UK commercial broadcaster ITV has acquired live rights to IBF super bantamweight champion Carl Frampton’s first title defence against Chris Avalos.
In a deal brokered with the event promoter Cyclone Promotions, the Frampton v Avalos bout in Belfast, Northern Ireland will be broadcast live and exclusive on ITV's flagship main channel on February 28. The undercard will be screened live on free-to-air digital channel ITV4.
Frampton v Avalos will be the first world championship boxing bout staged in the UK to be broadcast live on terrestrial television since Carl Froch beat Jean Pascal for the WBC super middleweight title in 2008.
Barry McGuigan, chief executive of Cyclone Promotions, said: “This is a great day for Carl Frampton and Cyclone Promotions but it is also a great day for the sport of boxing. We are very excited to be partnering with ITV in bringing world championship boxing back to the mainstream public. ITV have for the past 30 years been at the forefront of big time boxing on terrestrial television and it is excellent news that Carl Frampton will become the latest in a long line of world champions who have boxed on ITV.”