TKO: Cebu's boxing show on TV

CEBU - It’s all systems go for the Cebu-based weekly boxing show of SGG Promotions and INTV-CCTN entitled “TKO,” which will kick off with a live telecast on November 30.

The telecast will feature “Thai Invasion: Triple Thai Opponent Daytime Boxing Show 2” at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.

This weekly boxing show would cater to the world-class fights of the SGG promotions owned by Sammy Gello-ani.

 “I had a lot of promotions in Manila, so I believe that it’s time to bring the promotion here in Cebu” Gello-ani said in a press conference yesterday at the Cebu Grand Convention Center.

 “We are better than in Manila. The show that will be produced and what we will be showing are very fresh. I can bring imported shows here. We will prove to them that we could surpass the quality of what they are doing” he added.

 Gello-ani has reaped several honors as a boxing promoter. He was picked as WBO Asia-Pacific Promoter of the Year in 2007 and during the 21st WBO Convention in Florida this month he personally accepted the WBO Promoter of the Year in Asia, Pacific and Oriental.

 Along with him, his fighters, Siso Morales and Marvin Sonsona received the 2008 Best Fighter of the Year and Asia Pacific Fight of the Year awards, respectively.

“This will be a great advantage for our prospective local talents to be seen all over the world and this is indeed a privilege for our boxers. The mileage of this TV network is very good” said Gello-ani.

In fact, on November 29, TKO will be the first TV show to do a live coverage of the weighing of all the fighters of the Thai Invasion.

 And on the 30th, will be the live coverage of the Daytime Boxing 2: Thailand Invasion. This will also be aired in the Thailand and in all parts of the world through the net by logging in to www.intv.com.ph.

 “We can amply say that we are capable of the technicality of our TV production for the boxing show” said INTV-CCTN CEO, Nonito “Dodong” Limchua.

Limchua had been the promoter of some boxing legends like Billy Abatoc,

Baby Kaga Jr. and many more that is why he was very glad that the boxing show was offered to their station.

“Boxing is also my life before. I was a boxing promoter before since 1972.

Then I stopped, and then now revived through Sam in this kind of boxing show. We could promise to place this boxing show into the world” he added.

Gello-ani also confirmed that there will be six live boxing shows next year and if there will be shows worth covering that would be also covered by TKO.

“Next year, we will step on to another level. So, if the time will come that Pacquiao will retire in the boxing scenario, then we will still have aspiring boxing idols that will follow the footsteps of the boxing idol”

In fact, Gello-ani is very optimistic that TKO will become one of the biggest boxing shows all over the world and even hold a world championship here and have it in Pay Per View.

 “We can attain something big in the future. This will create a new dimension. I want a paper view here later. And with INTV-CCTN we are nearer to that goal” said Gello-ani.

“The new talents are our priority. We would like to have a following not only in the ring but as well as in the television. We are making a market for them,” he added.

     He was even planning that aside from Thai fighters, he would also be bringing fighters from Korea and Latin America.

“I can foresee, creating big projects in the Philippines. Staged in the Philippines and beamed all over the world” Gello-ani said. (THE FREEMAN)