By Jake Donovan
Robert Guerrero’s gutsy 12-round win over Yoshihiro
Kamegai in their June 21 welterweight bout headlined what turned out to be an
unbelievable night of action at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. The
bout aired live on SHOWTIME as the closing leg of a televised tripleheader,
with the overall broadcast producing an average of 533,000 viewers, according
to
Nielsen Media Research
.
Ratings for the telecast increased with each fight,
topping out at 614,000 viewers over the course of the 12-round main event.
The bout was Guerrero’s first since a points loss to
Floyd Mayweather Jr. last May, which aired on SHOWTIME Pay-Per-View. Guerrero’s
last live appearance on SHOWTIME’s flagship network came in July ’12, when he
made his welterweight debut in a 12-round win over Selcuk Aydin.
The show overall was on par
with a similar broadcast from the venue this time last year, when Marcos
Maidana outbrawled and stopped Josesito Lopez in their welterweight thriller
last June. Their bout complemented the super welterweight thriller that
saw Erislandy Lara survive two knockdowns to force Alfredo Angulo to quit in 10
rounds due to a badly damaged eye.
Ratings weren't overwhelming,
but the action in the ring was, which helped generate buzz and add to the
event's replay value. The same figures to be the case here, as all three bouts
on the tripleheader provided memorable action.
In the evening’s co-feature, Vasyl Lomachenko matched a
historic mark by winning a major title in his third pro fight. The feat came at
the expense of previously unbeaten Gary Russell, taking a well-earned victory
in a strangely scored majority decision. Their bout averaged 578,000 viewers
over 12 rounds, a number that saw a decline from Lomachenko’s split decision
loss to Orlando Salido, which generated 1 million viewers on HBO this past
March.
Opening the telecast, Devon Alexander returned to the win
column with a 10-round win over Jesus Soto Karass. Their bout drew 433,000
viewers, a slight increase from Alexander’s last ring appearance, when his
12-round title losing effort to Shawn Porter drew 429,000 viewers as part of a
televised quadruple header last December.
Overall,
Showtime
Championship Boxing
telecasts are averaging roughly 583,000 viewers. The
next series entry comes August 9 in Brooklyn, New York. Danny Garcia is
scheduled to defend his lineal 140 lb. championship, though an opponent has yet
to be named. In supporting action, Daniel Jacobs faces Jarrod Fletcher in a
middleweight title fight, and Lamont Peterson defends his alphabet 140 lb.
title.
In between, Showtime has two scheduled ShoBox telecasts
(including this Friday) and the July 12 Pay-Per-View event headlined by Saul
‘Canelo’ Alvarez versus Lara in a 12-round non-title fight.
Jake Donovan is the
Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com, as well as the Records Keeper for the
Transnational Boxing Ratings Board
and a member
Boxing Writers Association of America
. Twitter:
@JakeNDaBox
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