Comments Thread For: HBO Ends Golden Boy Relationship, Passes on Broner

[bojangles1987]

This is so dumb. Next thing you know we're going to have split rankings or Golden Boy and Top Rank for each belt, and each network won't be allowed to mention the names of fighters on the competing network.

Is boxing even a sport anymore?

[Ca$trO]

I saw this coming months ago, this is VERY bad for the fans of boxing as this does not provide the most compelling match-ups. With the current split HBO vs Showtime ---Top Rank vs Golden boy. We will never see a Golden Boy fighter vs a Top Rank fighter.

This is truly a Sad Sad day for boxing.

[newyorican_papi]

Hbo going down hill

Oye, you need to take your Cotto banner down already bro. Homeboy is dead. We need to start looking at the prospects to see who's going to carry our flag for the next decade because all these contenders and pretenders we have right now all suck d*cks.

[The Hammer]

Golden Boy Promotions usually puts on more competitive matchups than Top Rank, which is generally cautious in matching it's top fighters and puts on a lot of predictable mismatches.

Boxing fans aren't as stupid as Bob Arum believes. Showtime has now become the #1 boxing network in the USA.

[jlcelestine]

This is the first time I have felt in a long time that boxing is on a down slope. All these years people always talking about "this is hurting boxing" and "that is hurting boxing". I've always laughed to myself because of the fact that I know it is a very popular sport as long as you give people the right fights that they want to see.

The fact that HBO just shunned a powerhouse promoter like GBP changes the landscape in many, many ways and I'm wondering what the hell happens now.

Showtime is starting to inch its way in to 1st place now...but why is it that I still feel like Showtime is still in 2nd place no matter what is happening?

Only time will tell if GBP can survive this HBO boycott.

Its ridiculous. I dont see why they cant pass on Broner, but still leave the door open to work together on other fights. To completely take sides and say you arent focusing on working with a certain promoter is BS and isnt doing anything constructive when it comes to making the best fights available regardless of promoters. The execs have bigger ego's than the fighters nowadays, and that is saying alot.

This sucks, but i hope ATLEAST we get to see more fighters from some of the smaller promotional outfits like Shaw, DiBella, etc in high profile fights now that HBO has a lot of extra dates to fill in with the absence of working with GBP.

[CommanderVander]

Golden Boy was not going to make any Broner fights with a fighter that Showtime wanted. This is why Broner was going straight to 147 to face Malignaggi. At least now we have an opportunity to see him against the GBP fighters at 140: Peterson, Kahn, Mathyssee, Garcia, etc.

In the short term, especially at 140, we may get better fights.
In the long term, we basically have 2 promoters with exclusive network contracts who will be force the networks into taking crap matchups at times.

It will be interesting to see how the boxing landscape changes.
If you are a top fighter, do you sign a short term contract as opposed to a long term one with GBP/Top Rank so you can switch networks if necessary depending on who has the better fighters at that weight class?
Does this give a boost to the smaller promoters such as DBE, Main Events, etc who can provide fighters to either network?
With Showtime being available in 25% less households, does that hinder their/boxing's ability to grow PPV fighters?

[daggum]

hey they might have missed out on broner but at least they don't have to show malignaggi. i like to see the positive in things.

[NearHypnos]

This wont change a whole lot. Too Rank wasnt going to put their fighters against each other regardless of network. I dont see this as bad or good so much as I see it as HBO taking sides with TR. TR seems to be on the decline and most of their big name fighters fight in classes where they dont have a huge amount of options. HBO has put themselves in a spot where many HBO fighters NOT in TR will end up fighting on Showtime vs Golden Boy's increasing stable. Guys like Sergio will end up on showtime seeking fights with Canelo and the like. Whats Rios going to do 2 years from now after his match with Alvarado and a potential Prov-Marquez-Bradley-Pac fight? I would think he'll want a crack at the other lions in 140. What about Donaire after Rigo? It seems like a small world for HBO now. They have effectively isolated themselves....

Golden boy has some of the bigger names in every division..most fights will have to go through them.


On a negative note...I wonder what happens to Showtime if lets say Broner, Canelo, and Floyd all lose their next fights


The reason I think this is bad for HBO is because of the cautious and dubious matchmaking of TR. People are catching on and they're not forgetting as easily as before.

[kokingbill]

at least they went ahead and made it official. It has been all but for a while now. Golden Boy and Al Haymon are LAME. As big a D-bag as Arum is, I thinK GBP is closing themselves off to the rest of boxing--Putting themselves on an island. Maybe Showtime can make GBP into its own strikeforce type league like it already has for MMA

[mconstantine]

HBO is killing their brand from a boxing standpoint.

The ONLY thing HBO really has going for them at this point is Lampley/Kellerman/Jones Jr/Merchant/Lederman. Those guys are what REALLY makes the HBO brand. Nothing else.

The Showtime commentators are perfectly capable of calling fights, but they always come off as 2nd tier to the HBO guys.

You can't replicate Lederman's "OK Jim..."

or Roy Jones subtle one ups on the other guys opinions because he's boxed and they haven't.

Lampley's random comments and antics

Kellerman's EXTREMELY insightful comments and analysis.

The HBO guys and their chemistry is special and endearing. No matter how good the action is in the ring or who is in the ring, Showtime fights never feel quite as major to me for these reasons.

Boxing needs a dictatorship...I hate this ish.