According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, a new boxing series will be televised by Fox Sports Net and it will feature former three division world champion James Toney in the first installment that will take place on February 24th.
The series, called “Fight Night in America,” will generally air on the last Thursday of each month, Cohen told ESPN.com. Some of the early shows will air on tape delay, as was the case with the Dec. 17 debut card Prize Fight-promoted welterweight prospect Jesse Lubash (14-0, 8 KOs) of Pittsburgh.
Toney (72-6-3, 44 KOs) will face Damon Reed (45-14, 32 KOs) on Feb. 24 at the San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino in San Bernardino, Calif., in a heavyweight fight in the main event of the next edition, which will also air on tape delay.
“We are not averse to working with other promoters because we are looking to make this series a real success,” said Empre Sports CEO Greg Cohen, who hopes to develop fighters who can move on to the HBO and Showtime level of fights. “We want to make competitive fights. We are looking to build a brand. It’s good for the sport. The more televised boxing, the better it is for the sport.”
“We’re starting as a monthly show and we hope to grow to be bigger than monthly. Twice a month would be the goal,” Cohen said. “If we will deliver on our end and Fox delivers on its end, this will be a great partnership. We are taking care of the production, but Fox made a very favorable deal with us on the sponsors we brought the to table. It’s a nice situation for both parties.”
