Pesky Press Corners HBO’s Hershman on #MayPac

HBO boxing boss Ken Hershman isn’t so keen on regular back and forths with media. But of course, that is his right.

He will chat with us, but not on an intermittent basis; no, he’s not like an Al Haymon, who speaks to us every other Neveruary, but he doesn’t thrive on that element of the position.

HBO put out a statement a couple days ago after some stories went out which laid blame at their feet, and portrayed HBO as the ones gumming up the works to making #MayPac. Confession: that struck me as ludicrous, because in my mind, A+ Side Floyd could snap his fingers and make this thing a done deal. Why he hasn’t only he and maybe one or two other people know, I surmise…

But I tend to think HBO wouldn’t stand in the way of making a best-faith effort for their leading man, Manny Pacquiao, who so dearly wants to fight “Money.” Not if they want to continue to do business with him…why would they risk his ire? Plus they make decent money doing #MayPac, even though, yes, they note that lots of revenue goes up in smoke when fights are offered on PPV (ie such as 50% goes to the platform entities/carriers).

Hershman attended the Wednesday presser for the April 25 Wladimir Kliitschko-Bryant Jennings fight at Madison Square Garden, which will run on HBO. He was cornered by a couple pesky press-members, and asked about the status of #MayPac. Same as it was, he said. No done deal.

Is this thing at the goal line, asked the Newsday reporter… “I don’t want to put any adjectives to it,” Hershman said. “Until there’s a deal, it doesn’t matter. We’re just hopeful that there is a deal at the end of the day.” He said that the HBO position has been consistent, they want to make the deal, they are not an “impediment.”

He said the principals, i.e. the fighters and their teams, need to get ‘er done. HBO, he reiterated, wants to do this.

“As a fight fan like you, Michael, I hope this gets made,” he continued. “We’re not doing anything to be an impediment. That’s as much as I can say, and I hope we have some great news to announce in the coming days.”

I could say from his lips to God’s ears, but I don’t see any God giving a hoot about a prizefight…but here’s hoping his wish comes true.

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