Lamont Peterson will face Danny Garcia on April 11 as part of a plan by NBC to bring boxing back to free , major network TV.
Peterson (33-2-1, 17 knockouts) is the IBF claimant. Garcia (29-0, 17 KOs) is the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council title holder. Rumors are that the bout will take place at Barclays Center. The 26-year-old Garcia, a native of Philadelphia, has a strong following in Brooklyn.
“Fans have been wanting the fight for a long time,” Peterson said in a telephone interview. “Of course I’ve wanted the fight for a long time. I knew it would eventually happen. It took patience, but it couldn’t happen at a better time. It’s part of a big movement. It’s more than just me and Danny Garcia. It’s about bringing the fights back to NBC, to free TV.”
NBC announced Wednesday a 20-fight package, dubbed the “Premier Boxing Champions” series, that will be shown live on both the flagship channel and NBC Sports Network. NBC will carry five Saturday night cards and six more on Saturday afternoons, with the remaining nine on NBC Sports Network.
“We are looking forward to presenting the PBC on NBC to develop a new and exciting platform which will be embraced by the millions of boxing fans across the country,” said Jon Miller, president of programming for NBC and NBCSN.
NBC is partnering with Al Haymon, boxing's premiere power broker.
Mayweather will not be part of the PBC series. The undefeated five-division world champion has two fights remaining on a six-fight contract he signed with CBS and subsidiary network Showtime in early 2013. Mayweather is guaranteed at least $32 million per fight.
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