Editor’s note: Spike TV announced today that Scott Hanson will be the blow-by-blow announcer for the network’s monthly Premier Boxing Champions Friday night telecasts. Check back tomorrow for a lively Q&A with Hanson as he discusses his involvement with PBC.
Scott Hanson will call the action for Spike TV's monthly Premier Boxing Champions fight cards.
It was 25 years ago today that an 18-year-old Scott Hanson experienced one of his most impressionable moments in regard to boxing.
"I was in college at Syracuse when Buster Douglas beat Mike Tyson in Tokyo,” Hanson said. “My college roommate and I were going to head out and have fun, but we said, 'Hey, Tyson's fighting tonight, and this will only take 90 seconds to watch this fight. Let's just stay in until Tyson crushes this guy, and then we'll go out.’
"When Buster did what he did, I remember jumping up on my bed, and I was in shock and in disbelief for what seemed like 20 minutes. I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't even compose myself to go out after that. I remember thinking, ‘This sport can provide the ingredients for some of the greatest sports moments that you can think of and that we love.’”
More than two decades later, Hanson will get his own chance to bring that excitement to the public as the blow-by-blow announcer for Spike TV's monthly Friday night telecasts of the Premier Boxing Champions series.
A lifelong boxing fan, Hanson is widely known for his work on NFL Network and as host of NFL RedZone.
"I want to capture the essence of the upsets, the shocking moments, the sudden turn of events with one swing of a fist,” Hanson said. “That's what boxing, in it's purest form, can reveal to us time and time again. So I hope we'll get some moments like that on Spike's coverage of the PBC."
The first Spike card will air March 13 at 9 pm ET/PT from Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California, featuring a 147-pound doubleheader of Andre Berto vs. Josesito Lopez, and Shawn Porter vs. Roberto Garcia.
"We are thrilled to welcome Scott Hanson to our inaugural PBC Boxing announce team," Spike vice president Jon Slusser said. "He is an emerging sports broadcasting talent who will bring his signature energy and passion to our cutting-edge boxing coverage."
Before coming to NFL Network, Hanson worked for Comcast SportsNet. Besides covering all the major sports, he also wrote, produced and hosted a documentary on Washington, D.C. baseball history.
Hanson's previous broadcasting experience included stints as an anchor and reporter in Tampa; Springfield, Illinois; and Traverse City, Michigan.
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