Peter Nelson, Executive Vice President of HBO Sports, gathered his boxing staff for a meeting this morning to announce that after 45 years, the network will no longer broadcast live fights. Among those in the meeting were announcer Jim Lampley, analyst Max Kellerman, ringside scorer Harold Lederman and the former champs Andre Ward and Roy Jones Jr., who served as commentators on several occasions. Lampley is expected to remain at HBO. The others are not.
The first fight shown on HBO was in 1973. George Foreman knocked out Joe Frazier to become the world’s heavyweight champion. The final fight will air in October of this year. It will be a middleweight title fight from Madison Square Garden.
Nelson said in a recent interview that HBO’s boxing coverage doesn’t resonate with potential subscribers the way it used to. In a press release, the network said airing live boxing matches is no longer a point of differentiation for HBO.
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.
Without live boxing, HBO Sports will now be made up exclusively of documentaries and commentary programs such as Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. To the point made in the press release, boxing can still be found on FS1, ESPN, DAZN, and Showtime.
