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USA Tuesday Night Fights | |
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Directed by | Anthony Giordano Lenny Stucker |
Starring | Al Albert Angelo Dundee (1982-1984) Randy Gordon (1984-1987) Sean O'Grady (1987-1998) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Running time | 120 minutes |
Production company | USA Network |
Original release | |
Release | October 1, 1982 August 25, 1998 | –
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USA Tuesday Night Fights (also known as Friday Night Boxing, Wednesday Night Fights, and Thursday Night Fights) is a television boxing show. It aired from October 1, 1982 to August 25, 1998 on the USA Network; at one time it was the longest-running boxing show on television. The show debuted on October 1, 1982, and was originally called Friday Night Boxing, which aired from 1982 to 1984, and then in 1984, the boxing program moved to Wednesday nights and was called Wednesday Night Fights, which aired from 1984 to 1986, and in 1986, the boxing program moved to Thursday nights, and was called Thursday Night Fights, which aired from 1986 to 1990. In 1987, the boxing program finally moved to Tuesday nights, and the show was called Tuesday Night Fights.
USA Tuesday Night Fights was hosted by Al Albert, who co-hosted with boxing commentaries, first by Muhammad Ali trainer Angelo Dundee, who co-hosted with Albert from 1982 to 1984, and then, by Randy Gordon, who co-hosted with Albert from 1984 to 1987, and finally, by former champion Sean O'Grady, who co-hosted with Albert from 1987 until the show's ending in 1998. Bill Macatee was often a substitute commentator for Albert. The show did not employ a regular ring announcer, but several high-profile announcers such as HBO's Michael Buffer, Showtime's Jimmy Lennon, Jr., Philadelphia boxing staple Ed Derian, and future BattleBots announcer Mark Beiro were featured with Derian and Beiro featured more frequently as the years went on.
The program was sponsored by Budweiser, and often referred to on air as Budweiser Presents USA Tuesday Night Fights. Pabst Blue Ribbon was also a sponsor of the program, continuing a tradition of the Pabst company sponsoring televised boxing matches. Like some of its similar fellow boxing programs, Tuesday Night Fights did not always emanate from large arenas. Instead, cards usually took place in smaller venues, such as The Blue Horizon in Philadelphia, the Felt Forum/Paramount Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York, or the ballroom of Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Tuesday Night Fights would also not limit itself to American venues, as they traveled to England, Mexico, and other places to televise shows. One show even took place aboard an aircraft carrier.