The BBC has confirmed its first boxing event under a new partnership with Boxxer, scheduled for 25 October in Derby. The main event will feature a British heavyweight title clash between Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke and Jeamie TKV at the Vaillant Live arena.
The fight is set for 9pm BST to avoid clashing with the Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley heavyweight title bout at London's O2 Arena. Boxxer, led by CEO Ben Shalom, signed a four-year deal with Sky in 2021, which ended in August without renewal. The BBC was announced as Boxxer's new home later that month.
Boxing will occupy a Saturday night primetime slot on the free-to-air broadcaster, with additional fights streamed on iPlayer. Clarke, 34, last fought in April, stopping Ebenezer Tetteh in the first round after an earlier knockout loss to Wardley. The pair had previously fought to a draw, both contests for the British title.
TKV, real surname Tshikeva, 31, aims to rebound from a controversial stoppage loss to David Adeleye in April, also a British title fight. Adeleye punched TKV after the referee called for a break, but was not penalised. TKV was dropped twice and counted out.
Clarke said: 'It's amazing to be headlining on the BBC. It is such a big platform. I've always dreamed of winning the British title... I'm going to be ice cold in there.' TKV responded: 'People are going to see things from me they haven't seen before... This fight isn't going the distance, 100 per cent.'
The BBC aired the first televised boxing match in the UK in 1938, and has shown amateur boxing at the Olympics, but this deal marks its first consistent professional boxing output in years.
