PREVIEW: Thurman vs. Guerrero & Broner vs. Molina Jr.
NBC to Utilize 360-Degree “Round-A-Bout” Camera System
NBCSN to Televise Weigh-In Live Friday, March 6 at 6 PM ET
Al Michaels, Marv Albert & “Sugar” Ray Leonard on Conference Call Tomorrow at 1 PM ET
“PBC on NBC” Debuts Saturday, March 7, Live at 8:30 PM ET on NBC
STAMFORD, Conn. - Mar. 3, 2015 - In four days, on Saturday, March, 7, boxing returns to primetime broadcast television with the debut of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET. The debut of PBC on NBC features a pair of blockbuster bouts — Keith Thurman vs. Robert Guerrero, and Adrien Broner vs. John Molina Jr. — from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Blow-by-blow announcer Marv Albert and analyst “Sugar” Ray Leonard call the action. Al Michaels will host. Laila Ali and B.J. Flores serve as corner analysts, joined by reporter Kenny Rice.
A LOOK AT THE MATCHUPS
One of the most exciting divisions in boxing will be at the forefront this Saturday when welterweight titleholder Keith Thurman (24-0, 21 KOs) looks to prove he is boxing’s next superstar against former four-division titleholder Robert Guerrero (32-2-1, 18 KOs). Still undefeated, Thurman earned the moniker “One Time” because of his tremendous knockout power, which led to a 93% knockout rate in his 24 fights. Guerrero has never been knocked out, and having already faced Floyd Mayweather, he is no stranger to the spotlight that comes with this big stage.
In a classic contrast of speed vs. power, the co-main event, Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) vs. John Molina Jr. (27-5, 22 KOs) has all the makings of a classic brawl. Broner, the highly-entertaining former three-division titleholder, blends sharp defensive technique with lightning fast hands that can dizzy an opponent for 12-rounds, while Molina Jr. will stand and exchange blows until someone is on the ground for good. Both fighters are looking to make a splash as the opening fight on Saturday, and will hold nothing back once the opening bell rings.
NBC TO UTILIZE 360-DEGREE “ROUND-A-BOUT” CAMERA SYSTEM
Saturday’s PBC on NBC will feature a 360-degree camera system never before used in boxing. NBC “Round-A-Bout” will utilize 32 cameras mounted above the ring to present a rotatable field of view and zoom-in ability without loss of resolution. The system will show punches and boxer movement from any angle, with visual effects similar to those popularized in the “bullet time” movie sequences of The Matrix. NBC “Round-A-Bout” was developed by Durham, N.C.-based Aqueti, Incorporated.
NBCSN TO TELEVISE WEIGH-IN LIVE AT 6 PM ET ON FRIDAY
This Friday, Mar. 6, at 6 p.m. ET, NBCSN will present live coverage of the weigh-ins for PBC on NBC, the only time each fighter will face their opponent ahead of Saturday’s primetime card. Leonard, Ali, Flores and Rice will host coverage of the weigh-ins from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In addition, encore presentations of NBCSN’s PBC: Corner to Corner, profiling Thurman, Guerrero, Broner and Molina will air throughout the week, including tomorrow, Wednesday, Mar. 4, at 11 p.m. ET. Click here for PBC: Corner to Corner program highlights and a full encore schedule.
“WHY THEY FIGHT, WHY WE WATCH” - JOE POSNANSKI EXAMINES BOXING THROUGHOUT THE YEARS ON NBC SPORTSWORLD
Joe Posnanski interviewed each fighter featured in Saturday’s primetime bouts as well as boxing legends Victor Ortiz, “Sugar” Ray Leonard, and Roberto Duran about where the sport is, where it’s been, and where it’s headed. Click here for a link to the story on NBC SportsWorld.
AL MICHAELS, MARV ALBERT & “SUGAR” RAY LEONARD ON CONFERENCE CALL TOMRROW AT 1 PM ET
PBC on NBC host Al Michaels, blow-by-blow announcer Marv Albert, analyst “Sugar” Ray Leonard, and Executive Producer of NBC Sports and NBCSN Sam Flood will participate in a conference call tomorrow, Wednesday, Mar. 4, at 1 p.m. ET.
Dial 719-325-2448 to Participate, Conference ID 1717692.
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NBC and NBCSN will present 20 live PBC on NBC boxing events in 2015. Within the 20 live shows, NBC Sports Group will present more than 50 hours of PBC coverage, including NBCSN pre- and post-fight programming for NBC telecasts. The Premier Boxing Champions series is created for television by Haymon Boxing. The PBC on NBC will feature many of today’s brightest stars, in their most compelling matches.
All PBC on NBC shows will be streamed live on NBC Sports Live Extra via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. NBC Sports Live Extra is available for desktops at NBCSports.com/liveextra. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available at the App Store for iPad and iPod touch, on select devices within Google Play, and on windows phones and tablets.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–