The giant Philippine broadcast network ABS-CBN is moving into boxing in a big way following a top-level decision to expand its coverage of sports and to start-up a sports channel on SkyCable.
Vice president for Sports, Peter Musgni said the network was eyeing a chance to stage a rematch between WBO super bantamweight champion Daniel Ponce De Leon and newly crowned WBO bantamweight champion Gerry Penalosa sometime in January if possible.
Musgni was responding to a statement by Golden Boy Promotions international matchmaker Eric Gomez that there was a strong interest by the network in bankrolling the rematch which Penalosa himself has said he wanted after giving Ponce De Leon a boxing lesson in a losing cause last March.
Gomez had told ESPN’s Dan Rafael that Ponce De Leon who scored a stunning first round knockout of previously undefeated Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista would fight Reynaldo Lopez in a non-title fight on September 28 and was keen on making another title defense before the end of this year.
Gomez said they were planning to either feature the menacing super bantamweight on the undercard of the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton showdown on December 8 or to come to the Philippines for a rematch with Penalosa in late November or early December. Ponce De Leon had announced he wanted to settle the score with Penalosa since there were questions raised about his victory and was willing to defend his title in the Philippines provided the price was right.
Musgni told Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today the network cannot stage the fight this year but would be ready to do so sometime in January.
In the meantime ABS-CBN has acquired the rights to several big title fights including Mayweather-Hatton, Juan Manuel Marquez – Rocky Juarez and the heavyweight battle between Evander Holyfield and Russian Ibragimov.
The network has also launched its cable sports channel “Balls” which is currently telecasting the US Open tennis championships “live” as a prelude to the full-scale operation of channel 33 on SkyCable.
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