HBO World Championship Boxing

Infobox Television
show_name = HBO World Championship Boxing


caption =
genre = Sports/Boxing
camera = Multi-camera
picture_format = HDTV 1080i
audio_format = Surround sound
runtime = Various
creator =
developer =
producer =
executive_producer =
presenter = Jim Lampley
Larry Merchant
starring = Various
voices =
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theme_music_composer =
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country = United States
location =
language = English (occasional interpreters)
network = HBO
first_aired = January 1973
last_aired = Present
num_seasons = 33
num_episodes =
list_episodes =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
related = Boxing After Dark
website =
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"HBO World Championship Boxing" is a sports television series, premiering in January 1973 that has shown a number of significant boxing events in the last three decades.

WCB's first event was fought in Kingston, Jamaica, where George Foreman defeated Joe Frazier in two rounds to win the world heavyweight championship.

Memorable events

Some other boxing events covered in the series include:
*The Rumble in the Jungle, in which Muhammad Ali beat Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire
*Thrilla In Manila, when Ali beat Frazier in their third and last fight
*Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney, for the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship
*The Battle of The Champions, when Aaron Pryor beat Alexis Arguello in their first fight
*Carnival of Champions, in which Wilfredo Gómez beat Lupe Pintor, and Thomas Hearns beat Wilfredo Benitez
*Marvin Hagler- Thomas Hearns fight, billed as The War
*Thunder Meets Lightning, in which Julio César Chávez beat Meldrick Taylor with five seconds remaining in the twelfth round;
*The biggest upset in heavyweight boxing history, when James Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson for the undisputed world heavyweight title in Tokyo, Japan
*The World Awaits- Floyd Mayweather, Jr. beat Oscar De La Hoya for the WBC light-middleweight title.
*"Undefeated" - Floyd Mayweather, Jr. beat Ricky Hatton to retain the WBC welterweight title with a knockout in the 10th Round in a fight of the year candidate.

"World Championship Boxing" has also had two spin-off series, "Boxing After Dark" and "KO Nation".

Additionally, a video game carrying the brand name "HBO Boxing" was produced for the Sony PlayStation.

Commentators past and present

*Emanuel Steward (current)
*Barry Tompkins
*Fran Charles
*George Foreman
*Gil Clancy
*Harold Lederman (current)
*Howard Cosell
*Jim Lampley (current)
*Larry Merchant (current)
*Lennox Lewis (current; substitute for Steward)
*Max Kellerman (current; substitute for Merchant)
*Roy Jones, Jr.
*Sugar Ray Leonard

For pay-per-view fights, Bob Costas and James Brown have been called in on occasion to oversee the telecast while Lampley calls the fight.

ee also

* "Boxing After Dark" (a television boxing program airing on HBO from 1996-present)
* "KO Nation" (a short-lived television boxing program that aired on HBO from 2000-01)
* "Showtime Championship Boxing" (a television boxing program airing on Showtime from 1986-present)
* "" (a television boxing program airing on Showtime from 2001-present)

External links

* " [http://www.hbo.com/boxing HBO Boxing] " (HBO's Boxing website, updated weekly)
* [http://www.boxsch.com/hbo_boxing_schedule.php HBO Boxing Schedule]