The premium network has carried the sport for 45 years.
After 45 years in the ring, HBO is bailing on boxing.
The premium network will no longer carry live and pay per view fights. HBO Sports president Peter Nelson broke the news, which had been rumored for weeks, to the network's boxing production staff on Thursday morning. Later in the afternoon, the network put out a statement explaining the decision, which largely came down to the proliferation of the sport on myriad platforms, including on ESPN as well as its OTT service.
"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," read the statement. "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."
The decision means that the network also will jettison the shoulder programming that surrounded the fights and will no longer need the services of several of its boxing commentators, including Harold Lederman and former boxers Roy Jones Jr. and Andre Ward. Max Kellerman, the ESPN host, who appeared with Jim Lampley on the network's boxing programming, is expected to wrap up his duties at HBO. Lampley, however, is expected to remain.
The network's first fight was the 1973 heavyweight bout between George Foreman and Joe Frazier in 1973, which Foreman won in a knockout. The last fight is likely to be a middleweight title fight at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 27.
HBO Sports is pivoting away from live events for sports-themed storytelling, such as this fall's edition of 24/7 highlighting the upcoming Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson match play; LeBron James and Maverick Carter's upcoming Student Athlete, which bows Oct. 2; and the two-part Mohammad Ali documentary set for 2019.
Meanwhile, Fox recently finalized a four-year deal to carry Premiere Boxing Champions. And last summer, ESPN announced a seven-year deal with Top Rank.
"We are a storytelling platform," continued the HBO statement. "The future will see unscripted series, long-form documentary films, reality programming, sports journalism, event specials and more unique standout content from HBO Sports."
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