“20 Years Later”: Best of Showtime Boxing/ShoBox In 2006 Premieres May 5

NEW YORK (April 27, 2007) – Classic fights, career defining moments and hard-hitting action from the most compelling and unforgettable prizefights of 2006 are recapped in “SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: 20 Years Later” premiering Saturday, May 5, 2007, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME. The 30-minute program features highlights from SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING’s 20th anniversary year with commentary from perennial play-by-play man Steve Albert and renowned color analyst Al Bernstein..

In addition, “20 Years Later” will feature the top bouts from “ShoBox: The New Generation,” the network’s acclaimed prospect-oriented series, with fight call and commentary from Nick Charles and Steve Farhood.

Legendary ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. hosts as trainers Dickie Wood and Don Familton, and top boxing journalists Carlos Arias (Orange County Register), Steve Kim and Doug Fischer (Maxboxing.com), Tom Hauser (Secondsout.com) and Michael Woods (Thesweetscience.com) share poignant moments and recollections from the past year.

Featured bouts in the program include: “2006 Fight of the Year” candidate Lamon Brewster vs. Sergei Liakhovich; Shannon Briggs’ dramatic last-minute knockout of Liakhovich; the controversy surrounding the two James Toney-Samuel Peter showdowns; twin upsets of Carlos Baldomir over Zab Judah and O’Neil Bell over Jean-Marc Mormeck; Joe Calzaghe’s dismantling of Jeff Lacy; Vic Darchinyan’s three world title defenses; Roman Karmazin versus Cory Spinks; and Diego Corrales-Joel Casamayor III.

In addition to exhilarating highlights, the SHOWTIME boxing announcers and Lennon Jr. recap 2006’s most unforgettable moments and discuss a myriad of subjects and trends that have occurred throughout 20-plus years of SHOWTIME airing the best boxing on television.

After Lennon Jr. opens the show, “20 Years Later” will be divided into five segments that are interspersed with editorials from Albert, Farhood, Bernstein and Charles. The initial segment will highlight the rise of Soviet born and trained fighters, followed by first and second-generation families (Spinks, McGirt, Witherspoon, Marquez brothers) who have fought on SHOWTIME, the increasing size of today’s heavyweights, the smaller division champions and more.

In the midst of its 21st year, SHOWTIME has consistently provided viewers with meaningful, competitive fights, whose surprising outcomes have unveiled new champions, rerouted careers and gained SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING the distinction of not only offering the most important match ups, but the most unexpected results.

The popular, well-received “ShoBox” series debuted in July 2001. “ShoBox” features up-and-coming prospects determined to make a mark and eventually fight for a chance at a world title. It is pure, basic boxing on television, reminiscent of the golden days of the sport.

The creative director of “SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: 20 Years Later” is Jonathan Heaps. The program was produced by Eric Jones and Marc Youngblood. After its initial airing on May 5, “20 Years Later” will be repeated several times on SHOWTIME and available on SHOWTIME On Demand throughout the month of May.

For information on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING and “ShoBox: The New Generation” telecasts, including fighter bios and records, related stories and more, please go to the SHOWTIME website at http://www.sho.com/boxing.

ABOUT SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING celebrated 20 years of hard-hitting, explosive programming in 2006. On March 10, 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.

About ShoBox: The New Generation

Since its inception in July 2001, the critically-acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, “ShoBox: The New Generation” has featured young talent matched tough. The “ShoBox” philosophy is to televise exciting, crowd-pleasing and competitive matches while providing a proving ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner world titles includes Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy, Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz (interim) and Robert Guerrero.