Showtime comes out swinging for Boxing

The boxing education of Ken Hershman continues and fight fans, as well as much of the industry, continue to benefit from it. It’s been close to three years since Hershman, the Senior VP and General Manager of Sports and Event Programming for Showtime, took over the position held by Jay Larkin, who left the subscription cable company in November of 2005 after heading up the network’s boxing programming for 19 and half years. Some media members and industry insiders were skeptical if Hershman could fill the shoes of the respected and well-liked Larkin and continue the considerable momentum the network’s boxing program had gained in 2004 and ’05, years that saw Larkin’s “great fights, no rights” policy blossom with a series of excellent matchups highlighted by the Corrales-Castillo-Casamayor rivalry in the lightweight division. They wondered if a former legal counsel for the network could replace a brilliant producer (and lifelong fight fan) like Larkin and put on truly great matchups like Corrales-Castillo I, the Fight of the Year for 2005 (and some would argue of all time). The answer is yes. Last year Showtime aired the Fight of the Year with the Rafael Marquez-Israel Vazquez rematch and this year the network hosted the leading candidate for Fight of the Year with the Vazquez-Marquez rubbermatch, and Hershman, who used to work on fight contracts with Larkin and Mark Greenberg (Showtime’s former executive VP overseeing sports programming) before they left the network, was the final word on that incredible junior featherweight matchup. In 2006, Hershman’s first full year as Showtime’s boxing boss, the cruiserweight title was unified, undisputed welterweight champ Zab Judah was upset by then-unknown Carlos Baldomir, the mighty Marquez brothers co-headlined a show, Joe Calzaghe emerged as a pound-for-pound player by drubbing Jeff Lacy for 12 rounds, and Miguel Cotto and Antonio Margarito shared a broadcast on the network that reportedly only has a fourth of the annual boxing budget of rival subscription cable outfit HBO. Hershman, who isn’t known as a “boxing guy”, must know something about the sport. "I think I know boxing, but I will I continue to learn about the sport, the business and the people in it all the times; that’s one of the main reasons why I love my job." This year Hershman has a lot to be happy about. On top of the thriller that was Vazquez-Marquez III, Showtime has aired even-money matchups between top contenders that ended in explosive knockouts (Williams-Quintana II, Abraham-Miranda II, Torres-Holt II, and last Saturday’s Kirilov-Darchinyan) and what could be the Upset of the Year in Sergio Mora’s decision victory over Vernon Forrest. It’s interesting to note that Williams-Quintana I, Abraham-Miranda I and Torres-Holt I did not air on Showtime. The winners of those rematches established themselves as players in their respective divisions and it’s likely that their next bouts will not be televised on Showtime (as Mora-Forrest II will not air on the network), but the bouts were purchased regardless of the future consequences because they were matchups that Hershman – and many fight fans – found intriguing. “I’m intrigued by both fights and excited about the event,” he said. “Williams is very focused on winning and regaining his title, and Mora, the man who won it all on the first season of The Contender series, will finally have a chance to prove if he can he step up in a real fight against a world-class fighter.” Hershman seemed just as intrigued by Kirilov-Darchinyan, a fight (and division) that Showtime’s distinguished competition would likely pass over because of a perceived lack of interest by casual fans. “Kirliov-Darchinyan is a fight that I love,” Hershman said. “It’s a fun fight to tune into. You’re going to see a little guy with good technique and an incredible work rate versus Darchinyan, a guy with great power and great holes in his defense. I know hardly anyone outside of you and me and a few hardcore nuts know about these fighters, but it’s a good fight for August, and it didn’t cost a lot to be made.” When asked about the importance of attracting viewers outside of the hardcore fanbase, and if the network aired Forrest-Mora because of its potential to appeal to casual fans, Hershman answered: “That’s a hard question, because I don’t know what appeals to them. I think The Contender series fighters tend to be more known than other fighters and Forrest has name recognition because he’s an established champion, but it’s always a challenge to find the right balance between name recognition and proper fights. However, that’s what we’re always striving to do.” Antonio Tarver’s presence on the network last year brought criticism from many boxing scribes because they believed the network’s balance swung too far in favor the former light heavyweight champ’s name recognition and away from “proper fights”. Tarver, one year removed from his decision loss to Bernard Hopkins, scored a decision over Elvir Muriqi last June and then knocked out Danny Santiago in December. Muriqi and Santiago didn’t remind anyone of Bob Foster or Michael Spinks, but Hershman defends the bouts because they led to Tarver’s IBF title winning bout vs. Clinton Woods, which was televised Showtime (in the U.S.) this past April, and that bout led to a showdown between Tarver and undefeated WBC titlist Chad Dawson. The Tarver-Dawson title unification bout is the headliner to an October 11th Showtime Championship Boxing show that opens with Samuel Peter’s WBC heavyweight title defense vs. come-backing former champ Vitali Klitschko. It’s a hell of a double-header, one which should yield good ratings for the network. However, while Hershman agrees that Showtime’s October show will likely garner a lot of eyeballs, he adds that ratings are not necessarily paramount to his programming decisions. “There are some fighters who we have featured in the past and will continue to feature because they deliver value to our subscribers that boxing writers just don’t like,” he said. “Antonio Tarver is the main guy, I and just don’t understand it. “Tarver has delivered very good ratings, he’s delivered for the network, and I’ve enjoyed having him associated with the network. I think he’s a dynamic personality, but for some reason the press has decided that he’s not an elite fighter, that he doesn’t belong on our network, and some have been out of line in the manner in which they expressed this opinion.” One prominent boxing scribe jokingly suggested that Tarver had compromising pictures of Hershman that he used to blackmail the executive in order to continue getting dates on the network against easy competition. Hershman didn’t think it was funny. “If anything it was libelous,” he quipped. “I don’t understand the negativity we get from some boxing writers; don’t they realize it hurts the sport? “Don’t they understand that some major fights have to be built in order to keep them off Pay Per View? We don’t want to put our biggest fights on Pay Per View, we want to keep them on Showtime. Pay Per View is a self-fulfilling prophecy that only shrinks the viewership of the sport. Hershman believes that there is so much negativity, skepticism and paranoia in today’s boxing coverage that it turns away new fans, potential sponsors, and other networks from participating in the sport. It could even jeopardize boxing’s continuation on his network, he says. “The day Showtime gets out of boxing is a sad day for the sport because HBO can’t sustain it alone,” he said. Hershman recognizes that HBO is also constantly scrutinized and slammed by boxing writers for what seems like every decision the network’s executives make and he doesn’t condone or like it. “HBO is always striving to put on the best events they can and I’m always looking to put on best events that I can; it’s that simple,” he said. “The biggest challenge is the juggling act of the fighters, the fight camps, the promoters, the venues, the sanctioning organizations, the dates and the money – it’s all got to get together at the level we operate. These are not $20,000 shows we put on, these are multi-million dollar events; there are risks taking place on all levels by every party involved and everyone is being careful.” But Hershman adds that sometimes the best fights are the simplest ones to make. “It’s amazing to me how easy it is sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes it happens with just a phone call. Making Vazquez-Marquez was literally a 2-minute conversation on the phone.” Hershman is confident that more fan-friendly matchups like Vazquez-Marquez can be made this year and beyond. “Showtime’s boxing program is as strong as it’s ever been,” he said even before Tarver-Dawson, Peter-Klitschko, and the Nate Campbell-Joan Guzman lightweight title fight (the Sept. 13th Championship Boxing headliner) were solidified. “We have had an enormous amount of success in keeping our audience, keeping our reputation up and keeping our subscribers happy. “We’ve had some surprises and some spectacular fights and every once in a while we’ve had fights we’re not happy with, but overall it’s excellent and I think boxing is better for it.” check out this article at: http://www.maxboxing.com/Fischer/Fischer080708.asp