Tweet
Nestor Gibbs interviewed John David Jackson about Kovalev and Stevenson, “I believe Stevenson wants the fight, champions want to prove to themselves they are the best, Stevenson wants it” said Jackson (who at one point worked with Stevenson). Jackson was also asked if he foresees a better possibility of the a deal being struck now that HBO boxing has new leadership, and while the new charge can be seen as a fresh start for those hindered by the political landscape which does not allow certain fighters to fight for HBO, Jackson was clear about who this fight would ultimately come down to if it is going to happen.
Fight fans typically don’t care about the business aspect of the sport, they want to see the best fighting the best. However, unless HBO offers the Stevenson the equivalent of what he would receive in the canceled purse bid, I can’t see him agreeing. HBO would have to extend their budget way past the threshold usually earmarked for a standard “World Championship Boxing” card to pay the two. In any case, Peter Nelson is an intelligent guy, which has to navigate around and about the division that exists in the sport with Premier Boxing Champions, he understands the nature of the business. And Nelson insists, “We’re open to all promoters.”
“In the end, it’s going to be what Al (Haymon) decides to do, Sergey wants the fight, he wants the fight bad, listen, I believe Stevenson wants the fight, champions want to prove to themselves they are the best. I think by June the fight will be made, it’s definitely a fight the fans deserve, and I’m intrigued to see myself, I want to see who’s the better man”. Meanwhile, Nelson says “ We care immensely in what the fans think and we have seen that in terms of the programming we put on and I also think we do a good job of leaning into what the press has to say in terms of scouting the talent that’s out there and what they want to see more of and the slow club that builds around certain fights as a result of what the appetite is out there and make sure that in a sport that is a highly curated franchise that it is ********ized in that respect. Look, we’re committed to work with promoters who are committed to working with us with the highest talents in the sport. We’re all fans here and first and foremost, that’s a key component. HBO is waiting to hear new ideas.”
Hershman wasn't tightly sealed to do business with Haymon. In 2013, HBO was interested in Rodriguez challenging super middleweight champion Andre Ward for 09/28/2013. Meanwhile, Rodriguez signed with Haymon, but HBO still bought the fight between Rodriguez and Ward which took place on 11/16/2013, because they listened to Ward requests. Therefore, if Ward succeeded without the support of a manager, Kovalev manager Egis Klimas must start to work a bit more for his client, by taking advantage from the fact that this new board of HBO awaits fresh proposals. Rather then leaving Kathy Duva with the dual task of being the promoter and acting as the manager as well. People tend to forget that as Al Haymon, Klimas is also a manager which can decide what to do, like talking about extending the budget with Peter Nelson. Thus, give the fight that fans deserve.