CBS Will Show Olympic Boxers Making Pro Debut on Oct. 14

LOS ANGELES (July 24, 2012)-Golden Boy Promotions, SHOWTIME Sports and CBS Sports will team up to showcase standout boxers from the 2012 Summer Olympic Games making their professional debuts live on the CBS Television Network. The initial live boxing broadcasts, which will be produced by SHOWTIME Sports, include two dates, Sunday, October 14 and Saturday, December 15 with additional dates to follow.

“It is a great pleasure for Golden Boy Promotions to be working with CBS on this exciting network television opportunity for these young athletes,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “It is a chance of a lifetime and a guaranteed career jumpstart for some of these fighters to be able to make their professional debuts in front of millions of viewers on the CBS Television network.”

“It is a dream come true for any Olympic fighter to make his or her pro debut on network television,” said Stephen Espinoza, Executive Vice President and General Manager, SHOWTIME Sports. “I am grateful to my colleagues at CBS who are giving SHOWTIME the opportunity to present the future of the sport to the largest possible audience. It will be an exciting moment for boxing and I am proud to be part of this special presentation.”

Schaefer will travel to the Olympic Games in London which begin on Friday, July 27. He will attend the boxing events watching closely for breakout performances by fighters in all weight classes. Schaefer expects to keep a keen eye on the 12 men and women representing the United States, one of the largest U.S. boxing delegations at the Olympic Games in recent years.

“On behalf of Golden Boy Promotions, I am excited to attend the Olympic Games and see firsthand the worldwide talent that will be competing in the tournament,” said Schaefer. “We know these men and women have the potential to become the future champions in our sport and it will be a thrill to see what boxing can look forward to in the years to come.”

In addition, Olympic gold medalist and Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya, who this year celebrates the 20^th anniversary of his own Olympic gold medal win (1992 Barcelona), has pledged to be personally involved in the development of these fighters as they look for advice and guidance when he or she transition from their amateur to professional careers.

“I know from my own experience the pressure these young fighters are under to compete in the Olympics, to represent their country well and to bring home a medal,” said De La Hoya. “Once the celebrating is over and they turn professional, there are certain things that happen during that transition that I feel I can assist them with because I did it myself.”

Also….with Kelvin Price forced to withdraw from his August 4 fight with unbeaten Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder due to a rib injury, Trinidad and Tobago's Kertson “Warrior” Manswell has answered the call to face the 2008 Olympic Bronze Medal winner in a heavyweight slugfest at the Mobile Civic Center Arena Expo Hall in Mobile, Alabama that will be televised live on FOX Sports Net and FOX Deportes.

Wilder vs. Manswell is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and the Mobile Sports Authority. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. CT on fight night and the first bell rings at 7:00 p.m. CT. The FOX Sports Net and FOX Deportes bilingual simulcast will air live at 10:00 p.m. ET/9:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. PT. FUEL TV will telecast the fight on Sunday, September 30 at 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT.

Tickets, priced at $77, $42 and $22, are on sale now and available for purchase at the Mobile Civic Center Box Office and by calling (251) 208-7906 or via Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or at ticketmaster.com.

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