Golden Boy, Fox Sports reach multi-year deal

Golden Boy Promotions has reached a multi-year deal with the FOX Sports Media Group, the umbrella entity representing the news corporation's multi-platform array of U.S.-based sports assets, FOX announced on Monday.

The network plans to air at least one boxing event per month in the United States on Fox Deportes, Fuel TV and Fox Sports regional networks, as well as live boxing events from cities throughout Mexico.

"We are excited about our new partnership with FOX Sports Media Group, " said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions.

"This is another step in ensuring that fight fans around the world don't miss out on any of the great boxing action we present, both in the United States and Mexico. It's a very important move towards increasing viewership and knowledge of our great sport. We are thrilled about this new partnership."

During the first year of the partnership, FOX Deportes is scheduled to air a total of 44 live events originating in both the United States and Mexico. For every year thereafter, the network will air 36 live events.

"Golden Boy Promotions has developed a great reputation over the last few years for putting together very exciting cards," said Bill Wanger, Executive Vice president, Programming nad Research, FOX Sports Media Group.

"It's great that we've been able to establish what we hope will be a fruitful relationship that benefits multiple networks within the FOX Sports Media Group for years to come."

In the first event, former junior featherweight titleholder Daniel Ponce de Leon (42-4, 35 knockouts) will face Eduardo Lazcano (24-2, 11 KOs) in a clash of Mexican southpaw featherweights on May 4 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, the night before WBC welterweight beltholder Floyd Mayweather Jr. challenges WBA junior middleweight title holder Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

The Ponce de Leon-Lazcano broadcast will also feature junior middleweight Derrick Ennis (23-3-1, 13 KOs), of Philadelphia, against Ishe Smith (22-5, 10 KOs), of Las Vegas.

Ponce de Leon is coming off a sixth-round knockout of Omar Estrella in January that helped him to bounce back from consecutive decision losses to Adrien Broner and Yuriorkis Gamboa in March and September of last year.

"It's a 15-month deal, with mutual options to renew, and the first show will be held May 4 from Las Vegas," said Golden Boy Promotions CEO, Richard Schaefer.

"It's going to be another outlet for our young talent, which I think is fantastic. Fox has a tremendous reach, and we are pleased to be able to formalize this relationship."

Internationally, Fox's networks have exclusive rights to Fox's U.S.-produced fights throughout Latin America, the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa and Europe and to fightcards originating in Mexico throughout most of South America, the Caribbean and Europe.

Fox networks have exclusive rights to Golden Boy's Solo Boxeo series in Mexico and Central America, as does Fox Sports Brazil to select Golden Boy events. In addition, FSMG networks gain access to classic fights from the Golden Boy fight library, which features bouts of past and current world champions such as de la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera.

Lem Satterfield can be reached at lemuel.satterfield@gmail.com