CSI Sports has signed a multi-year agreement for its 24/7 Fight Sports HD Network, to exclusively broadcast the professional fights of the first Super Heavyweight from Asia to win an Olympic Medal – China’s Zhang Zhilei.
Zhilei will turn pro on August 8 with his first fight taking place in the USA and being broadcast live on Fight Sports in Asia.
In 1904, the sport of boxing began in the Olympics and since then there has never been an Asian Super Heavyweight Medallist until Zhang Zhilei, who won a Silver Medal at the 2008 Beijing Games.
The multi-year agreement for all multimedia rights was entered into between Dynasty Boxing, the exclusive worldwide promoter of Zhang Zhilei, and Fight Sports.
Craig Miele, Co-CEO of CSI Sports, said: “We are dedicated to providing exclusive and compelling content on our network and feel this agreement with Dynasty Boxing will provide us with both. In addition to the media rights our agreement also gives us the rights to host and organise events featuring Zhang Zhilei, which will complement our plans for a new series of events on our network in the region.”
Dino Duva, President of Dynasty Boxing, said: “I have had a long and successful relationship with the Miele brothers and believe that Fight Sports is a great home for Zhang Zhilei’s fights now that he is entering his professional career. Together with Evander Holyfield as his adviser, and the rest of the Dynasty Team, I am confident that Zhang Zhilei will become one of the biggest World Champions in Heavyweight Boxing.”
Richard Miele, Co-CEO, CSI Sports, said: “Our investments in this genre of sport have targeted the most prominent athletes and highest level of competition in each fighting discipline. Signing the exclusive rights to the first Olympic Super Heavyweight Medallist from Asia fits nicely within our long term programming and multimedia distribution strategy.”
In less than 24 months since launching, the Fight Sports Network will be on air in almost two dozen countries throughout Europe and Asia. Most recently Fight Sports launched in France while other carriage agreements in Europe and Asia are set to be announced shortly.
