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By Mitch Abramson - Ken Hershman was there to talk about HBO’s dominance over its rival Showtime.
And he had the numbers and data to back it up.
But the conversation turned to a topic that while he was prepared to tackle, he wasn’t particularly interested in divulging any new information on it.
In other words, Hershman, the president of HBO Sports, wasn’t there to discuss the ongoing-off-again-on-going negotiations that seem to be going on at the highest levels for the potential super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
“Nope,” Hershman said laughing in his midtown office last week. “Not going to talk. I’m not even going to confirm (that talks are ongoing).”
Finally after several more attempts and with a public relations representative sitting nearby and frowning, Hershman said, “I think it’s best that we move to a different question. I don’t think talking about it publicly will help it get done and if our objective is to have the fight come to fruition somewhere down the road it’s best we stay out of the media and let it naturally occur or not.”
Basically, he was saying that talking about the talks might upset the people involved in those talks, a situation that spoke to the delicate nature of those talks.
But others have been a little more forthcoming, mainly Bob Arum.
Les Moonves, CEO and president of CBS, the parent company of Showtime (which broadcasts Mayweather’s fights) has been talking to Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, for some time on the fight.
And those talks are alive and well.
“The Talks continue with Les and he’s continuing to tell me what Mayweather camp’s position is taking,” Arum said in a phone interview. “And hopefully we’ll be able to come to some type of resolution.”
Arum said he last talked with Moonves on Thursday morning and he expects to talk again with him again on Thursday night without getting into specifics.
Arum also said that Moonves and HBO CEO and Chairman Richard Plepler (which shows Pacquiao’s fights) recently had lunch together to “talk about a number of topics,” presumably one of them being the fight.
Arum also said that Mayweather’s powerful advisor Al Haymon has been in talks with Moonves and that Arum also spoke with Plepler on Wednesday about the fight. So talks abound. [Click Here To Read More]
And he had the numbers and data to back it up.
But the conversation turned to a topic that while he was prepared to tackle, he wasn’t particularly interested in divulging any new information on it.
In other words, Hershman, the president of HBO Sports, wasn’t there to discuss the ongoing-off-again-on-going negotiations that seem to be going on at the highest levels for the potential super fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
“Nope,” Hershman said laughing in his midtown office last week. “Not going to talk. I’m not even going to confirm (that talks are ongoing).”
Finally after several more attempts and with a public relations representative sitting nearby and frowning, Hershman said, “I think it’s best that we move to a different question. I don’t think talking about it publicly will help it get done and if our objective is to have the fight come to fruition somewhere down the road it’s best we stay out of the media and let it naturally occur or not.”
Basically, he was saying that talking about the talks might upset the people involved in those talks, a situation that spoke to the delicate nature of those talks.
But others have been a little more forthcoming, mainly Bob Arum.
Les Moonves, CEO and president of CBS, the parent company of Showtime (which broadcasts Mayweather’s fights) has been talking to Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, for some time on the fight.
And those talks are alive and well.
“The Talks continue with Les and he’s continuing to tell me what Mayweather camp’s position is taking,” Arum said in a phone interview. “And hopefully we’ll be able to come to some type of resolution.”
Arum said he last talked with Moonves on Thursday morning and he expects to talk again with him again on Thursday night without getting into specifics.
Arum also said that Moonves and HBO CEO and Chairman Richard Plepler (which shows Pacquiao’s fights) recently had lunch together to “talk about a number of topics,” presumably one of them being the fight.
Arum also said that Mayweather’s powerful advisor Al Haymon has been in talks with Moonves and that Arum also spoke with Plepler on Wednesday about the fight. So talks abound. [Click Here To Read More]
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