HBO Sports returns with an action-packed night of boxing programming, headlined by a junior welterweight title bout featuring two of the sport’s most exciting fighters when WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING: MIKE ALVARADO VS. RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV is seen SATURDAY, OCT. 19 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colo., exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will call all the action, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.
Other HBO playdates: Oct. 20 (8:30 a.m.) and 21 (1:00 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: Oct. 20 (4:30 p.m.) and 22 (11:30 p.m.)
In a 12-round showcase event, Denver’s Mike Alvarado (34-1, 23 KOs) defends his home turf and 140-pound title against Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KOs) of Russia in a junior welterweight clash, marking HBO’s first boxing telecast from the Mile High City. After beating Brandon Rios in March to avenge his only career loss, Alvarado, 32, looks to continue his rise in the junior welterweight ranks. The 29-year-old Provodnikov, who lost by decision to welterweight champion Timothy Bradley Jr. in a sizzling contest last March on HBO, looks to foil those plans by going toe-to-toe with the taller Alvarado. Both of their previous bouts are widely considered Fight of the Year candidates, making this one of the most-anticipated fall matchups.
“Legendary Nights: The Tale of Gatti-Ward,” an all-new installment of the Emmy®-winning documentary series, debuts immediately following the Alvarado-Provodnikov bout. The 75-minute special revisits the epic three-fight series featuring Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward that concluded ten years ago on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.
