Tarver-Cunningham PBC Card: Ratings Average at 679K

By Jake Donovan

The August 15 edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike TV not only produced a legitimate Fight of the Year contender, but also provided the network with healthy ratings for its two-hour telecast.

Overall, the televised doubleheader from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey averaged 679,000 viewers on the night. The rating is above the series average, rating squarely in the middle among the five PBC on Spike TV telecasts to date.

The evening remains best remembered for the unforgettable cruiserweight championship fight between long-reigning titlist Marco Huck and unbeaten challenger Krzysztof Glowacki. Huck was two rounds away from establishing an all-time record for most successful defenses in cruiserweight history, but Glowacki dramatically turned the tide with an off-the-canvas bailout knockout in the 11th round of their instant classic.

Glowacki was dropped hard early in round six, but battled back within that very frame to provide an entrant for Round of the Year. The rest of the fight will be well-represented by the end of 2015 when discussion turns to the year's best fights, best knockouts and biggest upsets. Huck was dropped twice in the final minute of the 11th round, the second resulting in referee David Fields immediately halting the fight.

Positive buzz from social media and general word of mouth helped drive viewership for the fight, which reached a peak audience of 874,000 viewers shortly before 10:00 p.m. ET.

In the main event, former champions Antonio Tarver and Steve Cunningham fought to a 12-round draw. Tarver enjoyed three separate title reigns at light heavyweight, while Cunningham was a two-time champion at crusierweight. Neither fighter looked like the version that once served among the best of their past respective divisions, with the draw verdict well-warranted.

Overall, the 679,000 viewership average is solid for a Friday night, considering it went head-to-head with the first batch of NFL preseason games ahead of the 2015 season.

The card peformed considerably better than the last PBC on Spike TV telecast, when Erislandy Lara outpointed Delvin Rodriguez over 12 lackluster rounds in mid-June. The super welterweight fight topped a show that served as the lowest-rated PBC on Spike card to date.

It also fared better than the April 26 edition, which featured two title fights - Badou Jack's upset win over previously unbeaten super middleweight titlist Anthony Dirrell; and Daniel Jacobs' 12th round stoppage of Caleb Truax to defend his middleweight belt.

To date, the inaugural installment of PBC on Spike - the March 13 edition featuring Andre Berto's knockout win over Josesito Lopez, as well as Chris Arreola outlasting Curtis Harper in a surprise thriller - has pulled in the highest average viewership for any boxing telecast on the network. The May 29 show topped by Amir Khan's 12-round win over Chris Algieri featured the highest peak audience, topping out at more than 1 million viewers on the night.

While PBC events are scheduled throughout the rest of the summer on various networks, the series returns to Spike TV on September 11, with a live broadcast also likely to feature pre-fight segments dedicated to the September 12 Pay-Per-View headliner between Floyd Mayweather and Andre Berto. As for the live action on Spike TV, Adonis Stevenson defends his World light heavyweight crown versus Tommy Karpency in Toronto, Canada.