HBO SPORTS? 24/7 COTTO/MARTINEZ, A BEHIND-THE-SCENES SERIES LEADING UP TO THE PAY-PER-VIEW SHOWDOWN AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, DEBUTS MAY 31 ON HBO

NEW YORK, May 27, 2014 ? HBO Sports? groundbreaking ?24/7? reality franchise, which has captured 18 Sports Emmy^? Awards, returns for its 20th boxing installment with 24/7 COTTO/MARTINEZ, it was announced by Rick Bernstein, executive producer, HBO Sports. Debuting SATURDAY, MAY 31 (11:15-11:45 p.m. ET/PT), the behind-the-scenes series follows two elite fighters as they prepare for their middleweight title showdown June 7 at New York?s famed Madison Square Garden. The series will also be presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

?Miguel Cotto and Sergio Martinez are barreling toward the most-anticipated fight of 2014, and their backstories will make for great storytelling in this all-new edition of ?24/7?,? noted Bernstein. ?This is an intense showdown made even larger by the backdrop of New York and Madison Square Garden playing host to the event.?

Episode two of 24/7 COTTO/MARTINEZ debuts Thursday, June 5 (8:30-9:00 p.m.), two nights before the high-stakes bout.

24/7 COTTO/MARTINEZ will provide exclusive behind-the-scenes access, along with in-depth interviews, as the fighters prepare for their first encounter. Cotto (38-4, 31 KOs), from Caguas, Puerto Rico, is attempting to become the commonwealth?s first four-division world champion. His formidable foe is Sergio Martinez (51-2-2, 28 KOs), of Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina, the lineal world middleweight champion, who has turned back an impressive list of challengers since first capturing the crown in 2010.

Making his fourth ?24/7? appearance, Cotto is working with Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach at the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Cal. Martinez, who works with trainers Pablo and Gabriel Sarmiento, is making his second appearance on the show and holding camp in Miami, Fla.

24/7 COTTO/MARTINEZ is the latest installment of the acclaimed franchise that began in 2007. The most-honored sports series on TV over the past seven years, the show has earned 18 Sports Emmys^?, receiving five of the last six Emmys^? in the Outstanding Editing category.

ESPN The Magazine called the series ?a masterfully entertaining reality show.?

?Cotto vs. Martinez? takes place at New York?s iconic Madison Square Garden on Saturday, June 7 at 9:00 p.m. (ET)/6:00 p.m. (PT), and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View^?.