BIZ IT Sport - World’s First Boxing Social Network Launched by Original Cast Member of The Contender - October, 2006

Joey Gilbert, a first season cast member of NBC's "The Contender," (pictured here with Frank Stallone ) has launched the world's first social network devoted to the world of boxing. Fight Club Online (www.fightclubonline.com) creates a direct connection between fight fans and the professional and amateur boxing stars featured on the site. (Photo: Business Wire)

Tuesday October 10, 2006

One of the primary features of Fight Club Online, a social network similar to MySpace

Joey Gilbert, a first season cast member of NBC’s “The Contender,” has launched the world’s first social network devoted to the world of boxing. Fight Club Online (www.fightclubonline.com) creates a direct connection between fight fans and the professional and amateur boxing stars featured on the site.

Joey Gilbert rose to national attention as a first season cast member of NBC’s “The Contender.” As a collegiate fighter at the University of Nevada, Joey was a three-time National Champion, a four-time Regional Champion, a four-time All American, and a Nevada State Golden Gloves Super Middleweight Champion.

As a world-ranked professional fighter, Joey is currently the World Boxing Organization's (NABO) Middleweight Champion and ranked #10 by the WBO as a middleweight with a record of 12-1, with 9 knockouts.

“I want to do everything I can to showcase top amateur and professional boxers, and help them establish a more direct level of contact with their fans,” stated Gilbert from his St. Petersburg, Fla., training camp, where he is preparing for his October 11 WBO-NABO middleweight title defense.

“Boxing is a great sport and more people need to learn firsthand what it has done for thousands of athletes throughout the world,” he added.

One of the primary features of Fight Club Online, a social network similar to MySpace, is the use of wireless video technologies that provide unprecedented access to the everyday world of boxing.

Fight Club Online allows digital footage of actual training and sparring sessions to be uploaded. It allows fight fans to directly interact with the boxers who are involved in the network, place their own polls, establish opinion forums, and even write and maintain their own boxing industry blogs.

In Touch Media Group, an online marketing company considered by many to be on the cutting edge of social network marketing, designed and built the site for Gilbert.

“We’re very excited to be working with Joey,” said Laura Betterly, In Touch Media Group’s CEO. “We’re huge fans.” “We see a huge opportunity here in terms of Mr. Gilbert’s vision of uniting the everyday fight fan with the boxers,” said Bob Cefail, Chairman of In Touch Media Group. “He wants to revitalize the relationship between fans and the stars of boxing.”

In Touch Media Group conducted extensive surveys to determine the public’s level of interest in various site features. According to Cefail, “Nine out of every ten people said they loved the idea of interacting with their favorite boxers through a social network.”

Further, survey participants voiced their desire to learn about the training techniques and special diets used by boxers.

“In a world where people are more aware than ever of the dangers of obesity and lack of physical fitness, it appears that many are turning to the techniques employed by people involved in aerobic based sports such as boxing,” said Cefail.

Gilbert added, “I am a huge proponent of physical fitness and I am particularly concerned about kids who are starting off their lives carrying more weight than they should.”

Over the next few weeks, Gilbert will begin featuring top boxers as they join Fight Club Online. He is already in discussions with several world-class fighters and hopes to announce their inclusion in the site in the upcoming days. There is no cost for either the boxers or fans to register for access to the site.

About In Touch Media Group

In Touch Media Group is an online marketing and PR firm which specializes in generating Website visitors, and customers for its business clients. ITOU is recognized for its proprietary technology and cutting edge solutions that enable its clients to maximize their marketing objectives.

(Business Wire)

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