HBO vs. Showtime: The Network Wars Begin

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

By Jake Donovan - It happens every year, right around this time of the year, in fact. HBO and Showtime, the two premiere stateside powerbrokers, manage to play nice for a couple of months, before deciding to go head-to-head in their boxing schedules.

From there, it's on. It's never a one-and-done affair; usually no fewer than five times, sometimes upwards of eight times per year as was the case in 2007

It's a strange rivalry as it remains solely in-house. Neither network will allow their boxing schedule to compete against other sports.

When was the last time a major fight card went head-to-head with Game 1 of the Major League Baseball World Series? In fact, big fights aren't even scheduled for the last weekend in October for fear that the World Series will extend to at least a 6th game.

Anyone who remotely follows college basketball knows that March Madness – bracket season - is now upon us. Boxing fans can relax and take in all of the action without fear of schedule conflict. Why? Because boxing doesn't schedule any major fights beyond the second round of the tournament, and won't come back until a college hoops champion is crowned, with the regional and Final Four rounds both taking place on Saturdays. [details]

[Mike Tyson77]

Boxing ****s on all other sports.

[rljack]

HBO wins this one

HBO wins this weekend in my book. I mean you get alot better commentary from HBO announcers and just a better boxing show. I mean Showtime is for fighters who can't get on HBO. Showtime compared to HBO is sort of like going from a Community College to One of the Top Ten University's in the country for a fighter I mean if you fail and don't get good grades or kicked out you go back down to Showtime/Community College. Look at Joe Calzaghe first time I actually seen him fight was on Showtime he cleaned out Jeff Lacy and afterwards he's been on HBO ever sense then. Another Example Antonio Tarver he lost to Hopkins and he's been back on showtime ever sense. I just think showtime is for fighters that are being groomed to one day play in the Big Leagues which is HBO. You can definitely make a name for yourself no matter what network a fighter is on. Not to say that Showtime doesn't have great fights but it has to be a great fight for me to watch a showtime fight there crew just don't interest me enough. But I'm not only picking HBO this weekend because of announcers I'm picking it because I like Juan Diaz the way he fights is entertaining and also I like Samuel Peter for his Power and i think both of those guys are the future of boxing and will be on top of there divisions in the near future.

[cupcrazy01]

This weekend is loaded, 2 no-doubt-about-it great fights and one potentially very good one (Maskaev-Peter).

Showtime has rebounded from a subpar 2007 with last weekend's fight of the year and by picking up Haye-Macca and making it live for those of us in the US. And, of course, April 12 is a phenomenal light heavyweight doubleheader.

HBO has a great card this weekend, where the lightweight showdown will undoubtedly be the real main event of the night, but Maskaev-Peter is one of the best possible heavyweight match-ups that can be made, so it could be very good.

Both boxing networks are doing well right now.

[MELLY-MEL...]

show has come along way and is looking good! i will give my dvr a ton of use the next month!

[deevel79]

HBO wins this weekend in my book. I mean you get alot better commentary from HBO announcers and just a better boxing show. I mean Showtime is for fighters who can't get on HBO. Showtime compared to HBO is sort of like going from a Community College to One of the Top Ten University's in the country for a fighter I mean if you fail and don't get good grades or kicked out you go back down to Showtime/Community College. Look at Joe Calzaghe first time I actually seen him fight was on Showtime he cleaned out Jeff Lacy and afterwards he's been on HBO ever sense then. Another Example Antonio Tarver he lost to Hopkins and he's been back on showtime ever sense. I just think showtime is for fighters that are being groomed to one day play in the Big Leagues which is HBO. You can definitely make a name for yourself no matter what network a fighter is on. Not to say that Showtime doesn't have great fights but it has to be a great fight for me to watch a showtime fight there crew just don't interest me enough. But I'm not only picking HBO this weekend because of announcers I'm picking it because I like Juan Diaz the way he fights is entertaining and also I like Samuel Peter for his Power and i think both of those guys are the future of boxing and will be on top of there divisions in the near future.

Wasnt Tyson a Showtime fighter? I remember HBO and Showtime doing a joint boxing match for the first time in history, because Tyson was with Showtime, and Lewis was with HBO.

[ElGranLuchador]

well after vasquez marquez 3 maskaev and peter better step up

[JakeNDaBox]

Wasnt Tyson a Showtime fighter? I remember HBO and Showtime doing a joint boxing match for the first time in history, because Tyson was with Showtime, and Lewis was with HBO.

Tyson was an HBO fighter during his heyday, but threatened to leave (and eventually left) over issues w/ Larry Merchant's ****iness. That's when King took him to Showtime.

That said, I agree w/ rljack's assessment, that such was the road Showtime was heading last year. After having gained momentum in the past few years, 2007 became a year where they settled for HBO's leftovers.

But the same cannot be said of 2008. It's HBO's loss that they expressed little to no interest in any of the three Vazquez-Marquez fights, and I will go out on a limb to say that nothing they offer this year will top what we saw last weekend.

Yet Showtime has a chance to strongly follow up this weekend with Haye-Maccarinelli. And then come back strong in April with the light heavyweight doubleheader.

HBO's slogan may ring true "The best fightersin the world fight here." But that Showtime remains competitive with a fraction of HBO's budget speaks volumes, IMO. Two out of the past three Fights of the Year took place on Showtime, and often have fights that warrant consideration for high-runner up in the years they don't win (Lyakhovich-Brewster in 2006 for example). Whereas most of HBO's best fights take place on its PPV arm, save for last year w/ Pavlik-Taylor.

As a boxing junkie, you have to love HBO because they're offering top level boxing in one form or another (PPV, WCB, BAD) at least 2-3 times per month. But all things being relative, I've long admired Showtime's ability to do more with less.

[badnewsbrown]

showtime aint put on a big fight to compete with hbo for a long time. even marquez-vazquez wasnt a big fight for the general fan. what was the last ppv they did? vargas-mayorga lol. but im def lookin forward to haye-mac more than the other fight this w/e. for me thats the biggest fight they have put in a while

[cupcrazy01]

showtime aint put on a big fight to compete with hbo for a long time. even marquez-vazquez wasnt a big fight for the general fan. what was the last ppv they did? vargas-mayorga lol. but im def lookin forward to haye-mac more than the other fight this w/e. for me thats the biggest fight they have put in a while

It clearly depends on your definition of what a 'big fight' is. Clearly, to the mainstream sports fan, Vazquez-Marquez is not a big fight. But to a boxing junkie, it's as big as it gets.

That's where Showtime has its niche, for the most part they put together the fight fans' fights. Think Corrales-Castillo, Hatton-Tszyu, Calzaghe-Lacy, etc. These fights were not DLH-like blockbusters, but they were huge for the hardcore fan.

HBO will always get the DLH PPVs, the Mayweather PPVs and probably the Cotto and Pavlik PPVs that are forthcoming, but when they refuse to bid anything about insulting levels for fights like this past weekend, then they deserve the criticism about not caring enough about the little guys.

One glimmer of hope is Ross Greenburg's edict to the heavyweight division to get itself straightened out or HBO will bail. I think he's bluffing, but it'd be great if he wasn't.

HBO could put on 5 fights close to the caliber of Vazquez-Marquez for the amount of money they invested into each of the heavyweight snoozefests like Klitschko-Ibragimov and Kiltschko-Austin and Klitschko-Brewster II...you get the point.