FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 18th, 2015
TWO DAYS UNTIL THE RETURN OF PBC ON NBC IN PRIMETIME, LIVE FROM LAS VEGAS THIS SAT., JUNE 20, AT 8:30 P.M. ET
Adrien “The Problem” Broner vs. “Showtime” Shawn Porter; Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. vs. Phil “The Italian Sensation” Lo Greco
NBC Sports Digital to Live Stream Friday’s PBC on NBC Weigh-Ins via Periscope
Boxers Reflect on Support From Their Fathers Ahead of Father’s Day Weekend Fights
STAMFORD, Conn. – June 18, 2015 – In two days, on Saturday, June 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET, PBC on NBC returns to primetime at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., featuring a highly-anticipated showdown between former titleholders Adrien “The Problem” Broner (30-1, 22 KOs) and “Showtime” Shawn Porter (25-1-1, 16 KOs), fighting at a catchweight of 144lbs. Coverage on NBC begins with Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr. (16-0, 13 KOs) looking to maintain his perfect record in a welterweight bout against Phil “The Italian Sensation” Lo Greco (26-1, 14 KOs).
Blow-by-blow announcer Marv Albert, and analysts “Sugar” Ray Leonard and B.J. Flores call the action. Al Michaels hosts, current middleweight titleholder Daniel Jacobs serves as a corner analyst in his primetime PBC on NBC debut, and Kenny Rice reports from ring-side. After the NBC show, live boxing continues on NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET.
NBC SPORTS DIGITAL TO LIVE STREAM FRIDAY’S PBC ON NBC WEIGH-INS VIA PERISCOPE
To bring fans closer to the action, NBC Sports Digital will use Periscope, a mobile application that allows users to stream live video via Twitter, to live stream the weigh-ins for this weekend’s Premier Boxing Champions on NBC card. Hosted by Kenny Rice, the @NBCSports Twitter handle will broadcast the fighters tomorrow, Friday, June 19, at 3 p.m. PT, as they weigh-in at the MGM Grand Garden Arena before their primetime bouts.
BOXERS REFLECT ON FAMILY SUPPORT AHEAD OF FATHER’S DAY WEEKEND FIGHTS
Ahead of their Father’s Day Weekend bouts, boxers Adrien Broner, Shawn Porter, and Errol Spence reflect on their close relationships with their fathers and children:
ADRIEN BRONER
On his relationship with his father: “My dad ‘Pops’ was the first person to take me to the boxing gym and that is where we met Coach Mike [Stafford]. My dad just knew that he wanted me to box and he took me to the right place.
“Everyone calls my dad ‘Pops’ because he’s like a dad to everyone around me – my friends, fighters in the gym…everyone. He’s always been there 100 percent of the time.
“Me and my dad are both a little crazy. We are similar people. We are both cut from a different cloth, we like to have fun and work hard. We mesh.
“My dad usually comes to camp the last two weeks, so he is at the gym everyday leading up to the fights. When he’s not with me in the gym, he is working on cars as a mechanic in Cincinnati.
On being a father: “I love being with my kids. I like to do fun things with them and give them more than I had as a kid. I love when they come to the gym and come to my fights.
“When my youngest Adrieon was born, I was there every step of the way and now this Father’s Day is going to be even better when I win.”
SHAWN PORTER
On his relationship with his father: “My dad has always been there from sports to school and has helped me through all of it. He is an anomaly because he was always there as a single father. You don’t really find that too much in the African American community – a single dad that wants to be there for his children the way my dad has been there for me and my brother.
“Every day is kind of like Father’s Day for us. I want to make this one very memorable and it is the first of many to come. But obviously Sunday will be much better if I win.
“I feel like I make his day every day. It’s him and I. It’s what we do. You have your good days and bad days. For me being a son and an athlete, it makes me want to perform on a different level.”
ERROL SPENCE JR.
On his relationship with his father: “My dad got me started in boxing. He was a truck driver, so he used to drive overnight, and then he’ll get home 12:00 p.m. or later then take me to the gym. After that, he’d come from the gym, it was like 5:00 or 6:00 p.m., and he would rest for one or two hours and go straight to work.
“At the time, I didn’t really think about it, but as I got older and a little bit wiser, realizing all the sacrifices that he made for me to be able to box and go to all these national tournaments and tournaments out of state. He had to pay for the hotel, pay for food and stuff like that out of pocket. We didn’t have any sponsors and stuff like that.
“I am proud to be named after my dad and I thank him for believing in me and pushing me to be the best I can be.
“He plays a big part of my boxing career. He’s my supporter. That’s my mentor. That’s like my best friend. For Father’s Day, I’m going to get him a win, and it’s going to be an impressive win that he’ll be proud of and he’ll love. Without him, I know I wouldn’t be boxing. My dad will be in my corner Saturday night.”
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NBC Sports Group will present more than 50 hours of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) coverage in 2015, including cards on NBC and NBCSN, and 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.
NBC Sports Live Extra — NBC Sports Group’s live streaming product for desktops, mobile devices, tablets, and connected TVs — will stream coverage on NBC and NBCSN via “TV Everywhere,” giving consumers additional value to for their subscription service, and making high quality content available to MVPD customers both in and out of the home and on multiple platforms. The NBC Sports Live Extra app is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store and Apple TV. For desktops, NBC Sports Live Extra can be accessed at NBCSports.com/liveextra.
–NBC SPORTS GROUP–
