Premier Boxing Champions recently teamed up with television network Bounce TV to broadcast a new series of boxing events throughout the year, with the inaugural card being televised Sunday, Aug. 2. The network on Tuesday announced that its on-air talent will be comprised of Fred Hickman, Fran Charles and Austin Trout.
The event’s co-feature is slated to be a two-fight tournament in the junior middleweight division. The first bout will be a showdown between Olympic silver medalist Yudel Jhonson (17-1, 9 KOs) and Jorge Cota (24-1, 22 KOs). The second bout in the bracket will pit Olympian John Jackson (19-2, 15 KOs) against veteran Dennis Laurente (49-5, 30 KOs). The winners of the two bouts will meet on a “PBC: The Next Round” card to be announced.
Hickman will serve as the host of “PBC: The Next Round” telecasts. A veteran of broadcasting since 1977, Hickman has worked for CNN Sports, Fox and ESPN, among others. Hickman has won two CableACE Awards as well as a New York Sports Emmy.
Charles will handle the blow-by-blow duties and has been involved in boxing for years; he held the same role for HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” and the long-defunct KO Nation series. He’s also worked for NBC, NFL Network and MLB Network.
Trout (29-2, 16 KOs) is a former WBA super welterweight champion and will serve as the expert analyst. Trout’s most notable win thus far was a unanimous decision win over Miguel Cotto in 2012. Trout lost his title via decision to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez. Trout has won his last three bouts, including a seventh-round TKO over Luis Galarza in May; he continues his quest to reclaim his title when he fights Joey Hernandez in September.
The first televised fight is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will also stream live on BounceTV.com.