THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

OTX is the Future of Boxing

Finalist in Live Events

Objective

OTX is boxing, the Overtime way. Built for the next generation of boxers and boxing fans, we deliver future world champions a platform unlike any other available to them, and provide our massive digital community unparalleled access, bringing them closer to the sport. 

For boxers, there is no clear path for a pro to climb the ranks which makes it extremely difficult to break through. A select few receive name recognition from the Olympics, but for most it's a grind to find matches and exposure. 

We have a proven playbook on building fanhood and we're leaning into what we see as an opportunity to change the sport. This next generation of boxers hit differently but they don’t have a platform to tell their stories. What Overtime does is find boxers at the grassroots level and build up their profile to help them along their professional path.

Strategy

Overtime at its core is about empowering athletes and we saw an opportunity to level the playing field where athletes can have more control over their narrative. We focused on showcasing emerging boxing stars, providing them with a platform to gain exposure and connect with a wider audience. This not only brought new faces into the spotlight but also diversified the range of talents in professional boxing. We did this by having three strategies: 

We started with a summer series that took place every Friday night in August in our state-of-the-art OTE arena in Atlanta and streamed live on industry heavyweight, DAZN. C4, an industry leader in mental and performance energy, was also our inaugural sponsor. Our fight nights were innovative and different. We implemented: 

In addition to taking home the iced-out WBC OTX Championship Belt, a Main Event victory earned fighters a seat at the C4 Four. Along with receiving a custom C4 Four Chain, four champions including Elijah Pierce, Albert Bell, Kurt Scoby and Vladimir Hernandez got to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime training camp with a top boxing star and a 1-year contract to be a C4 athlete. 

We didn’t want to just create something in-ring, but also out of the ring too. The OTX platform is rooted in a year-round content experience on social media, shining a spotlight on everything from how boxers train to their lifestyles outside of the ring. No one is telling these stories for the next generation and no one is better suited to step into the ring to do so than Overtime.   

Our content strategy revolved around weaving engaging stories about our boxers, both inside and outside the ring. We aimed to give our fans a closer look at who these athletes really are – their personal journeys, distinct boxing styles, and individual quirks. This approach allowed fans to connect with the boxers on a more personal level, much like we’ve done with our Overtime Elite (OTE) athletes. It's all about bringing the human side of these athletes to the forefront, making their triumphs, challenges, and personalities something our fans can relate to and root for.

Results

Every Friday night in August, we held action-packed Fight Nights in the OTE Arena with cards headlined by top prospects, streamed LIVE on boxing industry leader, DAZN. With innovations like a KO Bonus, Overtime Round and a smaller ring size, along with VIP service and a live DJ, these sold-out fight nights created a unique and electric experience for both fighters and fans. 

Our Summer Series resulted in over 50 million views and 10 million engagements. Following the Summer Series, OTX became the #1 fastest-growing US Sports Media account on Instagram and TikTok, with over 1 billion views. 

The fighters also saw results. All the fighters' social media channels growth increased by anywhere from 15% - 60%. Specifically, after their wins, Albert Bell, moved to #1 in his division and Elijah Pierce climbed into the top 10. After his viral KO dance, David Lopez more than doubled his Instagram followers in three weeks, more than the entire year prior.

Media

Video for OTX is the Future of Boxing

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Overtime

Links

Entry Credits