Boxing returns on Channel 5 Al Bernstein calling ‘The Big Brawl’ action July 23

Posted on | July 14, 2011 | No Comments

HOBOKEN, N.J. (July 14, 2011) – Boxing’s back on terrestrial television in the United Kingdom, starting July 23 with the worldwide broadcast of “The Big Brawl” event, which will be anchored by award-winning boxing announcer Al Bernstein, Channel 5 and promoter Hennessy Sports announced today.

British and Commonwealth heavyweight Champion Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs) puts his belts on the line Saturday night, July 23 against undefeated challenger Tyson Fury (14-0, 10 KOs) in the 12-round main event at Wembley Arena in London.

“The Big Brawl” will air live in the UK on Channel 5, the UK’s premier terrestrial network. “Boxing is a new venture for Channel Five and we want to create the very best impression,” said Mark Sharman, Executive Producer, S3 Media Ltd. “Fury v Chisora is a great match-up between two unbeaten heavyweights with world title aspirations, so we want a world-class expert to call the fight. They don’t come any bigger than Al Bernstein and I know the viewers will enjoy the benefits of his insight and expertise.”

Sports fans in United States will also be able to watch the “The Big Brawl” event on PPV, distributed in the U.S. by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3 PM/ET – 12 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, and Avail-TVN, for a suggested retail price of only $24.95. (Check with your PPV provider for same day replay times.) The telecast is also available in Canada to all Super Channel network subscribers.

Bernstein, a highly respected boxing authority for more than three decades, will join blow-by-blow announcer Mark Pougatch at ringside for “The Big Brawl” call. He was a boxing analyst for ESPN from 1980 to 2003, covered boxing for NBC during the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games, and has been a popular boxing announcer since 2003 for Showtime Championship Boxing.

“”While this fight certainly resonates for British boxing fans,” Bernstein commented, “it now has wider implications and interest. The winner has an excellent chance of fighting for the heavyweight title. But, that aside, perhaps the most salient part of this match is that it will very likely be an exciting shootout – something we don’t often see in the heavyweight division. A lot is at stake and the styles of these two fighters should make it an entertaining match.”

The headliner showcases a pair of undefeated heavyweights, sporting nearly identical professional records, fighting in hopes of rising from prospect to contender, especially with world title shot implications for the winner of this clash to settle it all.

Zimbabwe-native Chisora (14-0, 9 KOs), rated No. 12 by the World Boxing Organization, fights out of London. He has twice had scheduled World Boxing Organization (“WBO”) title fights cancelled against champion Wladimir Klitschko, who will be at ringside for “The Big Brawl.” “Del Boy” has twice stopped Sam Sexton, winner of “The Prizefighter Heavyweight Tournament,” as well as Mike Tyson-conqueror Danny Williams.

Fury is a 6’ 9” 260-pound Irishman born in Manchester and lives in Cheshire, England. His rapidly growing fan-base is spreading across the Atlantic to America. Named after “Iron” Mike Tyson, the World Boxing Council’s No 21-rated Fury is the cousin of world middleweight contender Andy Lee. In his last action this past February, the mammoth 261-pound Fury knocked out previously unbeaten Narcelo Luiz Nascimento (13-0) in the fifth round. Other notable United Kingdom heavyweights defeated by Tyson include John McDermott and Scott Belshaw. Fury, only 22, has dedicated his fight against Chisora to the memory of former world heavyweight title challenger and European champion, Sir Henry Cooper.

The 12-round co-feature showcases British Boxing Board of Control (“BBB of C”) Light Welterweight Champion Ashley “Treasure”Theophane in his first title defense against Welsh champion Jason “The Power” Cook.

Theophane (29-4-1, 7 KOs), rated No. 14 by the International Boxing Federation, captured the BBB of C light welterweight championship in his last fight by winning a unanimous 12-round decision against Lenny Daws (21-1-2) this past February in London. Ashley’s most significant victories to date have been versus Delvin Rodriguez (DEC10) and former world champion DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley (DEC8).

The 5’ 9” Cook (28-3-1, 14 KOs), a former International Boxing Organization and European lightweight champion, has lost only three times in 32 pro fights, the last in 2009 to former World Boxing Association champion Gavin Rees by three-round decision in the semi-finals of “Prizefighter” tournament.

The full PPV card will soon be announced. All fights and fighters subject to change.

Go to www.IntegratedSportsnet.com and www.HennessySports.com for more information about “The Big Brawl: Chisora-Fury” PPV event. Follow Integrated Sports Media on Twitter @IntegratedPPV.

Channel 5: Launched as Britain’s fifth and final terrestrial broadcaster in 1997, Channel 5 was old a year ago longstanding shareholder RTL to Northern & Shell. More than 30 million viewers watch Channel 5 any given week, tuning in for programming as diverse as the CSI franchise, Extraordinary People, Fifth Gear, live UEFA Europa League Football, Home & Away and Neighbours, Channel 5 news as well as the channel’s award-winning children’s strand, Milkshake!

Integrated Sports Media (ISM): North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sporting events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Vitali Klitschko, David Haye, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Amir Khan,Tomasz Adamek, Ricky Hatton, Giovani Segura, Cristian Mijares, Zab Judah, Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Arthur Abraham, John Ruiz, Nicolai Valuev, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr. and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, ISM distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Real Madrid, Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports Media events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.