HBO Boxing Boss Ken Hershman Looks Back, Forward

Published

9 years ago

December 19, 2014

The interview got off to a rough start, because I missed my call time.

My excuse was good, as excuses go: I was cleaning out the cat litter box.

That’s why I missed my 1 PM phoner with HBO boxing boss Ken Hershman, but after doing that bit of housekeeping, I put on my journo cap, got out my keyboard, and checked in to see what the lay of the land was in the mind of Hershman, and see if I could get a sense of how 2015 might play out.

I say “might” because as far as fool’s errands go, planning much beyond the next bout in this fight-game sphere can and is often proven to be a waste of time. The landscape shifts, allegiances sprout and crumble, fighters hook up with confidantes who tell them they should be making X amount more, so why not sit on the sidelines and make ‘em beg for your return, etc etc.

Hershman didn’t disagree with my theory on “the best laid plans,” and then we both marveled that it’s been so long since he came over to HBO, from across the street, Showtime, to steer the boxing ship.

“It’s gone pretty quickly, “ he told me. “Looking back, it’s amazing that it been that long already.”

Hershman’s start date was January 2012, and oh yes, has time passed and has that landscape shifted. Floyd Mayweather was the man back then, the one, along with Manny Pacquiao, who was going to spur smiles among the suits who run the show at the premium cabler…or cause frown lines to cement that much more, as balance sheets don’t read like the folks who live and die, to an extent, by those figures.

Hey, while I’m on the subject, before we take a look back, what say we take a peek at the future…Floyd’s got two fights left on his Showtime/CBS deal…would you, Mr. Hershman, consider making a run at “Money,” do a sequel with him, bring him back into the HBO fold after his mega-deal with the Sho crew runs its course?

Hershman wasn’t too keen on “projecting into the future” regarding Floyd, which circles us back to what we said about the best laid plans. But he did state that he saw Floyd at the WBC convention in Vegas earlier in the week, and they interacted amiably. “There was a long relationship between Floyd and HBO, and I understand his business decisions, and we’ll cross that bridge if and when it appears,” he said. “I’ve got nothing negative to say about Floyd. But we have to move forward with my model, our model…and when the time comes, he’ll have choices to make.”

As for the year which has almost called it a day, Hershman looks back with contentedness, he told me. “I think it was a tremendous year, and we were are firing on all cylinders, and we are well positioned to go into 2015.”

I’d say so; no, they aren’t in the Mayweather business, but I sometimes think that has to feel like it’s as much or more trouble than it’s worth. (Though the current boxing boss Stephen Espinoza is unfraid to state publicly that is not so, that the financial arrangement they all hashed out serves all parties well, and he has said that Floyd’s off-the-field shenanigans are basically immaterial to how he and the Sho crew view Floyd the fighter.)

Hershman told me he’s comfortable having gotten into a flow where he’s working with promoters and fighters who are on the same page. That “minimizes surprises,” what I referenced earlier, those speedbumps that derail even stable vehicles.

“What we’ve seen is the blossoming of a Terence Crawford, the explosive growth of Gennady Golovkin, and events like the Juan Manuel Marquez-Mike Alvarado fight,” and other marquee matchups of that ilk. “The key to long-term success (as an executive) is to never get too high, or too low. You roll with it, and you stay true to the brand and the principals you support. Then, you can navigate through anything pretty well. We did a pretty good job in 2014 navigating.”

This year in boxing was an upheaval year, more than most, with the Golden Boy splintering setting a tone of instability and uncertainty for the most of the year. Oscar De La Hoya proved himself a hard-nosed promoter, as he was a fighter, when he did what capitalists do, use his leverage and a robust marketplace to get the best deal he could for his pugilistic building block, Canelo Alvarez, as he ushered him across the street from Sho to HBO. They have a multi fight deal in place, which should result in the red-headed Mexican re-debuting on HBO in a most splashy tangle, against Puerto Rican icon Miguel Cotto, in May. That’ll be a PPV outing, and I touched on that model some with Hershman. He reiterated what he’s said more often of late, that he wants HBO subscribers to get great bang for their buck, and to use the PPV mode quite selectively.

Thinking back, here are some of the marquee names who fought on HBO this year: Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto, Wladimir Klitschko, Gennady Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev, Terence Crawford, Timothy Bradley Jr., Carl Froch, Sergio Martinez, Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel Marquez, Vasyl Lomachenko, Brandon Rios, Mike Alvarado and Ruslan Provodniknov, as well as relative newcomers David Lemieux and Nicholas Walters.

HBO gave us the two most anticipated, arguably, scraps of the year, in the Miguel Cotto-Sergio Martinez clash in NYC, as well as the light heavyweight faceoff between Sergey Kovalev and Bernard Hopkins in AC.

“The Canelo signing for us was a pivotal signing,” Hershman said. “I’m so happy to be attached to him, and looking forward to Canelo delivering in 2015 mega-events, on HBO, and not only on pay-per-view.”

If you are a numbers freak, this stat might speak to you, if you are one who monitors the rivalry between HBO and Sho:

In 2014 HBO World Championship Boxing events – total program- (978,000 viewers) outperformed Showtime Championship events (593,000 viewers) by 65%.

Also, in 2014 HBO World Championship Boxing main event fights (1.2 million viewers) outperformed Showtime Championship main event fights (734,000 viewers) by 58%.

Interestingly, the Boxing After Dark prime time main events actually outperformed Showtime’s flagship Championship Boxing main events by 32% in 2014. Additionally, HBO Boxing has delivered the top 13 bouts on cable television in 2014 to date. The top three, to date, were HBO presentations:

-Chavez Jr. vs. Vera II — 1,390,000 million viewers (1,531,000 peak viewership)

-Hopkins vs. Kovalev — 1,328,000 million viewers (1,397,000 peak viewership)

-Golovkin vs.Rubio – 1304,000 million viewers (1,323,000 peak viewership)

“We have a tremendous array of talent and mostly the best in class in virtually every weight division in which we’re active,” Hershman continued. “Yes, we had a great year.”

My friends at Sho would tell you they ain’t chopped liver either.

They will note their average viewership went up in 2012, and 2103, and basically stayed stable in 2014. They’d argue that momentum-wise, they like their trending better than HBO’s…and would note that HBO is on in about 28 million homes, versus 22 million or so for Sho.

That aside, Hershman likes his first quarter of 2015, too, he said. He sees Martin Murray as a viable challenger to Gennady Golovkin—-me, I see Murray and think “timberrr,” but hope for a competitive square-off—–and looks forward to that Feb. 21 tussle.

The third Rios-Alvarado tangle promises fierce trading, and Sergey Kovavel is now must see TV, so people will be circling his March 14 date with Jean Pascal. Add to that Wladimir Klitschko’s return to the US, in April, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center against Bryant Jennings, and the potential Cotto-Canelo waltz…

“We’re fully stocked with extremely talented fighers,” Hershman told me. He also pointed to up ‘n comers, like Crawford, Walters, Felix Verdejo, and a couple others, guys in the Top Rank stable, who will be appearing more on HBO Latino. “The world is their oyster,” he said. “There is no shortage of attractive fights and fighters. Of course, we’d love to have every single attractive fight and fighter…but we don’t struggle to find marquee matchups.”

Hershman is a top dog, so there are always pups nipping at his heels. You get a corner office and generous paycheck, and there will be talk about your performance, and the possibility of a severing of your tenure. I asked him how long his deal is with the company. “I work at the pleasure of the company,” he answered. “I will be here as long as they want me, and I am enjoying my gig, which I am!”

He wouldn’t furnish me any inside dope of the 2015 budget; I ask not to be a nosy nelly, but because a robust budget means we fans get, presumably, better bouts. “We never talk budget,” he said. “But HBO’s commitment to boxing has been fantastic. Boxing has been stellar for them, and I expect that to continue well into the future.” He said he thinks the sport “over-delivers” for the cabler, and is a potent driver in subscription adds.

As befits an executive who wants to maintain a sane and stable brain in this shark tank of a business climate, Hershman came off as chill, seeing big picture, with an upbeat bent. “That’s not to say there are no challenges. We need the judging to be more consistent, and the number of titles and sanctioning bodies (isn’t ideal). We’ve got a ways to go. But I’m an optimist, I believe in the strength and vitality of the sport.”

Amen, as do I.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 281: The Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia Show

Published

12 hours ago

April 18, 2024

David A. Avila

Avila-Perspective-Chap-281-The-Devin-and-Ryan-Show

Over the years bouts between old foes such as Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia tend to be surprising.

Yes, both are only 25 but have known each other for many years.

When undisputed super lightweight champion Haney (31-0, 15 KOs) steps into the prize ring at Barclays Center to meet challenger Garcia (24-1, 20 KOs) on Saturday, April 20, fans will be witnessing the continuation of a feud that began more than a decade ago.

And though the champion is a heavy favorite, familiarity is Garcia’s best weapon heading into their fight on the Golden Boy Promotions card that will be shown on PPV.COM with Jim Lampley and friends. DAZN pay-per-view is also streaming the card.

In many ways Haney and Garcia have ventured down the same path. From amateur sensations to fighting in Mexico while teens to asking for the biggest challenges available.

“Whichever version of Ryan shows up on April 20, I will be ready for him. Ryan Garcia is just another opponent to me,” said Haney who holds the WBC super lightweight title after his win over Regis Prograis.

The first time I saw Haney as a pro he battled the dangerous Mexican contender Juan Carlos Burgos at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. It was an impressive performance against a fighter who fought three times for a world title.

Haney was 19 at the time.

My first look at Garcia as a pro was in his first bout in the U.S. when he met Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Cruz at the Exchange in downtown Los Angeles. The Boricua looked at Garcia and tried intimidating him with stares, taunts and the usual patter. During the fight both swung and missed until the second round when Garcia zeroed in and took him out.

Garcia had just turned 18, the legal age to fight in California.

Both fighters did not have the Olympics credentials that lead to fame. But their talent has allowed them to fight through the dense smoke that is professional boxing.

Haney has defeated numerous world champions such as Prograis, Vasyl Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr., while Garcia has stopped champions Javier Fortuna and Luke Campbell.

As amateurs, Garcia and Haney battled six times with each winning three.

“They know each other very well,” said Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions. “Ryan is going to beat Devin Haney.”

Haney has a buttery-smooth style with one of the best jabs in boxing. He’s very adept at keeping distance and not allowing anyone to fight him inside. His reflexes are outstanding, yet he seldom fights inside. That’s his weakness.

Garcia fights tall and has superb hand speed and a lightning quick left hook. Though his defense lacks tightness his ability to rip off three-punch combinations in a blink of an eye pauses opponents from bullying their way inside.

“These guys always just look at me and look at me like I don’t know how to box,” said Garcia on social media. “Why was I one of the best fighters in the amateurs. Why was I a 15-time National champion…why did I beat everyone I came across.”

Haney is a strong favorite by oddsmakers to defeat Garcia. But you can never tell when it comes to fighters that know each other well and are athletically gifted.

When Sergio Mora challenged Vernon Forrest he was a big underdog. When Tim Bradley fought Manny Pacquiao the first time, he was also the underdog. And when Andy Ruiz met Anthony Joshua few gave him a chance.

Haney and Garcia have history in the ring. It should be an interesting battle.

PPV.COM

Jim Lampley will be leading the broadcast on PPV.COM for the Haney-Garcia card at Barclays and texting with fans on the card live. He will be accompanied by journalists Lance Pugmire, Dan Conobbio and former champion Chris Algieri.

The PPV.COM broadcast begins at 5 p.m. PT. and is available in Canada and the USA.

Other News

MMA stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal will be holding a media day event on Friday, April 19, at NOVO at L.A. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Diaz and Masvidal will be boxing against each other in a grudge match on June 1 at the KIA Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The two MMA stars met five years at UFC 244 with Masvidal winning by TKO over Diaz due to cuts.

This is a grudge match, but under boxing rules.

Fight card in Commerce, Calif.

360 Promotions returns to Commerce Casino on Saturday April 20 with undefeated super lightweight Cain Sandoval leading the charge.

Sandoval (12-0) faces Angel Rebollar (8-3) in the main event that will be shown live on UFC Fight Pass. Also on the card are two female events including hot prospect Lupe Medina (5-0) versus Sabrina Persona (3-1) in a minimumweight clash.

Doors open at 4 p.m.

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Boxing Odds and Ends: The Heavyweight Merry-Go-Round

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Boxing Odds and Ends: The Heavyweight Merry-Go-Round

There were few surprises when co-promoters Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren and their benefactor HE Turki Alalshikh held a press conference in London this past Monday to unveil the undercard for the Beterbiev-Bivol show at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on June 1. Most of the match-ups had already been leaked.

For die-hard boxing fans, Beterbiev-Bivol is such an enticing fight that it really doesn’t need an attractive undercard. Two undefeated light heavyweights will meet with all four relevant belts on the line in a contest where the oddsmakers straddled the fence. It’s a genuine “pick-‘em” fight based on the only barometer that matters, the prevailing odds.

But Beterbiev-Bivol has been noosed to a splendid undercard, a striking contrast to Saturday’s Haney-Garcia $69.99 (U.S.) pay-per-view in Brooklyn, an event where the undercard, in the words of pseudonymous boxing writer Chris Williams, is an absolute dumpster fire.

The two heavyweight fights that will bleed into Beterbiev-Bivol, Hrgovic vs. Dubois and Wilder vs. Zhang, would have been stand-alone main events before the incursion of Saudi money.

Hrgovic-Dubois

Filip Hrgovic (17-0, 13 KOs) and Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KOs) fought on the same card in Riyadh this past December. Hrgovic, the Croatian, was fed a softie in the form of Australia’s Mark De Mori who he dismissed in the opening round. Dubois, a Londoner, rebounded from his loss to Oleksandr Usyk with a 10^th-round stoppage of corpulent Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller.

There’s an outside chance that Hrgovic vs. Dubois may be sanctioned by the IBF for the world heavyweight title.

The May 18 showdown between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury has a rematch clause. The IBF is next in line in the rotation system for a unified heavyweight champion and the organization has made it plain that the winner of Usyk-Fury must fulfill his IBF mandatory before an intervening bout.

The best guess is that the Usyk-Fury winner will relinquish the IBF belt. If so, Hrgovic and Dubois may fight for the vacant title although a more likely scenario is that the organization will keep the title vacant so that the winner can fight Anthony Joshua.

Wilder-Zhang

The match between Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KOs) and Zhilei Zhang (26-2-1, 21 KOs) is a true crossroads fight as both Wilder, 38, and Zhang, who turns 41 in May, are nearing the end of the road and the loser (unless it’s a close and entertaining fight) will be relegated to the rank of a has-been. In fact, Wilder has hinted that this may be his final rodeo.

Both are coming off a loss to Joseph Parker.

Wilder last fought on the card that included Hrgovic and Dubois and was roundly out-pointed by a man he was expected to beat. It’s a quick turnaround for Zhang who opposed Parker on March 8 and lost a majority decision.

Other Fights

Either of two other fights may steal the show on the June 1 event.

Raymond Ford (15-0-1, 8 KOs) meets Nick Ball (19-0-1, 11 KOs) in a 12-round featherweight contest. New Jersey’s Ford will be defending the WBA world title he won with a come-from-behind, 12th-round stoppage of Otabek Kholmatov in an early contender for Fight of the Year. Liverpool’s “Wrecking” Ball, a relentless five-foot-two sparkplug, had to settle for a draw in his title fight with Rey Vargas despite winning the late rounds and scoring two knockdowns.

Hamzah Sheeraz (19-0, 15 KOs) meets fellow unbeaten Austin “Ammo” Williams (16-0, 11 KOs) in a 12-round middleweight match. East London’s Sheeraz, the son of a former professional cricket player, is unknown in the U.S. although he trained for his recent fights at the Ten Goose Boxing Gym in California. Riding a skein of 13 straight knockouts, he has a date with WBO title-holder Janibek Alimkhanuly if he can get over this hurdle.

The Forgotten Heavyweight

“Unbeaten for seven years, the man nobody wants to fight,” intoned ring announcer Michael Buffer by way of introduction. Buffer was referencing Michael Hunter who stood across the ring from his opponent Artem Suslenkov.

This scene played out this past Saturday in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. It was Hunter’s second fight in three weeks. On March 23, he scored a fifth-round stoppage of a 46-year-old meatball at a show in Zapopan, Mexico.

The second-generation “Bounty Hunter,” whose only defeat prior to last weekend came in a 12-rounder with Oleksandr Usyk, has been spinning his wheels since TKOing the otherwise undefeated Martin Bakole on the road in London in 2018. Two fights against hapless opponents on low-budget cards in Mexico and a couple of one-round bouts for the Las Vegas Hustle, an entry in the fledgling and largely invisible Professional Combat League, are the sum total of his activity, aside from sparring, in the last two-and-a-half years.

Hunter’s chances of getting another big-money fight took a tumble in Tashkent where he lost a unanimous decision in a dull affair to the unexceptional Suslenkov who was appearing in his first 10-round fight. The scores of the judges were not announced.

You won’t find this fight listed on boxrec. As Jake Donovan notes, the popular website will not recognize a fight conducted under the auspices of a rogue commission. (Another fight you won’t find on boxrec for the same reason is Nico Ali Walsh’s 6-round split decision over the 9-2-1 Frenchman, Noel Lafargue, in the African nation of Guinea on Dec. 16, 2023. You can find it on YouTube, but according to boxrec, boxing’s official record-keeper, it never happened.)

Anderson-Merhy Redux

The only thing missing from this past Saturday’s match in Corpus Christi, Texas, between Jared Anderson and Ryad Merhy was the ghost of Robert Valsberg.

Valsberg, aka Roger Vaisburg, was the French referee who disqualified Ingemar Johansson for not trying in his match with LA’s Ed Sanders in the finals of the heavyweight competition at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics. Valsberg tossed Johansson out of the ring after two rounds and Johansson was denied the silver medal. The Swede redeemed himself after turning pro, needless to say, when he demolished Floyd Patterson in the first of their three meetings.

Merhy was credited with throwing only 144 punches, landing 34, over the course of the 10 rounds. Those dismal figures yet struck many onlookers as too high. (This reporter has always insisted that the widely-quoted CompuBox numbers should be considered approximations.)

Whatever the true number, it was a disgraceful performance by Merhy who actually showed himself to have very fast hands on the few occasions when he did throw a punch. With apologies to Delfine Persoon, a spunky lightweight, U.S. boxing promoters should think twice before inviting another Belgian boxer to our shores.

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Anderson Cruises by Vapid Merhy and Ajagba edges Vianello in Texas

Published

5 days ago

April 14, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Anderson-Cruises-by-Vapid-Merhy-and-Ajagba-Edges-Vianello-in-Texas

Jared Anderson returned to the ring tonight on a Top Rank card in Corpus Christi, Texas. Touted as the next big thing in the heavyweight division, Anderson (17-0, 15 KOs) hardly broke a sweat while cruising past Ryad Merhy in a bout with very little action, much to the disgruntlement of the crowd which started booing as early as the second round. The fault was all Merhy as he was reluctant to let his hands go. Somehow, he won a round on the scorecard of judge David Sutherland who likely fell asleep for a round for which he could be forgiven.

Merhy, born in the Ivory Coast but a resident of Brussels, Belgium, was 32-2 (26 KOs) heading in after fighting most of his career as a cruiserweight. He gave up six inches in height to Anderson who was content to peck away when it became obvious to him that little would be coming back his way.

Anderson may face a more daunting adversary on Monday when he has a court date in Romulus, Michigan, to answer charges related to an incident in February where he drove his Dodge Challenger at a high rate speed, baiting the police into a merry chase. (Weirdly, Anderson entered the ring tonight wearing the sort of helmet that one associates with a race car driver.)

Co-Feature

In the co-feature, a battle between six-foot-six former Olympians, Italy’s Guido Vianello started and finished strong, but Efe Ajagba had the best of it in the middle rounds and prevailed on a split decision. Two of the judges favored Ajagba by 96-94 scores with the dissenter favoring the Italian from Rome by the same margin.

Vianello had the best round of the fight. He staggered Ajagba with a combination in round two. At the end of the round, a befuddled Ajagba returned to the wrong corner and it appeared that an upset was brewing. But the Nigerian, who trains in Las Vegas under Kay Koroma, got back into the fight with a more varied offensive attack and better head movement. In winning, he improved his ledger to 20-1 (14). Vianello, who sparred extensively with Daniel Dubois in London in preparation for this fight, declined to 12-2-1 in what was likely his final outing under the Top Rank banner.

Other Bouts of Note

In the opening bout on the main ESPN platform, 35-year-old super featherweight Robson Conceicao, a gold medalist for Brazil in the 2016 Rio Olympics, stepped down in class after fighting Emanuel Navarrete tooth-and-nail to a draw in his previous bout and scored a seventh-round stoppage of Jose Ivan Guardado who was a cooked goose after slumping to the canvas after taking a wicked shot to the liver. Guardado made it to his feet, but the end was imminent and the referee waived it off at the 2:27 mark.

Conceicao improved to 18-1 (9 KOs). It was the U.S. debut for Guardado (15-2-1), a boxer from Ensenada, Mexico who had done most of his fighting up the road in Tijuana.

Ruben Villa, the pride of Salinas, California, improved to 22-1 (7) and moved one step closer to a match with WBC featherweight champion Rey Vargas with a unanimous 10-round decision over Tijuana’s Cristian Cruz (22-7-1). The judges had it 97-93 and 98-92 twice.

Cruz, the son of former IBF world featherweight title-holder Cristobal Cruz, was better than his record. He entered the bout on a 21-1-1 run after losing five of his first seven pro fights.

Cleveland southpaw Abdullah Mason, who turned 20 earlier this month, continued his fast ascent up the lightweight ladder with a fourth-round stoppage of Ronal Ron.

Mason (13-0, 11 KOs) put Ron on the canvas in the opening round with a short left hook. He scored a second knockdown with a shot to the liver. A flurry of punches, a diverse array, forced the stoppage at the 1:02 mark of round four. A 25-year-old SoCal-based Venezuelan, the spunky but out-gunned Ron declined to 14-6.

Charly Suarez, a 35-year-old former Olympian from the Philippines, ranked #5 at junior lightweight by the IBF, advanced to 17-0 (9) with a unanimous 8-round decision over SoCal’s Louie Coria (5-7).

This was a tactical fight. In the final round, Coria, subbing for 19-0 Henry Lebron, caught the Filipino off-balance and knocked him into the ropes which held him up. It was scored a knockdown, but came too little, too late for Coria who lost by scores of 76-75 and 77-74 twice.

Suarez, whose signature win was a 12^th-round stoppage of the previously undefeated Aussie Paul Fleming in Sydney, may be headed to a rematch with Robson Conceicao. They fought as amateurs in 2016 in Kazakhstan and Suarez lost a narrow 6-round decision.

Photo credit: Mikey Willams / Top Rank via Getty Images

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