The Big Fight Live

Infobox Television
show_name = The Big Fight Live
format = Boxing
picture_format = Originally PAL,
later 720x576 (anamorphic 16:9)
runtime = Variable
presenter = Jim Rosenthal
starring = Barry McGuigan
opentheme = "Drive to the Boatyard" - Ilan Eshkeri
country = UK
network = ITV, ITV4
first_aired =
website = http://www.itv.com/boxing

"The Big Fight Live" is a British boxing television programme, broadcast by ITV Sport regularly until 1995 and again since 2005.

History

ITV obtained the rights to show fights promoted by Frank Warren's Sports Network in 1984. In the early 1990s, "The Big Fight Live" broadcast fights involving boxers such as Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank and Naseem Hamed. These were produced by LWT for the ITV Network, and drew large audiences.

At the start of 1996, Sky Sports won the rights to show Sports Network fights,cite news | title = Hatton, Calzaghe and Khan on ITV | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/4641585.stm | publisher = BBC News | date = 2005-07-01 | accessdate = 2007-03-20] leaving ITV with only occasional boxing for the following ten years. [ [http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/21791 BFI Film & Television Database: "The Big Fight - Live!"] ]

In May 2005, ITV returned to the ring, with live coverage of Amir Khan's last fight before becoming professional against Mario Kindelan. It achieved a peak audience of 6.3 million viewers, encouraging ITV to reach a long-term agreement to show future Sports Network boxing promotions.

In June 2007, the network won back the rights to show Frank Warren's Sports Network fights and as a result broadcasts fights involving Amir Khan, Joe Calzaghe, Danny Williams, Audley Harrison and others. As of September 2007, their coverage of Sports Network promotions is shared with Setanta Sports. [. http://www.frankwarren.tv/drill/News/Articles/2007/07/11/text-warren-signs-deal-with-setanta.html Press Release at frankwarren.tv - 'Warren Signs Deal With Setanta'] ]

However the programme's days may well be numbered once again as ITV Sport is considering dropping boxing when its current deal with Frank Warren expires in July. This is said to be due to the inflated costs of rights and ITV sees boxing as not being profitable.

Presentation

The main host of ITV Boxing is Jim Rosenthal, who returned to the programme after presenting ITV's Formula One coverage from 1997, on its return in 2005. Barry McGuigan left Sky Sports in 2005 to continue his role as a pundit on ITV. Commentary is provided by John Rawling and Duke McKenzie. Gabriel Clarke provides reports and interviews with the boxers. The main event is usually shown on the ITV Network while undercard matches are often televised on ITV4. Before 1996, the main commentators had been Reg Gutteridge and Jim Watt, both of whom moved to Sky while continuing to commentate for the few boxing shows ITV televised in the late 1990s.

References

External links

*itv.com|id=boxing|title=Boxing