho selemo ka mor'a hore a arabe khauta marulelong a '76 montlimpiki ea Montreal e le karolo ea sehlopha sa litebele tsa Amerika. 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 Do hong gil dong Clancy, before eventually resuming his professional boxing career. The March 4event will reunite Leonard with former CBS producer and current SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Executive Producer Davida Dinkins Refresh., and director Bob Dunphy, the son of legendary boxing broadcaster Don Dunphy.

Leshome le mehlano ea likarolo tse hlano le e 'ngoe ea bo-boxers tse khabisitsoeng ka ho fetisisa tsa nako eohle, Leonard Ho Etsa Ponahano e Ikhethileng ea Tlokotsi ea Phatlalatso e Ileng ea ba boemong bo tšoanang ho Hurman le Garcia ho feta 35 lilemong tse fetileng. Garcia, Sebapali sa WBC 147-pound, le hurdman, Cba ea hae ea WBA, e tla kopanya lihlooho tse tšoanang le tsa letsoho (WBC) le holo ea meamo Thomas e hlokahala (WBA) e kopantsoe ka har'a semelo sa bona 1981 Ntoa ea Year.

Ho ea ho March 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 ena Moqebelo 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 March 4. His experience in fighting on the big stage for high-stakes will help put Garcia vs. Thurman into its proper context.

"Garcia vs.. 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 14^{go th} round of the 1981 ntoa. It was only the second world championship unification match in welterweight history. Garcia and Thurman will face off in the 10^{go th} Kopano ea nalane ea karohano, 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 Marvin Hagler ka middleweight. Leonard has served as a TV personality and boxing analyst since retiring from the ring in 1997, including a stint on CBS.

Ditekete tsa e phelang ketsahalo, e khothalletsa ka DiBella Entertainment, qala ka $50 (se ke ua ho akarelletsa le ho hlokehang ditefello) 'me li ka Sale hona joale. Tickets ka rekoa Inthaneteng ho etela www.ticketmaster.com, www.barclayscenter.com kapa ka bitsa 1-800-745-3000. Tickets boetse ho na le teng ka fa American Express Lebokose le leqepheng la Office ka Barclays Center. Group litheolelo di a fumaneha ka bitsa 844-BKLYN-GP.

About Garcia vs. Thurman

Danny Garcia vs.. Keith Hudman ke pokello ea lefatše e bitsoang Welterwereight lipakeng tsa tse sa tlotsitsoeng li-147-pound tsa 27-pound. Lihlooho tse 12-ropet Bontša bo-rakhoebo tsa Championship ho CBS, presented by Tonakgolo Boxing Champions,Moqebelo, March 4 ho tloha Barclays Center, Lehae la Brooklyn Boxing ™. A ho sebdisana ka sehloohong ketsahalo, Krrish bochaba naleli Erickson Lubin Lintoa hang-hang -et Jorge Cota Boemong ba sehlooho sa Elinator e kholo e tsoa ho CBS ho 9 p.m. LE/6 p.m. PT.

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