NEW YORK (March 10, 2006) – CBS Corporation’s Showtime Networks Inc. announced that the iTunes Music Store is offering its first boxing match for download. The world title unification bout between IBF/IBO Super Middleweight Champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy of St. Petersburg, Fla., and his WBO counterpart Joe Calzaghe of Wales, is available now, in its entirety at www.itunes.com. SHOWTIME’s live telecast took place on March 4, from the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England..
The bout lived up to its preflight hype as an explosive match up. Calzaghe dominated Lacy from the opening seconds of round one, scoring continuously with right-left combinations through all 12 rounds. In the fourth, he opened a cut over Lacy’s left eye and caused severe swelling over the right. From the fourth round on, Lacy bled from the mouth, nose and eye, yet showed the heart of a champion and the resilience of a bull. Lacy went down in the 12th, but finished the fight toe-to-toe with the Welsh Champion in an attempt to trade blows all the way through the final seconds of the bout. The entire fight is available now at iTunes for just $1.99.
“We are proud to deliver boxing to Apple and the very popular iTunes Music Store,” said Showtime Sports & Event Programming General Manager Ken Hershman. “This relationship will help SHOWTIME continue to deliver the highest quality and most compelling match ups in boxing to the broadest audience possible.”
iTunes, which currently offers SHOWTIME original programming including Golden Globe® nominees “Sleeper Cell” and “Weeds,” continues to pioneer the purchase-to-download market and now offers television and sports content available for just $1.99 per episode for viewing on a computer or iPod. The iTunes Music Store is the world’s most popular video download store with more than 15 million videos purchased and downloaded.
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING celebrates 20 years of hard-hitting, explosive programming in 2006. In March 1986, SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING was born when “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler defeated John “The Beast” Mugabi in a spectacular and unforgettable 11th-round knockout in Las Vegas. Since that time, the network has aired some of the most historic and significant events in the sport including both Holyfield-Tyson bouts. Always at the forefront of boxing, SHOWTIME has set itself apart by telecasting “great fights, no rights” on the first Saturday of every month. SHOWTIME is the first network to regularly deliver live boxing in High Definition. In addition, SHOWTIME continues to be a pioneer in sports television with a number of interactive features across multiple platforms making SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts the most enjoyable, immersive viewing experience for the boxing audience.