Comments Thread For: Andre Ward Talks Fighting on BET, Discusses PBC Impact

[Eastcoast]

What super middleweights fight on HBO? The only fighters with formal deals to HBO, from what I've been able to read, are Pacquiao, Canelo, Wladimir, Kovalev, and Golovkin. enlighten me with other names if you have any.

Ward isn't a PPV fighter yet (I think he eventually gets there), so he's basically in a position where he's hunting down the biggest rights fee. HBO seems insistent on low-balling him on the money.

If the BET fight comes off well, draws a strong rating, and gets Ward the purse that he commands, why go back to HBO? Ward-Froch 2 may need a premium TV outfit (to net the PPV revenue in the UK, etc), but there's really not much there for him beyond that, especially if HBO isn't ready to bring the money.

You add that BET is in the Viacom basket of channels, opening up the possibility of being broadcast on Channel 5 (UK), and Ward now has a viable alternative to whatever HBO is ready to offer.

The BET deal is a time buy deal by Roc Nation. They're going in the hole for this particular fight. Ward won't be drawing sponsorship revenue anywhere close to a low end pay-out that HBO would give to a unknown fighter.

[Clegg]

What super middleweights fight on HBO? The only fighters with formal deals to HBO, from what I've been able to read, are Pacquiao, Canelo, Wladimir, Kovalev, and Golovkin. enlighten me with other names if you have any.

Ward isn't a PPV fighter yet (I think he eventually gets there), so he's basically in a position where he's hunting down the biggest rights fee. HBO seems insistent on low-balling him on the money.

If the BET fight comes off well, draws a strong rating, and gets Ward the purse that he commands, why go back to HBO? Ward-Froch 2 may need a premium TV outfit (to net the PPV revenue in the UK, etc), but there's really not much there for him beyond that, especially if HBO isn't ready to bring the money.

You add that BET is in the Viacom basket of channels, opening up the possibility of being broadcast on Channel 5 (UK), and Ward now has a viable alternative to whatever HBO is ready to offer.

What super middleweights fight on HBO? The only fighters with formal deals to HBO, from what I've been able to read, are Pacquiao, Canelo, Wladimir, Kovalev, and Golovkin. enlighten me with other names if you have any.

Ward isn't a PPV fighter yet (I think he eventually gets there), so he's basically in a position where he's hunting down the biggest rights fee. HBO seems insistent on low-balling him on the money.

If the BET fight comes off well, draws a strong rating, and gets Ward the purse that he commands, why go back to HBO? Ward-Froch 2 may need a premium TV outfit (to net the PPV revenue in the UK, etc), but there's really not much there for him beyond that, especially if HBO isn't ready to bring the money.

You add that BET is in the Viacom basket of channels, opening up the possibility of being broadcast on Channel 5 (UK), and Ward now has a viable alternative to whatever HBO is ready to offer.

I agree that he could fight a lot of the contenders in the division on BET just as easily as on HBO, but the biggest potential fights for Ward in the next year are Golovkin and Kovalev. Not saying they would be easy to make (especially as Golovkin isn't looking to move up) but Ward is a guy who thrives in the big fights and that's what he needs to get back to where he was. If he decides to go to 175 after Smith he is going to want Kovalev in particular and that means HBO.

The basic view is that Smith is not the sort of guy Ward should be fighting in the future, but is fine for now because Ward is just coming back. Problem is there aren't that many people significantly better than Smith who Ward can fight in the future. Dirrell and Jack are Haymon. DeGale and Groves will likely face each other or take an easy UK fight after their title challenges, win or lose. Froch and Kessler are unlikely to rematch Ward and more likely to retire. Abraham and Sturm wouldn't want to face Ward.

[Barcham]

Ward came to HBO as arguably the biggest name on Showtime at the time, and earned $1.9m in his first fight for them, outclassing Chad Dawson.

If Ward comes back, on top of his game as is generally expected of him, why would he take short money to fight on HBO? Especially understanding that, outside of a Golovkin fight (which Team Golovkin doesn't want) or a Kovalev fight (which Ward believes himself to not be physically prepared for), there's nothing that HBO can deliver for him.

HBO isn't going to put him on PPV so, for every Ward fight going forward, Ward will be open to weighing whatever HBO is willing to offer against whatever he can earn from having the same fight on BET.

You do realize that both HBO and Showtime refused his tune up fights, don't you? And Ward does not feel prepared for a Golovkin fight at this time either, so please do not attempt to blow smoke up our asses on that one. Sanchez has already told Roc Nation that if Ward wants to fight GGG they should send over an offer to consider. So far nothing but crickets.

HBO won't put Ward on PPV because no one would buy it. He is not a draw. He has been basically inactive for three years now and most people don't even remember him. Only real boxing fans remember the Super Six as that was 4 to 6 years ago. HBO will not put him back on the air until he fights a top opponent. And the draw for the fight will be the opponent, not Ward.

And it is not up to HBO to find Ward a fight, that is what his high priced promoter, Roc Nation, is supposed to be doing. Or are they really as lost as they seem to be in the sport and perhaps never should have stuck their nose in it to begin with?