Entertainment Sports Biz - Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer Wins Contender title - October 2006

Contender champion Grady "Bad Boy" Brewer (Photo: Business Wire)

Friday October 6, 2006

The man nobody wanted Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage wins the bronze - Season Finale Ranks as One of the Highest-Rated EOE Boxing Telecasts in Nine Years

The live Contender season finale provided boxing fans with two exceptional bouts fought in front of more than 12,000 ticket holders: an eight-round bronze medal match-up between Cornelius “K-9” Bundrage (Detroit) and Norberto “El Gallito” Bravo (Tucson, Ariz.), and the title fight between Steve “2 Pound” Forbes (Portland, Ore./Las Vegas) and Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer (Lawton, Okla.).

Bundrage captured the bronze belt by way of a technical knockout in the seventh round while the favored Forbes lost to an inspired Brewer in a 10-round split (2-1) decision. Along with the title of Contender Champion, Brewer won $500,000 and a new Toyota Tundra.

Everlast Worldwide Inc, manufacturer, marketer and licensor of sporting goods, apparel, footwear and other active lifestyle products under the Everlast brand name and an exclusive apparel provider for The Contender, announced that ESPN’s top-rated ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE) series The Contender, produced in conjunction with Mark Burnett Productions and DreamWorks, posted its highest rating with Tuesday night’s LIVE, two-hour season finale from STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA.

The telecast, which saw Grady “Bad Boy” Brewer crowned Contender champion, earned a 1.9 rating, representing an average of more than 1.7 million homes and 2.3 million viewers.

The series’ rating was further solidified in comparison to the same time slot in 2005 by showing an increase of 56%. Key demographics of the show had an increased viewership of more than 100% as compared to last season and the season finale was the highest-rated boxing telecast on ESPN in nine years, dating back to January 10, 1997.

Complementing the telecast, ESPN’s multi-media platforms offered live video on ESPN.com and ESPN360 on-demand where fans could view two under card bouts from the event exclusively.

“The strength of these results demonstrates the continued hunger by our viewers not only for The Contender series but for the kind of programming it represents: compelling human drama that allows viewers to witness first-hand the ultimate outcome,” said Ron Wechsler, EOE Vice President of Development.

Seth Horowitz, Chairman, President & CEO of Everlast Worldwide Inc. explained, “We are pleased with the ratings from the LIVE season finale of The Contender. Being the exclusive supplier of apparel and equipment for the show has generated tremendous awareness for our brand.

He added, "The Contender catered heavily to the desired 18-34 demographics bringing in and reinforcing the Everlast brand to our consumers, which is vital to the growth of our business.“

About Mark Burnett Productions

One of the driving forces behind reality television, Mark Burnett has a long history of executive producing Emmy Award-winning television. Burnett's entrepreneurial spirit pioneered the success of the reality "unscripted" drama series, garnered skyrocketing ratings and introduced millions of Americans to an entirely new television genre.

Mark Burnett Productions revolutionized television, with hits such as Eco-Challenge, Survivor, and The Apprentice.

About DreamWorks Television

DreamWorks Television is a division of DreamWorks SKG which was founded in 1994 by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.

DreamWorks Television is currently in production on season three of the hit NBC series "Las Vegas" as well as season three of the critically acclaimed FX drama "Rescue Me," and the upcoming ABC reality series "The Miracle Workers."

DreamWorks Television recently finished production on "Into The West" for TNT, which was the highest rated mini-series for the season with 81 million unique viewers.

Other DreamWorks Television projects include: "Spin City," "Band of Brothers," "Taken," "Father of the Pride," "Freaks and Geeks," "The Job," "Boomtown," and "Undeclared."

About Everlast Worldwide Inc.

Everlast Worldwide Inc. manufactures, markets and licenses sporting goods, apparel, footwear and other active lifestyle products under the Everlast brand name. Since 1910, Everlast has been the preeminent brand in the world of boxing and is among the most dominant brands in the overall sporting goods and apparel industries.

Over the past 96 years, Everlast products have become the “Choice of Champions”, having been used for training and professional fights by many of the biggest names in the sport. Everlast is the market leader in nearly all of its product categories, responsible for leading eight of the top ten boxing equipment products in sales.

In addition to producing and marketing the equipment and accessories, Everlast Worldwide Inc. licenses its brand to providers of men’s and women’s sportswear and active wear, children’s wear, footwear, watches, cardiovascular exercise equipment, nutritional foods and gym/duffel bags to name just a few categories.

At the retail level, Everlast’s licensed products generate more than $700 million in revenues.

(Business Wire)

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