The BBC has signed an historic free-to-air broadcasting deal with boxing promoter Boxxer which could help boost the sport following years stuck behind a paywall
The BBC is back in boxing, which reflects the enduring power of the sport to attract an audience.
After Lauren Price against Jessica McCaskill last year, next month’s show from Derby headlined by heavyweight Frazer Clarke against Jeamie TKV, is only the second bout broadcast on the BBC since 2004.
The deal with promoters Boxxer represents a great opportunity for boxers to connect with the great British public in a way that is just not possible via satellite channels.
It throws me back to the 1980s when I was coming through on BBC Ulster. My fights at the Ulster Hall in Belfast became so successful I quickly transferred to the much bigger King’s Hall and the main BBC network.
It was the first time the King’s Hall was used since the late Fifties and early Sixties in the days of John Caldwell and Freddie Gilroy, who both won Olympic medals in Melbourne.
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Those nights in Belfast were a big part of my career, and my appearances on the BBC’s flagship highlights show ‘Sportsnight’ with Harry Carpenter on the mic, built my fame exponentially.
By the time I fought Eusebio Pedroza on June 8, 1985 for the WBA featherweight title I was a household name and drew a live audience of almost 19m, which was a record at the time.
In today’s fractured market with countless channels and streaming platforms it is not possible to build out audience bases on that scale, but this deal will feature boxing on all BBC platforms.
What we know is there is still a huge appetite for boxing, which makes this a sensible investment by the BBC, who will hope to make it the default channel for sport.
In my day there were only four channels and coverage was shared by the BBC and ITV. It made the likes of Henry Cooper, John H Stracey, Alan Minter, Charlie Magri, Jim Watt, John Conteh and Frank Bruno as famous as any sportsmen in Britain.
Indeed Our ‘Enery was the first sportsmen to be voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year twice, first in 1967 and then three years later in 1970.
I had the honour myself in 1985 with victory over Pedroza. The last boxer to win the award was Joe Calzaghe in 2007. It remains to be seen weather the return of boxing to terrestrial television can still move the needle as it did in my day, but it is a hugely positive step nonetheless.
Follow Barry on X at @ClonesCyclone @mcguigan’s_Gym