Wednesday 6 January 2016 UKTV has landed the exclusive UK rights for former boxing world champion David Hayes long-awaited comeback fight. The match will be shown on UKTVs flagship free-to-air entertainment channel, Dave, live from the O2 on Saturday 16 January at 9pm. David Haye, the former world champion in two different weight categories, is returning to professional boxing with a heavyweight bout against Australias Mark De Mori. Hayes comeback fight will be his first since defeating Dereck Chisora at Upton Park over three years ago and sees Haye take on a top 10 WBA ranked heavyweight in De Mori, who boasts a record of 30 wins (26 KOs), and only one defeat, since turning pro in 2004. De Mori is undefeated since September 2004 and most recently claimed a first round knock-out of Germanys Marcel Zeller in October.
In addition to the live match, Dave is also showing a special half-hour preview show Haye v De Mori: The Countdown, the night before, on Friday 15th January at 8pm featuring the build up to the fight, the story of the preparation and the reason why David wants to stage a comeback.
Live Boxing: David Haye v Mark De Mori (TBC) will be shown live from the O2 and has been ordered by UKTV director of commissioning Richard Watsham and Dave general manager Steve North. The two-hour special (9pm - 11pm) will include highlights from the days boxing at the O2, live music performances and live studio discussions plus all the action from the ringside.
Richard Watsham said,
We are quickly establishing UKTV as a network able to handle attention-grabbing live events, from the Pythons last ever performance - Monty Python Live (Mostly) for Gold through Reallys Halloween spectacular Most Haunted Live to Daves ratings success, the Red Bull Soapbox Race. Our ambition continues to grow in terms of the variety and quality of our programming and appointment to view TV remains at the top of our wish list.
Steve North added,
We are increasingly stretching our offering to Dave viewers, bringing them programmes which tap into the news agenda, such as last years election special The Pub Landlord vs Nigel Farage. Im thrilled to be giving our viewers a ringside seat to this hotly-anticipated boxing match and, with Daves own spin on the event, helping to show the sport in a brand new light.
The Hayemaker, who is widely recognised as one of the best British boxers of all time, was the first British boxer to become a unified cruiserweight champion in 2008, winning three out of the four major world titles, as well as The Ring magazine title. Haye then moved up to heavyweight and won the WBA title in 2009 after defeating Russian giant Nikolai Valuev and in the process became only the second boxer in history to have unified the cruiserweight titles and won a heavyweight world championship.
Commenting on his return, Haye said:
Im so happy to be stepping back into the ring with my hometown crowd behind me. Its been a long time out, with many ups and downs, but The Hayemaker is finally back, and ready to do what I do best. Im a young 35, in boxing terms, and still have my explosive speed and punching power. Im looking forward to putting on a great show for the fans on Haye Day at The O2 on January 16 and Im delighted that my first fight in three and a half years is going to be available free to air on Dave giving as many people as possible the chance to watch my comeback. I was determined to make this comeback fight free to everybody and fans should sit back and get ready for another fun-fuelled ride as I look to regain the heavyweight championship of the world.
Haye Day will be promoted by Davids own promotional company Hayemaker Boxing Ltd, together with entertainment, media and marketing organisation, Salter Brothers Entertainment, Goodwin Productions and support from The O2. Live Boxing: David Haye v Mark De Mori is produced by David Green at Giant Film & TV and Salter Brothers Entertainment for UKTV and is executive produced by UKTVs Helen Nightingale.
Securing the rights to the fight is a strong start to 2016 for Dave, UKTVs flagship free-to-air entertainment channel, which last year retained its place as the number one non-PSB channel in the UK and grew for the fourth consecutive year. Brand new comedy gameshow Taskmaster, fronted by comedians Greg Davies and Alex Horne, proved a hit, attracting 539k viewers to its highest rating episode. The shows mix of banter and outlandish tasks quickly propelled it to cult status and two further series are in the works for later this year. Fast-paced auction show Storage Hunters UK, also performed well with 688k viewers (728k individuals) and a further 849k (904k individuals) viewers for the Christmas Celebrity Special, placing it narrowly ahead of Dave Gorman Modern Life is Goodish (739k viewers, 752k individuals). Another original show, Red Bull Soap Box Live drew in 640k viewers (724k individuals). Emmy award-nominated The Last Man on Earth was the highest rating acquisition on Dave, with its best rating episode attracting 596k adults.
David Haye takes on Mark de Mori at The O2 on January 16. For tickets to #HayeDay visit axs.com or watch the fight exclusively live on Dave from 9pm. The preview show, Haye v De Mori: The Countdown will air on Friday 15th January at 8pm on Dave. #HayemakerIsBack
ENDS For further information please contact: Gem Pinkney - Publicist or email, pressoffice@uktv.co.uk.
Notes to Editors:
Attached imagery should credit Warren King Photography
For ringside tickets to #HayeDay visit axs.com
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