NCM FATHOM AND GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS REACH NEW AGREEMENT TO BRING 2010 PREMIERE BOXING EVENTS TO MOVIE THEATERS NATIONWIDE
Posted on | March 29, 2010 | 1 Comment
Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins and Roy “The Terminator” Jones, Jr.
Settle Fierce Rivalry in Long-Awaited Rematch Broadcast to
More than 150 U.S. Movie Theaters LIVE in High Definition
on April 3rd as First Bout of 2010 Series
Centennial, Colo. – March 17, 2010 – NCM Fathom, a division of NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology, has reached a new agreement with Golden Boy Promotions to continue presenting live world championship boxing on the big screen in high definition throughout 2010. The first bout in the 2010 series will be The Rivals: Hopkins vs. Jones II featuring Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins vs. Roy “The Terminator” Jones, Jr., presented in more than 150 select movie theaters in high definition LIVE from Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, April 3 at 9:00 p.m. Eastern / 6:00 p.m. Pacific. The new agreement follows the highly successful cinema presentation of the Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez fight on the big screen in September 2009 – the first fight to be shown in movie theaters in over 20 years.
Tickets are available to The Rivals: Hopkins vs. Jones II special in-theater event at www.FathomEvents.com and presenting theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit the web site (theaters and participants are subject to change).
“Our experience of bringing big-time boxing back to the movie theaters was a great success for everyone – especially the fans!” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “Along with our partners at NCM, we look forward to building on that momentum and offering the best fights in the business in a spectacular hi-def environment.”
After 17 years, the wait is over as Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KOs) and Jones (54-6, 40 KOs), two of boxing’s most decorated and recognizable fighters, will put it all on the line and leave no doubts as to who gets the bragging rights. On May 22, 1993, Hopkins and Jones fought for the vacant IBF middleweight belt, the first shot at a world title for both fighters. The fight, which Jones won by unanimous decision, was a hard fought contest that set the stage for both fighters’ respective paths to boxing stardom. Jones went on to win titles in four weight classes, including middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and his historic heavyweight championship. Hopkins, who claimed Jones’ vacated IBF middleweight title in 1995, didn’t lose another fight for 12 years following his battle with Jones. While Jones ruled as pound-for-pound best for the better part of a decade, Hopkins took advantage of his middleweight crown by setting a record of 20 defenses and solidifying his place as one of the greatest middleweight fighters in the history of the sport.
“Tens of thousands of boxing fans around the country proved they have an appetite for seeing boxing on the big screen as they enjoyed the larger-than-life, ringside experience of the Mayweather vs. Marquez in-theater event last September,” said Dan Diamond, vice president of Fathom. “This exclusive partnership with Golden Boy Promotions allows Fathom to continue to present the biggest boxing events of 2010 to communities of fans nationwide and Hopkins vs. Jones promises to be a true classic to start the year.”
Broadcast live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, The Rivals: Hopkins vs. Jones IIwill be shown in more than 150 select movie theaters including AMC Entertainment Inc., Celebration! Cinema, Cinemark USA Inc., Clearview Cinemas, Goodrich Quality Theatres, Hollywood Theaters, Marcus Theatres and Regal Entertainment Group movie theaters, as well as the Carolina Theatre, Palace Cinema 9 (South Burlington, VT) and Penn Cinema (Lititz, PA), through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network – North America’s largest cinema broadcast network.
At 45 years young, Hopkins is still rated among the top pound for pound best in boxing. After his victory over Segundo Mercado in 1995 for the IBF middleweight title, Hopkins’ momentum began to build as he scored victories over quality contenders. The 2000s defined Hopkins’ career starting with his win over Keith Holmes in April of 2001 in the opening round of the Middleweight Unification Tournament followed by a stunning 12th round stoppage of Felix “Tito” Trinidad on September 29, 2001 at Madison Square Garden. Following four more defenses of his middleweight crown, Hopkins faced Oscar de la Hoya in 2004. His ninth round knockout of “The Golden Boy” allowed Hopkins to attain his 19th title defense – setting a record and making him the first fighter to hold the belt of all four major sanctioning organizations at the same time, as well as the Ring Magazine title. In 2006, Hopkins moved up to light heavyweight for the first time in his career to defeat Antonio Tarver for The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight World Championship. With his most recent win, a dominant performance over Enrique Ornelas, Hopkins showed the world that age is nothing but a number.
Roy Jones Jr.’s storied career has had countless defining moments which have catapulted him to being a household name. Jones was unstoppable in the 90’s as he stunned his opponents with incredible speed and relentless power. He made history on March 1, 2003, when he thwarted then-heavyweight champion John Ruiz to become the first former middleweight champion to win the heavyweight title in more than 100 years. After taking John Ruiz’ heavyweight crown, Jones dropped down to light heavyweight in order to take on Florida rival Antonio Tarver on November 8, 2003. He captured a split decision victory, but suffered consecutive defeats to Tarver and a surprising loss to Glen Johnson. Jones came back to score wins in his next two fights, setting up a highly-anticipated dual with Felix “Tito” Trinidad at Madison Square Garden on January 19, 2008. A renewed Jones looked sharp and focused, flooring an overmatched Trinidad twice, breezing to a unanimous decision win. Jones returned to Madison Square Garden later that same year and after 12 hard fought rounds came up short against future Hall of Famer Joe Calzaghe. Jones defeated his next two opponents but suffered a devastating first-round knock-out loss on December 2 against Australia’s Danny Green. As Jones is disputing the loss, he remains confident he can overcome this recent defeat, and take on Hopkins with that same boxing prowess that he has been known for throughout his record-setting career.
Through this new agreement, Fathom in conjunction with Golden Boy Promotions will also present Floyd “Money” Mayweather vs. “Sugar” Shane Mosley in the welterweight championship fight on Saturday, May 1. Tickets will be available beginning Friday, April 2. Visit www.FathomEvents.com to learn more.
About National CineMedia
NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology. The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater network covers 171 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes approximately 16,800 screens (15,400 digital). During 2009, approximately 680 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters currently included in NCM’s network (excluding Consolidated Theatres). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing approximately 40 entertainment-related web sites, online widgets and mobile applications. National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 41.5% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.ncm.com or www.fathomevents.com.
About Golden Boy Promotions, Inc.
Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by Oscar de la Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. In 2007, in its fifth year of promoting, Golden Boy Promotions set a record by selling over 2.5 million in pay-per-view homes in a single night. Also in 2007, Golden Boy Promotions established the record for highest grossing pay-per-view homes in a single year with more than 4 million total. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the United States on networks such as HBO, HBO Latino, TeleFutura, SHOWTIME, Versus and ESPN.