I hope HBO can do better

[jujigatame]

I know they're on a reduced budget now but last night's card was extremely uninspiring. Linares working his way to a predictable wide UD against a B-level opponent and Mattysse KOing an anonymous no-hoper are the kind of fights PBC gets criticized for putting on.

[lazboy]

I agree. Then you have the expert commentators. Kellerman suggested that any right handed people should box southpaw as you’re using that hand 70% of the time. Maybe that sounds fine or paper but that’s just silly. Learn to jab with your weaker hand it’s an acquired skill, combo off it, throw power rights. What does he want boxers to just southpaw jab and jab the whole fight!

[SenorPipino]

You once thought of classic fights when you thought of HBO boxing.

Now it's prime time shows are often on the level of its B.A.D. telecasts.

Maybe B.A.D. is an appropriate acronym for this generation of HBO bouts.

[Enlightened-One]

I was taking a quick look at the high-profile fighters affiliated to HBO, either due to their own contract or their promoters’ contract with that TV network, and here’s a list of the biggest names I could formulate from the following companies: Matchroom USA; Golden Boy Promotions; K2 Promotions; Roc Nation Sports; and Main Events:

• Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
• Gennady Golovkin
• Sergey Kovalev
• Roman Gonzalez
• David Lemieux
• Daniel Jacobs
• Sor Rungvisai
• Jorge Linares
• Lucas Matthysse
• Demetrius Andrade
• Jarrell Miller

Golovkin, Kovalev, Linares, Gonzalez, Matthysse and Lemieux are all in the final stages of their careers and I don’t expect the 31 year old Sor Rungvisai to be around for much longer either.

For sure, HBO are highly-likely to televise 2018’s biggest PPV event, in the form of the Canelo-Golovkin rematch, but what else can they offer?

HBO won’t fund cross-promotional/network bouts between the vast majority of fighters in their roster and those tied to ESPN, Showtime & Fox, because there’s not enough money to be earned from staging those fights.

Canelo signed his exclusive multi-year multi-fight contract with HBO during September 2014 and after competing in the Golovkin rematch on the 5th May, 2018, he would have completed 3½ years and engaged in seven bouts, which means he may already be close to the end of his deal, so he may not choose to stay with HBO.

HBO cannot compete with Showtime, especially their recently-announced schedule for the first half of the year… and in fact they are currently investing less in the sport than they ever have done.

Here’s the current (most likely) HBO fight schedule for the first half of 2018:

• Golovkin-Canelo II (TBC)
• Sor Rungvisai-Estrada
• Kovalev-Mikhalkin
• Bivol-Barrera
• Jacobs-O'Sullivan (TBC)

Apart from the Canelo-Golovkin rematch, the other bouts are pretty dire in comparison to Showtime’s offerings for the equivalent time-period!

Whilst “I hope HBO can do better” during 2018, I don’t know how they can, since they won’t invest in our sport.

[caldo2025]

I've been critical and pessimistic about Boxing in 2018 for months now because the schedule looked so bleak to start the year. Then SHO announced their schedule and I was feeling a little better because there are a few nice fights that I look forward to. But no one else is announcing anything right now. Maybe it's a hangover year after such a great 2017. No idea, but it sucks.

[gilgamesh]

HBO can definitely do better. Hell they could've done better Saturday. I don't know why they didn't pick up the World Boxing Super Series at a discount.

[SenorPipino]

Probably because European cruiserweights can't attract eyeballs in the US.

[gilgamesh]

Probably because European cruiserweights can't attract eyeballs in the US.

But Matthysse vs Kiram did?

[jamamb]

i actually think sor-estrada and bivol-barrera are really good, but i agree overall hbo has been weak sauce. certainly lost loads of the reputation it used to have for boxing. it used to be where it was all at.

[gilgamesh]

i actually think sor-estrada and bivol-barrera are really good, but i agree overall hbo has been weak sauce. certainly lost loads of the reputation it used to have for boxing. it used to be where it was all at.

Last year I dropped HBO. 3 or 4 years ago I'd have never dreamed of doing that. What's that tell ya?

[SenorPipino]

Probably because European cruiserweights can't attract eyeballs in the US.

But Matthysse vs Kiram did?

I don't know. I haven't seen the ratings.

I'm sure it wasn't a highly viewed telecast.

But Linares can attract some Latino fans and Gesta can keep the Filipinos tuned in hoping for the second coming of Pacquiao.

And Matthysse does have something of a name, at least among fight fans.

He's a pure power puncher and that always peaks the interest of viewers.

But cruiserweights, with the exception of a Holyfield, have been the ignored stepchild of boxing divisions in the US.

For whatever reason, there's never been much interest.

Throw in a lot of unfamiliar European names and the tournament would bomb here ratings wise.

Remember when HBO wasn't even interested in broadcasting a Klitschko fight at heavyweight, maintaining that the public can't tell the 2 brothers apart.

I think part of the network's reluctance was their feeling that its viewers simply had little interest in European boxers.

[gilgamesh]

HBO's thing has always been having the best boxers in the world. If they're gonna ignore European boxers then they're no longer gonna have claim to having the best in the world because a great deal of the World's best these days are European.

[KiwiRider]

I was taking a quick look at the high-profile fighters affiliated to HBO, either due to their own contract or their promoters’ contract with that TV network, and here’s a list of the biggest names I could formulate from the following companies: Matchroom USA; Golden Boy Promotions; K2 Promotions; Roc Nation Sports; and Main Events:

• Saul “Canelo” Alvarez
• Gennady Golovkin
• Sergey Kovalev
• Roman Gonzalez
• David Lemieux
• Daniel Jacobs
• Sor Rungvisai
• Jorge Linares
• Lucas Matthysse
• Demetrius Andrade
• Jarrell Miller

Golovkin, Kovalev, Linares, Gonzalez, Matthysse and Lemieux are all in the final stages of their careers and I don’t expect the 31 year old Sor Rungvisai to be around for much longer either.

For sure, HBO are highly-likely to televise 2018’s biggest PPV event, in the form of the Canelo-Golovkin rematch, but what else can they offer?

HBO won’t fund cross-promotional/network bouts between the vast majority of fighters in their roster and those tied to ESPN, Showtime & Fox, because there’s not enough money to be earned from staging those fights.

Canelo signed his exclusive multi-year multi-fight contract with HBO during September 2014 and after competing in the Golovkin rematch on the 5th May, 2018, he would have completed 3½ years and engaged in seven bouts, which means he may already be close to the end of his deal, so he may not choose to stay with HBO.

HBO cannot compete with Showtime, especially their recently-announced schedule for the first half of the year… and in fact they are currently investing less in the sport than they ever have done.

Here’s the current (most likely) HBO fight schedule for the first half of 2018:

• Golovkin-Canelo II (TBC)
• Sor Rungvisai-Estrada
• Kovalev-Mikhalkin
• Bivol-Barrera
• Jacobs-O'Sullivan (TBC)

Apart from the Canelo-Golovkin rematch, the other bouts are pretty dire in comparison to Showtime’s offerings for the equivalent time-period!

Whilst “I hope HBO can do better” during 2018, I don’t know how they can, since they won’t invest in our sport.

Heck EO, it's pretty dire when you put it like that. And I could add that Canelo only fights a couple of times a year. I would expect him to resign a deal with HBO, be it a fight by fight basis of a shorter term.
I have a feeling there may be interaction between Sky Sports and HBO in the near future. Matchroom have a good relationship with HBO and Matchroom USA, that might be the deal that props up HBO.
When Eddie first announced Matchroom USA, my first thought was a deal with HBO for US coverage. Time will tell if that happens. HBO's aging roster smells like a winding down of their involvement, possibly so they can focus on being more of a telecaster than a management company

[boxing_rocks]

HBO should've picked WBSS fights.