Showtime Championship Boxing To Air on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2007 During Free Preview Weekend

ByBoxing Press

From Friday, Sept. 28 through Monday, Oct. 1, Showtime will host Free Preview Weekend, when the premium network will be available in a record 54 million homes nationwide. Free Preview Weekend on Showtime affords an opportunity for many non-subscribers to experience all of the hard-hitting sports and acclaimed original programming on the network as the signal is opened up by select television service providers free of charge.

On Saturday, Sept. 29, fight fans coast-to-coast will have the opportunity to experience some of the most explosive sports programming on television when Showtime Championship Boxing, the network’s 21-year-old fistic series is featured.

Don King in association with Maloof Sports & Entertainment will present two world championship fights on Showtime Championship Boxing, live on Saturday, September 29, 2007 at 10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast from Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif.

In the main event, WBC Light Heavyweight Champion “Bad” Chad Dawson will make his second title defense when he goes toe-to-toe with Colombian knockout artist Epifanio “Diamante” Mendoza. Dawson, 24-0 (16), a 25-year-old southpaw from New Haven, CT, is one of the most versatile and skilled pound-for-pound fighters in the game today. He possesses the same WBC 175-pound belt that Roy Jones Jr. held from 1997 to 2004.

The rugged Mendoza, 28-4-1 (24) ,is on a four-fight winning streak and looking to capitalize on his world title opportunity. The co-featured bout is just as fierce with two of the lighter weight divisions’ toughest sluggers squaring off. IBF Bantamweight champion Luis “El Demoledor” Perez, 25-1 (21), will meet Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko, (24-1 (21).

Coming Up From Showtime Sports Programming

The Mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden will host WBC No. 1-ranked Samuel “The Nigerian Nightmare” Peter and heavyweight challenger Jameel McCline when they fight for the WBC Interim Heavyweight Championship on Saturday, October 6, live at 10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast.

Opportunity knocked for McCline after WBC titlist Oleg Maskaev injured his back in training last week. McCline, who had been preparing for a bout against Vitali Klitschko, originally slated for Sept. 22, but scraped due to Klitschko injury, is ready, willing and able to make the most of his world title shot.

Boxing fans were left disappointed by the announcement that the WBC super featherweight title bout between Juan Manuel Marquez and Rocky Juarez was called off due to an injury, but thanks to some quick work by Golden Boy Promotions and Showtime, this event, which was originally slated for pay-per-view, was quickly rescheduled along with the IBF featherweight title bout between Robert Guerrero and Martin Honorio to air live Saturday, November 3, live at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime from a site to be announced.

ShoBox: The New Generation

This acclaimed series has been pitting young, talented fighters against one another since its inception in 2001. Fans can witness boxing stars on the rise in make or break performances on the following dates with all live listings above delayed on the West Coast.

Friday, Oct. 5, live at 11 p.m. ET/PT from Corona , Calif.

Friday, Oct. 19, live at 11 p.m. ET/PT from Raley Field, Sacramento , Calif.

Friday, Nov. 2, live at 11 p.m. ET/PT (venue to be determined)

Friday, Nov. 16, live at 11 p.m. ET/PT from the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia .