Boxing promoter Top Rank has reached a deal with Time Warner-owned US pay-television entertainment channel truTV to televise a primetime Friday night boxing series.
The broadcasts will be run in association with Turner Sports and HBO Sports, affiliates of the Time Warner media company. Turner Sports will assist in the marketing and production of the shows and provide the broadcasting team.
Launching on May 1, on the eve of the showdown between pound-for-pound superstars Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas, the series will begin at the city’s Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan venue, headlined by Ray Beltran (pictured) and Takahiro Ao’s meeting for the vacant World Boxing Organisation lightweight championship.
There will be two more truTV Friday fight nights on May 8 and 15, preceding Saturday night HBO feature events, and five more cards to be scheduled over the remainder of 2015.
Turner Sports and HBO Sports will contribute resources, as well as marketing and digital platforms, in support of the new series.