13th October 2011, Bridgend, UK – LIVE boxing title fights rarely come to Freeview, but this weekend some lucky viewers will be watching Nathan Cleverly defend his WBO World Light- Heavyweight crown on Freeview this Saturday, 15th October.
Welshman Cleverly will be facing his bitter rival and Commonwealth Champion, Tony Bellew at the Liverpool Echo Arena and both men will be putting their unbeaten records on the line. Also on the same bill, James DeGale will fight for the European Super-Middleweight title against Pole Piotr Wilczewski.
For viewers with the latest generation of Freeview+HD boxes from British manufacturer TVonics, the fight will be streamed live on Freeview Channel 112 at 7pm.
The LIVE broadcast is made possible via a little known feature of TVonics’ latest digital TV recorders. TVonics latest Freeview+HD recorders have a port that allows the box to be connected to the customer’s home Internet service. That port has recently been enabled to provide access to catch-up services on the big screen but it can also be used by other Internet broadcasters to deliver content direct to Freeview viewers.
The Cleverly vs. Bellew bout is free-to-view and comes direct from BoxNation, the new and dedicated LIVE boxing channel, which can also be seen on channel 456 on the Sky platform. And now thanks to a link with technology providers Connect TV and Vision21 this Saturday’s LIVE action can be seen on Freeview.
The winner of the Cleverly Bellew bout could face legendary Bernard Hopkins in a unification fight. Hopkins defends his WBC crown against Chad Dawson in Los Angeles, which will also be screened LIVE on BoxNation on Sky platform channel 456 and Freeview channel 112 on the same night.
“I’m in discussions with Hopkins’s promoter Richard Schaefer about a potential fight with the winner,” said Warren. “So it’s a massive incentive for both guys.”
“Freeview users have been missing out on BoxNation, but that is set to change, said TVonics CTO, Andy Carr. Our latest generation of digital TV recorders give viewers the very best of traditional
broadcast television and now they can also access high quality, on-demand content via the Internet port. It’s the best of both worlds without having to shell out for pay per view.
The two World Light-Heavyweight fights will be available on channel 112 which is the new, free to air channel Sports Tonight, launched recently by Kelvin McKenzie.
TVonics users will need to ensure their box (DTR HD500 or Z500HD) has the latest software upgrade (which includes catch-up services and is available at http://www.tvonics.com/product_support).
Cleverly vs. Bellew weigh-in open to the public – limited to only 400 fans
The weigh-in for World Boxing Organization (WBO) World Light-Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly and challenger Tony Bellew will be open to the public and free-of-charge to attend Liverpool’s Contemporary Urban Centre on Friday (14th October) at 2pm.
Only 400 fans will be given entry on a first-come-first-serve basis into the CUC to see bitter rivals Cleverly and Bellew weigh-in for their highly anticipated showdown.
The following night at the Liverpool Echo Arena (Saturday 15th October) they meet in the ring in front of a packed crowd, televised LIVE and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Platform Ch. 456).
The undercard featuring James DeGale, who challenges for the European Super-Middleweight Championship against champion Pitor Wilczewski, local favourites Rocky Fielding, Liam Smith and Paul Butler, plus Billy Joe Saunders, Ronnie Heffron, Craig Evans and Tobias Webb, will weigh-in also.
Doors at the CUC will open to the public at 1.30pm and the weigh-in will commence at 2pm, with Cleverly and Bellew on the scales first.
Alexei Collado vs. Franklin Varela on Friday
Boxing fans will get an opportunity to judge the World title prospects of Irish based Cuban, Alexei Collado tomorrow night (Friday) when he takes on World rated Venezuelan, Franklin Varela in Cleethorpes, England in a bout that will be streamed live and for free on Hatton TV’s Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/hattonboxing).
The super bantamweight contest is scheduled for 10 rounds but the prodigiously talented Cuban has yet to rely on the judges scorecards in any of his 14 pro contests to date with every single one of his wins coming inside the distance. Varela, currently ranked number 12 in the World by the World Boxing Association (WBA) is no stranger to the UK having lost out to Scott Quigg in a WBA Inter Continental title fight in July.
Despite his 100% KO record Collado, a World Junior Champion in the amateur ranks insists that he prefers to showcase his skills rather than his punch power. “In the gym I work very hard on improving my technique and my boxing skills,” said the Cork based fighter. “Knockouts are a bonus of course but for me the important thing is to win.”
The 23 year old has mixed in impressive company in his 3 year pro career to date with his resume including impressive stoppage wins over former World Champion, Felix Machado and former World title challenger Christian Faccio.
However Collado says he is taking nothing for granted on Friday night. “I saw Varela’s fight with Quigg and I have a lot of respect for him. He’s World rated and I want to take his rating so it’s a very important fight for me. I feel that after this fight I will be ready for big title fights so this fight is an important stepping stone to reach that level.”
Tomorrow’s fight will be streamed live on Hatton TV’s Youtube channel (http://www.youtube.com/hattonboxing) with the event starting at 7:30pm BST.
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