26.01.05 – FSN’s BEST DAMN SPORTS SHOW PERIOD and Goossen Tutor Promotions team up for the third time to bring viewers another prolific night of boxing from the Palace Indian Gaming Center in Lemoore, California. The main event of the special two-hour show features WBC Champion Oscar “Chololo” Larios (54-3-1, 35 KOs) defending his title against former WBC Champion Wayne “The Pocket-Rocket” McCullough (27-4, 18 KOs) in a 12-round WBC Super Bantamweight Championship bout..
After the main event, 2004 Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward squares off against undefeated Kenny Kost (7-0, 4 KOs). The six-round Super Middleweight bout will be shown in its entirety, time permitting. The BEST DAMN CHAMPIONSHIP FIGHT PERIOD kicks off on Thurs., Feb. 10 at 8:00 PM local.
The 27-year-old Larios from Guadalajara, Mexico will be defending his title for the ninth time. Tall and muscular and known as the “Mexican Warrior” for the brutal power he uses to obliterate his opponents, Larios has won his last 15 consecutive bouts. Represented by Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, Larios scored an impressive knockout over Willie Jorrin to earn his much-anticipated WBC Super Bantamweight title.
McCullough, 35, is an Ireland native who quickly became one of his country’s top fighters. He earned a Bronze medal in the World Cup, a Gold medal in the Commonwealth Games and a Silver medal at the 1992 Olympic Games before leaving his amateur ranks to pursue a career as a professional boxer in America. Two years later, McCullough defeated Japanese champion Yaseui Yakushiji to win the WBC Bantamweight title. He successfully defended his title twice before vacating the belt to move up in weight.
Ward, a 20-year-old Oakland native, first made a name for himself in Athens at the 2004 Olympic Games where he became the only boxer from the United States to win a gold medal when he captured the top spot in the light heavyweight division. Weeks later, Ward won his first professional fight by knockout. Kost, from St. Paul, Minnesota, is undefeated in his professional career.
Tom Arnold and John Salley host the event. The duo previews the fight then hands it off to FSN’s veteran boxing announce team, Barry Tompkins and Sean O’Grady.
This event is FSN’s third foray into the live boxing arena. The first two live bouts featured James “Lights Out” Toney vs. Rydell Booker and Michael Moorer vs. Vassiliy Jirov, and each generated a ratings success for BDSSP. The Toney/Booker fight was the most watched primetime telecast in the history of BDSSP.
“Dan Goossen continues to bring us the biggest names in boxing,” said George Greenberg, FSN’s Executive Vice-President of Programming and Production. “We are happy to have him as a partner and look forward to continuing this successful venture.”
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