Fox Sports will get a junior middleweight title fight rematch will headline the final Fox primetime card of the year, after all.
The only things to have changed are the date, the location and the matchup itself.
Reliable sources have informed BoxingScene.com of plans in place to reschedule the rematch between defending titlist Tony Harrison and former champ Jermell Charlo. The 154-pound title fight will top the 2019 season finale of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox, live from Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.
Fight Hub TV's Marcos Villegas first reported news of the new date for Harrison-Charlo II, with the defending champ revealing the rescheduled date during the WBC Convention in Cancun.
With the new fight date, the originally slotted Dec. 14 show will be officially removed from the schedule, according to sources. The Athletic's Mike Coppinger was the first to report the network schedule switch.
The new fight date replaces original plans for a Dec. 14 edition of PBC on Fox, which was originally slated to host another 154-pound title fight rematch as Julian 'J-Rock' Williams (27-1-1, 16KOs) and Jarrett Hurd were set to run back their Fight of the Year-level war from this past May, which Williams won by 12-round decision to become a unified titlist. Those plans fell through, however, as Hurd (23-1, 16KOs) backed away from previous plans to exercise a contractually bound rematch clause.
However disappointing was the news, it opened the door to put Harrison-Charlo II back on the schedule. The rematch will now take place exactly 52 weeks after their first encounter.
Detroit's Harrison (28-2, 21KOs) claimed the title last December, taking a disputed 12-round decision in a bout that served as the first edition of the rebranded PBC on Fox primetime series. The highly questionable outcome marked the first defeat in the career of Houston's Charlo (32-1, 16KOs) in addition to ending his 31-month title reign.
Their sequel was originally due to take place this past June, only for Harrison to withdraw after suffering an ankle injury during training, undergoing surgery and sitting out for most of the year while awaiting a new TV date. Charlo went through with the televised slot in June, scoring a devastating 3rd round stoppage of replacement foe Jorge Cota.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @Jake Donovan