Jermaine Franklin Faces Devin Vargas in Main Event; Undefeated Super Lightweights Joshua James Pagan & Roger Hilley Battle for NABF Championship; Plus, Da’Velle Smith, Husam Al Mashhadi & More!
DETROIT (May 6, 2024) – Al Bernstein, an International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee and one of boxing’s most recognizable and respected commentators for more than 40 years, will head up an all-star broadcast team for Salita Promotions’ next installment of “Big Time Boxing USA,” taking place on Thursday, May 23, at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit, airing live on premium sports platform DAZN (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT).
Event promoter Dmitriy Salita put a commentary “dream team” together by pairing the acclaimed analyst Bernstein with former world champion and former Showtime Boxing colleague Raul “El Diamante” Marquez and well-known blow-by-blow commentator Corey Erdman. The telecast is produced by Live Star Entertainment and two-time Emmy winner Eric Drath.
“We aim to provide our fans with a premium experience in the ring, showcasing top-tier talent and insightful commentary that tells the true story of boxing,” said Salita. “Al Bernstein, one of the industry’s finest, is a tremendous asset for the boxing fans and our fighters. With his expertise, along with his broadcast partners Raul and Corey, we will tell their stories as they climb toward greatness.”
Known worldwide as “The Voice of Boxing,” Al Bernstein first gained notoriety while working as an analyst (and often host) of the Top Rank Boxing Series on ESPN from 1980 to 1998. In the early 2000s, Bernstein moved to Showtime Networks and added his signature commentary voice to many of the greatest fights of the past four decades on Showtime Championship Boxing, SHOBOX: The New Generation, and over 150 pay-per-view events, including the three highest grossing events in television history.
The first American broadcaster to commentate boxing for a linear TV network in the United Kingdom, Bernstein has also served as ringside analyst for boxing telecasts for Channel 5 and ITV and has carved out a career of varied endeavors, including television, movies, and as a live stage performer. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Salita Promotions’ Big Time Boxing USA series,” said Bernstein. “Dmitry Salita has put together a talented group of people to move this series forward and I’m happy to join them on this journey. This series has already given boxing fans plenty of excitement and entertainment and there’s more to come. It is especially nice to join a terrific broadcast team that includes my friend and longtime colleague, Raul Marquez, and the talented sportscaster Corey Erdman. I look forward to chronicling the matches of champions, contenders and prospects on this great series. I’ve been fortunate in my career to appear on networks that have contributed a lot to the sport of boxing and that is happening again here on DAZN—a platform providing boxing fans with a terrific and varied schedule of boxing.”
A U.S. Olympian and heavily decorated amateur before turning professional, Raul Marquez won the IBF World Super Welterweight Championship in 1997 and made two successful defenses. Marquez found his way to the ringside broadcast booth during his fighting career. After retiring in 2008, he gained international acclaim for his work as an analyst in both English and Spanish for Showtime Network’s Showtime Championship Boxing and SHOBOX: The Next Generation.
Consumed by his passion for broadcasting, Marquez has also donated his fair and unbiased insights to other networks, including HBO Latino, Fox Deportes, TV Azteca, NBC, and DAZN.
“The ‘Big Time Boxing USA’ series will just continue to grow,” said Marquez. “I think Dmitriy has assembled a great broadcast crew with Al and Cory and I. My partners are both top-level broadcasters who bring prestige and name recognition to the platform. I’m excited about this especially with Al joining the team.”
Highly regarded as both a writer and television commentator, in addition to his outstanding work on DAZN, Canada’s Corey Erdman has covered boxing all over the world and appeared on premium platforms including ESPN, CBS and NBC, SpikeTV, BoxNation, and SNY, as well as UFC Fight Pass’ recurring series Broadway Boxing. Erdman is also a former lead columnist for Boxing Scene, and a regular combat sports contributor to VICE.
Big Time Boxing USA is produced by Live Star Entertainment CEO and two-time Emmy Award-winner, Eric Drath. Founded by Drath in 1999, Live Star Entertainment specializes in combat sports live production and documentaries. The company has produced hundreds of worldwide live sporting events on major platforms including DAZN, Showtime, UFC Fight Pass, Fox Sports, SNY, AXS TV, and Top Rank Boxing. Some of Drath’s notable documentaries include Assault in the Ring (HBO), No Más (ESPN), and MACHO: The Hector Camacho Story (Showtime).
In the night’s 10-round main event, top American heavyweight Jermaine Franklin Jr. (22-2, 14 KOs) takes on former US Olympian Devin Vargas (22-10, 9 KOs) and in the eight-round co-feature, undefeated Joshua James Pagan (9-0, 4 KOs) steps up to face fellow undefeated Roger Hilley (13-0, 8 KOs) for the Junior NABF Super Lightweight Championship. Several local prospects will appear in televised supporting bouts, including Da’Velle Smith (8-0, 6 KOs), Husam Al Mashhadi (9-1, 8 KOs), and Luis Quintero (7-0, 7 KOs).
Tickets for the live event are on sale now and can be purchased online HERE or in-person at the Wayne State Fieldhouse Box Office.