Tarver to fight on ABC.

Prior to Game 1 of an NBA Playoff series on Sunday, April 22, ABC will air a boxing match between relatively well-known boxer Antonio Tarver and Elvir Muriqi. The match will start at 1:30 PM. The last time ABC presented a boxing match was “on June 17, 2000, when Jose Luis Castillo upset Stevie Johnston to win the lightweight title in Bell Gardens, Calif.“

Expectations are surprisingly high.

“I think it’s going to be great for boxing and great for ABC, and the ratings will be very high … It’s a great thing for the fighters to get the exposure from a network like ABC. It’s good for our sport. Anything good for boxing, I am for.“

As recently as 2003, NBC presented weekly boxing matches on Saturday afternoons. That franchise did not last very long; a May 3, 2003 bout drew a 1.2 rating, while a May 17, 2003 bout drew a 1.4.

Antonio Tarver is fairly mainstream — at least within the sports world. Considering the timeslot, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM on a Sunday afternoon (possibly opposite an early NBA Playoff game on TNT), a successful rating would be 2.0 or higher. More than likely, the bout will end up drawing a rating in the high 1.0 range (1.6 to 1.9).