Emmy award-winning broadcaster Brian Kenny, the longtime anchor of ESPN’s SportsCenter and ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights and current anchor and host on MLB Network, and World Boxing Association (WBA) Welterweight World Champion Paulie Malignaggi have been added to the broadcast team for this Saturday’s four-fight SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas (SHOWTIME, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT).
In Saturday’s “Knockout Kings” main event, incredibly popular Mexican superstar and World Boxing Council (WBC) Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez defends against breakout star Josesito Lopez.
The 22-year-old, red-headed Alvarez’s fights have garnered higher TV ratings in his home country than the national soccer team. Lopez registered the Upset of the Year when he knocked out Victor Ortiz last June 23 on SHOWTIME. Fireworks are sure to fly in one of the three world title fights at MGM Grand on Saturday.
Kenny, who will host the telecast, will join blow-by-blow announcer Mauro Ranallo, expert analyst Al Bernstein, ringside reporter Jim Gray and special guest analyst, Malignaggi, to help set the stage for a mega fight card on SHOWTIME featuring eight fighters with a combined record of 288-16-5 with 206 KO’s and a knockout percentage of more than 70 percent.
Malignaggi, who’ll be making his debut at ringside for SHOWTIME, will defend his 147-pound world title against Pablo Cesar “El Demoledor” Cano in one of three world title fights on SHOWTIME on Oct. 20 from The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
LIVE STREAMS: SHOWTIME Sports® will bring boxing fans closer to the action with a live stream of both Thursday’s press conference and Friday’s weigh-in from MGM Grand. For the press conference at The Hollywood Theatre and the weigh-in at the Grand Garden Arena, log on to ustream.tv/shosports. The press conference begins at 1 p.m. PT on Thursday. Friday’s weigh-in begins at 2 p.m. PT.
Fans can follow the action and interact on Twitter using the hashtag #CaneloLopez or on Facebook at Showtime Boxing.
JOSESITO LOPEZ VS. VICTOR ORTIZ ENCORE PRESENTATION: This Friday, Sept. 14, Lopez-Ortiz will air in its entirety on SHOWTIME EXTREME at 11 p.m. ET/PT, immediately following INSIDE THE NFL. The fight is also available now FREE ON DEMAND where non-SHO subscribers can watch the action packed fight. Search “SHOWTIME FREEVIEW” on your providers Free On Demand service to locate the program. Not available on all systems in all areas. Check your Free On Demand service.
