HBO has been in boxing for 45 years and after four decades in the game, they have decided to bow out and end coverage by the end of the year.
The cable network revolutionized the sport and created pay-per-view as we see it today, becoming the platform for some of the biggest names in the sport.
“Our mission at HBO Sports is to elevate the brand. We look for television projects that are high-profile, high-access, and highly ambitious in the stories they seek to tell and the quality of production in telling them. Boxing has been part of our heritage for decades. During that time, the sport has undergone a transformation. It is now widely available on a host of networks and streaming services. There is more boxing than ever being televised and distributed. In some cases, this programming is very good. But from an entertainment point of view, it’s not unique.
Going forward in 2019, we will be pivoting away from programming live boxing on HBO. As always, we will remain open to looking at events that fit our programming mix. This could include boxing, just not for the foreseeable future. We’re deeply indebted to the many courageous fighters whose careers we were privileged to cover.”
Over the years, boxing has slowed up and the sport as a whole has been considered almost dead, so the news doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
With Top Rank securing deals with ESPN, it was clear HBO was moving away from the sport and today’s news just makes everything official. It’ll be interesting to see where the sport goes from here and whether or not it will carry on as strong as it did when HBO was the power player.
All in all, enjoy the last of boxing programming the next few months, because that will be the end of it on HBO as we know it.
Showtime, ESPN, FOX and DAZN will be picking up the pieces with some of the biggest stars in the sport like Canelo Alvarez, Genady Golovkin, Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions and possibly Floyd Mayweather (coming out of retirement).