On 7 July 2012, Switzerland will host – for the first time since 2009 – a world boxing heavyweight division championship fight. Wladimir Klitschko (Ukraine) will defend his IBF title against challenger Tony Thompson (USA) in the Stade de Suisse in Bern. Negotiations are now finalised. The Zug-based sports marketing company Infront Ringier Sports & Entertainment Switzerland AG (InfrontRingier) is organising the show and sports event in cooperation with the Klitschko Management Group (KMG).
Exclusive presale for BSC Young Boys fans and Ticketcorner Members
The ticket sales will start next week with an exclusive pre-offer. All fans of the BSC Young Boys football club – whose home ground is the Stade de Suisse – will receive a flyer with a booking code at the home game against GC Zurich on 14 April. Together with Ticketcorner friends&members, BSC fans will be provided with the opportunity to secure the first online tickets on Monday 16 April – a day ahead of the public sale through Ticketcorner. Regular tickets are available from CHF 70 in five different categories. The entrance fee also includes an extensive show program with music and entertainment in the run up to the sports highlight.
VIP tickets provide access to the exclusive after-fight party
Spectators keen to experience all the action of the world championship fight from the front row can buy VIP tickets from InfrontRingier. This includes not only first-class seats, but also gourmet catering and, depending on the ticket category, access to the exclusive after fight party. The TV station RTL will be providing in-depth coverage of the fight, broadcasting live to Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In addition, over 150 broadcast channels worldwide will show the boxing highlight. The Swiss newspaper Blick will accompany and promote the event as media partner as well as raffling a high quota of tickets to its readers.
The Swiss sports and entertainment highlight of the year Armin Meier, Managing Director of InfrontRingier, said: “With this world championship fight in the heavyweight division, we are staging the largest sports and entertainment spectacle of the year on Swiss soil. Both the sports value of the fight and the ambiance at the Stade de Suisse – with space for up to 30,000 spectators – are second to none. For the Swiss and Southern German audience, this is a unique opportunity to experience such a major highlight event live onsite.”
Wladimir Klitschko (36 years) is heavyweight champion of the IBF and IBO as well as super champion of the WBO and WBA. Tony “The Tiger” Thompson is the official challenger of the IBF – before the knock-out defeat in 2008, the first edition of this fight, he had not been floored by any of his previous competitors.
Wladimir Klitschko comments: “Thompson as a southpaw fighter is a difficult challenger. He has an excellent technique and the fight against him was one of the hardest in my career so far. Due to his size, it is a fight at eye level, and his winning streak since our last duel has given him more self-confidence. I look forward to my first fight in Switzerland. My brother Vitali boxed in Bern in 2009 and the atmosphere was great.”
A press conference will be held in early May with Wladimir Klitschko and Tony Thompson in Bern, Switzerland. Invitations will be sent to press closer to the time.
Media contact for organisational and sports aspects:
Marcel Wisler
Project Manager
World Championship fight Klitschko Bern 2012
Mobile: +41-(0)79-303 25 38
[email protected]
Media contact for marketing and VIP ticketing:
Jörg Polzer / Nike Möhle
Corporate Communications
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41-41-723 15 15
Fax +41-41-723 15 16
[email protected]
www.infrontringier.ch
