Will Al Haymon's PBC Series Knock HBO Off the Boxing Broadcast Throne?
Your turn, HBO.
The network, which for decades could lay claim to the title of cable boxing's pound-for-pound king, suddenly finds itself assailed from all sides by boxing uber-adviser Al Haymon and his coterie of like-minded boxing marketeers and power brokers.
The latest move from the reclusive but influential manager came on Wednesday with the announcement of a multiyear partnership between his Premier Boxing Champions series and CBS/Showtime. The deal was announced via a press release from CBS/Showtime and will include up to eight live events in 2015.
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And it places HBO, already reeling from nearly two months of high-profile moves by Haymon, squarely in the crosshairs and with legitimate questions going forward about how they can compete.
Too early to actively ponder the demise of a network that has built dozens of world champions and produced countless memorable nights in the squared circle? And one that has rebounded from doomsday—Floyd Mayweather jumping ship in 2013—scenarios in the past?
Certainly.
But, as always is the case in boxing, so much will depend on what comes next.
Haymon, the reclusive manager who never speaks to the media or makes public appearances, has come out swinging in the new year.
He's put into place a carefully designed marketing and distribution plan designed to bring significant fights and fighters back to mainstream fans while limiting the avenues for competition, particularly for HBO.
We can all agree that the former represents a boon for boxing—which had a booming 2013 followed by a ho-hum 2014—but the latter?
The jury remains out on that question.
Haymon’s brain child and vehicle for world (boxing) domination is his new Premier Boxing Champions series.
Jake Donovan of BoxingScene.com correctly describes the series as something of a boxing league because Haymon—a registered manager—is legally barred by the federal Muhammad Ali Act from serving as both a manager and promoter.
The CBS/Showtime chunk of the pie rewards a network that has—at least in recent years—been largely responsible for Haymon's ability to grow his cadre of high-profile fighters and expand his influence over the sport.
It's designed to have the feel of a throwback to the better days of boxing.
The cards will be thrown into the air on Saturday afternoons, reviving the tradition of middle-of-the-day boxing that helped gain mainstream exposure for fighters like Sugar Ray Leonard and Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini in the 1980s.
Showtime Sports executive vice president Stephen Espinoza believes the deal will provide great exposure for boxing and benefit all sides.
“The Premier Boxing Champions series on CBS will help usher in a new era in the storied history of boxing,” Espinoza said in a prepared statement released to the media.
“With the support of our parent company [CBS], we are uniquely positioned for a three-tiered approach that includes live boxing broadcasts on America’s No. 1 network, the cable reach of CBS Sports Network and, of course, the premium television leader in boxing, Showtime. The benefit of elevating the sport across these platforms for all involved, including Showtime, is immeasurable."
Haymon's CBS deal, per the media statement, will kick off on April 4 in Quebec City, Canada, when WBC and lineal light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson defends his crown against former super middleweight titlist Sakio Bika.
That fight will serve as a lead-in for Julio Cesar Chavez's network debut two weeks later when he faces dangerous top-10 light heavyweight Andrzej Fonfara on Showtime.
All these events will be supported by, and in support of, Floyd Mayweather's planned May 2 pay-per-view date against an opponent to be determined. The hot stove has been burning lately about the possibility that a Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao showdown could finally be in the offing, but until a fight is announced we remain optimistic but skeptical.
If locking up CBS were the only thing Haymon had done this year, it would represent a problem for HBO, but it's not even close.
Barely two weeks into the new year, Haymon, without even showing face at the event, held a joint press conference in New York City with NBC to announce a partnership that would see the network televise 20 shows across its platforms in 2015.
Five of those cards will be given prime-time slots on NBC, including the welterweight showdown between Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero on March 7 and Danny Garcia vs. Lamont Peterson on Apr. 11.
Those aren't quite PPV-worthy main events, but you could easily see them headlining a Showtime card on premium television, no?
Giving them away for free on network television during prime time ensures maximum exposure and hype.
Putting Thurman, Guerrero, Garcia, Peterson and Adrien Broner—who will fight John Molina on the Thurman-Guerrero undercard—on free TV seemed like a direct swipe at Showtime, who has helped build all into stars, but recent events seem to have rewarded the network's patience.
Just days later, Haymon, per Dan Rafael of ESPN.com, unveiled a second deal, bringing cable network Spike TV into the fold with a pair of fights featuring former welterweight titlists.
Andre Berto, in the second fight of his latest comeback from injury, will face former contender Josesito Lopez in the main event on March 13 in California. The main support bout will see Shawn Porter, rebounding from his first career defeat, in action against Mexico's Roberto Garcia.
Not quite as compelling as the fights on NBC or even CBS, but ones which could easily slot as undercard showcases featuring a pair of returning A-side fighters against challenging opponents.
Steve Kim of BoxingScene.com also reported last week that Haymon's reach could soon extend to ESPN as well.
Rumors are running wild that ESPN's highly successful Friday Night Fights series could cease to exist after its May 22 show (the finals of the 2015 Boxcino tournament) and be replaced with a new format that shifts to a monthly show broadcast on Saturday nights.
The focus would shift to providing a little higher quality of matchups than traditionally seen on FNF, and you can guess who would be providing the fighters and setting the matches.
Thank you, Al Haymon.
CBS, Showtime, NBC, Spike TV and now ESPN?
Haymon's reach has gone from extensive to anaconda-like, and it has the legitimate potential to squeeze HBO out of the mix entirely.
Sure, HBO, for now at least, remains the exclusive network home for notable superstars Manny Pacquiao and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, and it has a deep stable of rising stars led by Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev and Terence Crawford.
But with so many venues available for mainstream exposure and the dollars and notoriety that come with it—Haymon has a virtual monopoly now on anything not named HBO—will HBO have a harder time attracting and retaining that type of upper-tier talent?
That's the question, and it's one without an easy, or perhaps positive, answer.
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