Tomorrow night’s edition of ESPN Friday Night Fights from the Paramount Theater in Huntington, N.Y., will feature a unique perspective when referees Steve Willis and Pete Santiago wear point-of-view cameras to give viewers a first-person point of view of all the sweat-spraying action inside the ring.
The cameras, which will be mounted on both referees using two lapel pins, will be used live and during video replays. This marks the first time that Friday Night Fights and Noche de Combates have ever used a referee camera.
“We are always looking to innovate and provide viewers access to things they cannot have access to themselves,” said Matt Sandulli, senior coordinating producer, ESPN. “This camera will put viewers in the ring and give them a view of the fight that only a limited number of people in the world have ever seen. We’d like to thank the New York Athletic Commission and referees Steve Willis and Pete Santiago for working with us to make this happen.”
“We appreciate ESPN’s introduction of the ‘Ref Cam’ to bring a new dimension to Friday Night Fights,” said David Berlin, executive director, The New York State Athletic Commission. “The New York State Athletic Commission is always working with promoters and networks to advance the sport and welcomes new technology that does not interfere with our regulatory function.”
