Singapore – Boxing is proving a ratings winner on HBO Asia’s recently refreshed MAX, and is set to become an even more integral part of the male-skewed channel’s schedule. “Since HBO Boxing was introduced on 16 April on MAX, the events are proving very popular with viewers. The premiere fight, which was a classic match between Shane Mosley and Wilfredo Rivera, reached a peak of 52,000 viewers in Malaysia,” said Robert Lyons, senior vice president programming and presentation at HBO Asia. 7 May at 11pm, MAX featured a fight between Manny Pacquiao and Emmanuel Lucero, but Lyons says it’s too soon to provide ratings for that particular match. Lyons says HBO Asia currently airs HBO World Boxing Championship matches every Thursday at 11pm (SIN) on MAX, a refresh of CINEMAX, as part of injecting fresh content on the male-skewed channel. “HBO Asia will continue to promote boxing on MAX and is committed to bringing the very best recent and classic boxing events from around the globe, including Boxing Specials featuring Oscar award winning documentary When We Were Kings,” says Lyons. HBO World Boxing: Mosley vs Rivera premiered with 23,000 viewers on 17 April 2009, midnight. It doubled the rating of a typical early morning daypart, with an average rating of 39,000 in the first hour, peaking at 52,000 viewers. 86 percent of viewers were men, compared to 62 percent typically. Young viewers, mainly students, aged 4-24 constituted 58 percent of the viewers, up from the typical 23 percent. (Source: AGB Nielsen Media Research)