The Fox Sports division of US network Fox has partnered with virtual reality broadcast technology company NextVR to offer the first North American boxing matches broadcast live in virtual reality.
The initiative will also mark the Fox network’s inaugural move into boxing as it broadcasts Saturday’s Premier Boxing Champions card from Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Saturday PBC card is headlined by Danny Garcia (right of picture) facing former three-division world champion Robert Guerrero for the WBC welterweight belt vacated by the retirement of Floyd Mayweather Jr.
NextVR will set up multiple cameras around the ring, including ringside, to capture the action in high-definition virtual reality. Additionally, fight commentary and graphics will be included in the virtual reality live stream, which will be available free through the NextVR portal.
In 2015, NextVR collaborated with Fox Sports to broadcast the Auto Club 400 Nascar stock-car race in Fontana, California, and the US Open golf championship from Chambers Bay in Washington.
Michael Davies, Fox Sports’ senior vice-president of field and technical operations, told the USA Today newspaper: “If you look at (the PBC’s) boxing, not only the stuff on our network, but the PBC as a franchise, definitely pushes the envelope in terms of technology that’s brought to boxing. And it’s a nice arena to bring something like this out and see how it works.
“Being more generic, we have a plan and we think it’s a good plan, but we’re not going to say we know everything about the technology, and there’s not really a business just yet in terms of virtual reality. But one thing we’re sure of is that there’s going to be. And when there is, we want to be a little more educated on it than before. So it’s going to be time well spent.”