by David P. Greisman

It has been said that one reason the often aesthetically displeasing Bernard Hopkins continues to be featured in prime spots on boxing broadcasts is because he pulls in good ratings.

Hopkins’ second fight with Jean Pascal, which took place in May 2011, had 1.8 million viewers on HBO, according to various reports citing Nielsen ratings for people who watched live or on DVR before 3 a.m.

Hopkins’ second fight with Chad Dawson, which took place in April 2012, had 1.6 million viewers on HBO.

And Nielsen reports that Hopkins’ win over light heavyweight titleholder Tavoris Cloud this past weekend brought in 1.2 million viewers on HBO.

While that represents a drop from Hopkins’ two most recent appearances on the network, it is also on par with what HBO boxing cards bring in. Last week, HBO’s Kery Davis said HBO boxing broadcasts get 1.2 million viewers on average, according to an article by Michael Woods of TheSweetScience.com.

In 2012, eight of HBO’s live boxing broadcasts had an average at or more than 1.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen statistics compiled by Matthew Paras of MaxBoxing.com.

Another 10 broadcasts had an average of less than 1.2 million viewers, according to Paras.

David P. Greisman is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Follow David on Twitter @fightingwords2 or send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com