London (25th July) TYSON Fury proved on Saturday night that he’s not only the new star of World boxing after winning the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles but also a major ratings puller for Channel 5.
Channel 5 executives were left thrilled by 6ft 9′ Fury’s sensational performance in the victory over Dereck Chisora at Wembley Arena which attracted a peak audience figure of 3m viewers – demonstrating once again the appeal of boxing to the public.
British and Commonwealth champion Fury is now ready to become a global star with not only Channel 5 but American broadcasters eager to screen his future fights.
Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessy believes the victory over Chisora is just the start of a great journey for the 22-year-old right to the top of world boxing.
Hennessy said: “The figures for Channel 5 were fantastic and I have to give great credit to Channel 5 because they listened to me and they believed in me when I told them about Tyson, unlike other broadcasters.
“When I promoted the World title fight between Carl Froch and Jean Pascal the figures were roughy 2.9m and that was a World title on ITV with a big build-up.
This is just the start for Tyson, he’s a winner in the ring and he’s a winner with the public sitting at home wanting to see a proper fighter and a guy who has the charisma to entertain them.
“The future is looking very bright for Tyson, we want him to win the Irish title next and then the European title and Channel 5 now have the opportunity to bring those fights to an even bigger audience. Nobody in British boxing is getting this amount of people watching their fights. Towards the end of the fight it recorded the highest veiwing figures and was the most watched program on British television.”
Watch all of the action from Wembley Arena on Channel 5 On Demand.
Carl Frampton vs. Kiko Martinez on McCloskey-Prescott undercard on September 10
Carl Frampton will challenge Kiko Martinez for the European Super Bantamweight title on September 10 at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast.
The fight will be the chief support bout on the Paul McCloskey vs. Breidis Prescott World Boxing Association (WBA) Light Welterweight World title eliminator, and Frampton is confident he can wrestle the title from the Spaniard in just his 11th pro contest.
“I’ve wanted this fight for a long time and I believe 100 per cent that I will beat Kiko,” said Frampton. “He’s a dangerous fighter and a World class one but I believe that I am a World class fighter too and a massive hometown show is the perfect platform for me to prove it.
“It’s going to be a great occasion and I’m so excited to be fighting at the Odyssey Arena. I’m sure it will be a sell-out and the support I’ll get will push me even harder against a top quality opponent.”
Martinez won the European title in April with a tenth round knockout of Jason Booth in Madrid, the third time he has held the belt that he first won with a stunning first round stoppage over Bernard Dunne in Dublin.
Frampton’s manager Barry McGuigan admitted that Martinez represents a step up in quality for his hot prospect, but believes his 24 year-old charge will respond with his best performance since joining the pro ranks in June 2009.
“There are risks attached to any fight you take but we’re confident and convinced that Carl will beat Kiko,” said McGuigan. “Kiko is a World class operator who can box, punch and take a shot and we’ve got great respect for him coming to Belfast to defend his title. He’s fought in hostile territory before and come out on top, but I firmly believe that Carl will take his title.
“It’s a massive occasion for Carl as a Belfast boy and it’s going to be a fabulous night. You have two breathtaking big fights that are going to be great to watch so it’s a hot ticket and everyone going will be in for a treat.”
Tickets for Paul McCloskey vs. Breidis Prescott plus a full championship undercard led by Carl Frampton vs. Kiko Martinez are on sale now priced at £30-£200 (tickets may be subject to service charge) and available from the Odyssey Arena Box Office on 02890 73 9074, Ticketmaster 0844 277 4455 (24 hour). Tickets are also available in person from the Odyssey Arena Box Office, at Ticketmaster outlets, and online from www.ticketmaster.ie.
Coyle vs. Cotena on August 12
The West of Ireland is gearing itself up for further boxing success next month when Mayo’s own Henry “The Western Warrior” Coyle takes on Italy’s Elio Cotena for the World Boxing Federation (WBF) Light Middleweight title at the Royal Theatre, Castlebar on Friday, August 12th.
The West has most definitely been awake where the “sweet science” is concerned recently with Mayo having enjoyed huge success in the amateur ranks. Islandeady native Ray Moylette won Gold at the European seniors in Turkey last month to add to the World Junior title he won in Mexico in 2008. That followed on from Katie Rowland’s Bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in April with the Geesala club woman adding to the Silver she won at last years European Juniors.
While both Moylette and Rowland will have next years London Olympics in their sights their professional counterpart Henry Coyle’s sole focus is on next month’s clash with Cotena as he bids to lift the WBF title. One man looking forward to the event is another Mayo man, Michael Ring, the Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport.
“Mayo’s boxers are really flying the flag for Irish boxing on the international stage right now so I’m delighted to see a big event like this coming to Mayo,” said the Westport native. “It will bring a huge number of people to the area and it promises to be a great sporting event and you couldn’t get a better venue for it than the Royal Theatre. Boxing has always delivered some of our greatest sporting moments and it has always had a proud tradition in Mayo but the success that our boxers have enjoyed lately Is unprecedented and hopefully that run can continue in Castlebar next month.”
Coyle is managed by his father Gerry and brother Alan and both are confident that Henry can bring the WBF title and even greater honours back to Mayo. “When you look at the calibre of competition Henry came up against in the amateurs and the guys he has sparred since turning pro I have no doubt that he can compete with the best,” said Coyle Senior. “As a pro he’s sparred the likes of Carl Froch and Matthew Macklin along with the best in the States and as an amateur he fought the likes of Jean Pascal, Andre Berto, Anthony Dirrell, John Duddy and James Moore while he beat the two time Thai Olympian Manon Boonjumnong to win the World Military Championships.
“The pro game is a hard one and nothing comes easy in it but Henry is training very hard for this fight and with the atmosphere that a full house at the Royal Theatre will generate he will be a very hard man to beat. We have a lot of respect for Cotena, he will want to bring the WBF title back to Italy but Henry will have a lot to say about that.”
The chief support bout on next months card will feature Dublin’s undefeated Patrick “The Punisher” Hyland. The Tallaght featherweight holds the longest unbeaten record in Irish boxing with 23 straight wins in the pro ranks. His younger brother and former European title challenger Paul Hyland also features while Westport’s unbeaten Finbarr “The Rock” Eade faces his biggest challenge to date when he takes on southpaw Mickey Coveney for the Irish Super Featherweight title.
An intriguing all Mayo battle on the undercard will see former Irish Light Heavyweight champ, John “The Warrior” Waldron taking on Michael “The Storm” Sweeney while another all Irish affair will see Roscommon’s Darren Cruise look to extend his unbeaten record against Leeds based Belfast southpaw Lee Murtagh.
Tickets for next months event priced from €30, €40, €70 and €100 are on sale from the Royal Theatre Box Office on 0818 719 300, Ticketmaster.ie / 0818 719300 and the boxers on the bill.