SHO 6/21 Triple: Incredible Action, Respectable Ratings

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,

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.