REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL presents more enterprising features and reporting when its 157th edition, available in HDTV, debuts TUESDAY, APRIL 13 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT, 9:00 p.m. CT), exclusively on HBO. HBO On Demand availability: April 19-May 10. Segments include:
*Arturo Gatti. Few fighters rivaled Arturo “Thunder” Gatti for heart, determination or sheer toughness. A beloved brawler who called northern New Jersey home, Gatti became a star by displaying a willingness to literally die in the ring rather than give up.. Given his reputation for refusing to quit, news of the 37-year-old’s death last July was particularly shocking. Brazilian authorities initially suspected that Gatti had been murdered and charged his wife Amanda with the crime – but after investigating concluded that Gatti killed himself. While the authorities claim to be sure of their suicide theory, many questions still remain, and those closest to the famed slugger refuse to believe he was capable of taking his own life. Correspondent Jon Frankel travels to Brazil to shed light on what actually happened the night Arturo Gatti died.
Producer: Chapman Downes.
*Vernon Forrest. On a hot summer night last July, boxing champion Vernon Forrest, 38, and his 11-year-old godson, Shamar Guillory, pulled into a downtown Atlanta gas station for a quick stop. Moments later, a senseless act of violence left a beloved fighter dead and a child witness traumatized. Bryant Gumbel visits Atlanta to follow the trail of the murder investigation that brought together the police and the bereft community where Forrest had become such a prominent figure through his charitable work. Gumbel also talks with Shamar Guillory, the young eyewitness to the tragic shooting, who provides a detailed account of what happened the night boxing lost one of its “good guys.”
Producer: David Scott.
*Alexis Arguello. When former three-time boxing champion Alexis Arguello took the stage in 2008 to celebrate his election as mayor of Managua, Nicaragua’s capitol, it was a most unlikely sight. For more than two decades, the greatest Nicaraguan athlete of all time had been in a downward spiral that included exile from his homeland and serious issues with drug addiction. Now, Arguello was seemingly back on top, but it wouldn’t last long. Less than a year later, amidst a maelstrom of political pressure, and embarrassment over the powerless nature of his position and his relationship with President Daniel Ortega, he took his own life. As Arguello’s family and friends continue to grieve his passing, correspondent Frank Deford, in a gripping REAL SPORTS/Sports Illustrated report, heads to Nicaragua in search of answers about why Arguello may have felt compelled to take his own life.
Producer: Josh Fine.
REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL recently received six Sports Emmy® nominations for the 2009 programming year. Winners will be announced April 26.
The executive producers of REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL are Ross Greenburg and Rick Bernstein; Kirby Bradley is senior producer