By Jake Donovan

It began as a risk when EPIX not only decided to throw its proverbial hat into the boxing ring, but begin with the heavyweight division. The moment that Vitali Klitschko’s heavyweight title defense against Odlanier Solis ended inside of a round, the ‘I told you so’ remarks already began to pour in.

Some 16 months later, EPIX still remains in the thick of things. Even more remarkable than the ability to measure up to American cable giants HBO and Showtime, is the fact that the network has done so by rallying behind what had become a neglected division.

“I still feel the heavyweight division is the marquee division in boxing even though it’s moved to Germany with the Klitschkos,” notes Travis Pomposello, CCO of EPIX. “It’s a shame for them to not be seen in the U.S.”

EPIX has taken care of that problem in a big way, with that trend continuing the next two weekends.

Lineal heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko returns to the ring for his latest defense in a rematch with Tony Thompson. The bout takes place on July 7 at Stade de Suisse in Berne, Switzerland. Rather than settling for a same-day tape-delay stream that produces dismal ratings, EPIX continues its tradition of airing the fight live and in more than one format.

The show airs on U.S. airwaves live at 5:00PM ET on EPIX’ flagship station.  For those whose cable or satellite providers don’t carry the network, the fight is also available online at EpixHD.com and can also be viewed on the Jumbotron at Times Square in New York City or even on X-Box.

EPIX will travel to another part of Europe the following weekend, as David Haye and Dereck Chisora engage in a highly anticipated grudge match live from Upton Park in West Ham, London.

Whereas other networks make excuses for why fights beyond U.S. borders cannot be shown on its airwaves, EPIX continues to believe that any excuse for not showing a fight is just that – an excuse.

“When I was a kid, I got to see Howard Cosell on Ali on Wide World of Sports, as well as Sugar Ray Leonard and the Fab Four from that era,” Pomposello notes. “It was great for me and my Dad when we watched it. As a 12-year old kid, there was no way my father was going to let me stay up until midnight to watch a fight from Las Vegas.

“I wasn’t even home on a Saturday night to watch a fight. I was hanging out with my friends. Today, we have the technology to bring fights to the fans from any possible format, so why not take advantage. Put those fights on platforms like X-Box, tap into that crowd. EPIX has done a great job and is evolving in opening up to all different avenues. There’s no excuse to not watch a fight.”

The network has remained true to form since its involvement more than a year ago. All of its broadcasts have centered around live events from Europe, mostly focusing on the heavyweight division. There have been exceptions, such as Carl Froch’s one-sided beatdown of Lucian Bute in England in late May, when most Americans were celebrating Memorial Day weekend.

In that vein came the idea to stage a show on a weekend when most Americans will continue to celebrate the 4th of July. With that came the decision to once again rally behind a Klitschko fight, this one just happening to feature a challenger whose geographical makeup allows for a patriotic angle.

“There’s also something to this fight taking place on an extended 4th of July weekend,” Pomposello points out. “The fight features an American challenger from our nation’s capital, Washington D.C.”

There is a certain risk involved in this fight, even more so than supporting the heavyweight division in general. Their first fight nearly four years ago to the date was not very competitive and ended with Thompson bowing out in the 11th round, in part due to a leg injury.

A retrospective view reveals that Thompson was actually a far greater challenge than anyone else in the six years since the younger Klitschko re-entered the heavyweight title picture. There is also the working theory that Thompson has improved since that night in Germany, to the point where even at age 40 he possibly represents the best current American heavyweight challenger.

Taking everything into consideration, the brass at EPIX saw the upcoming heavyweight title fight as yet another opportunity to disprove the notion that the division has become a dry well.

“I don’t see this as taking a risk,” Pomposello says of purchasing the rematch. “I looked at the first fight. Thompson had a good showing in the first half. He’s a big man and can stand eye-to-eye and toe-to-toe with Wladimir. Comparatively to the fights Wlad has had, stood toe-to-toe the most.

“From everything I’ve seen, Tony is in good shape. I definitely think he’ll give us a better fight than Jean-Marc Mormeck (who offered no effort in his March fight with Klitschko). To me, being involved in this fight is far more exciting than risky.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter: @JakeNDaBox