They're probably hoping he'll give a ratings boost to Ward-Dawson. HBO know Vitali brings in good numbers but they just don't like Vitali for some reason. My guess is they're not above using him to give Ward-Dawson a nice ratings push though.
On top of that Epix have become more dedicated to boxing in recent times. HBO really don't want Epix moving in on their turf and snapping up their boxers. The internet trends for Chisora-Haye were very good for such a small network. It had even made it on the top most discussed US trends for a while. HBO see this and know Epix are using the HW division to gain ground on boxing. They don't like the fact that a new network is smarter than them.
Likewise, give it time and we'll see HBO try to smash this NBC deal and probably anything with CBS too. If Adamek starts getting good ratings on NBC HBO would probably throw millions at him just so NBC can't afford to keep him and have to give him up. HBO is not good for boxing, boxing is good for HBO. Don't ever think otherwise.
I like boxing for the quality of it's athletes, it's geometry, and it's majestry. Never been able to stomach watching Vitali. He's skilled and courageous, but his athletic prowess and technical execution of the sweet science is purely gross. At this stage in his career..... I'll just end it here.
Comment