HBO to stop programming live boxing matches

HBO, long boxing’s most visible television home, announced on Thursday that it is getting out of the business of boxing after its scheduled Oct. 27 middleweight championship bout between Daniel Jacobs and Sergiy Derevyanchenko at Madison Square Garden.

In a statement, the premium cable network said it would be “pivoting away from programming live boxing,” but it did not rule out the sport entirely.

HBO said it would “remain open to looking at events that fit our programming mix. This could include boxing, just not for the foreseeable future.”

Unlike advertiser-supported cable networks, HBO relies more on buzz than ratings, and apparently decided that boxing no longer provides enough of it.

“Boxing has been part of our heritage for decades,” its statement said. “During that time, the sport has undergone a transformation. It is now widely available on a host of networks and streaming services. There is more boxing than ever being televised and distributed. In some cases, this programming is very good. But from an entertainment point of view, it’s not unique.”

Showtime, HBO’s premium cable competitor in boxing coverage, plans to continue carrying the sport. But as HBO indicated, more and more digital options for boxing fans are sprouting up, including the likes of DAZN and ESPN+.

HBO’s first boxing telecast dates to Jan. 22, 1973, when George Foreman knocked out then-heavyweight champion Joe Frazier, and overall it has carried 1,111 fights in 45 years.

HBO’s boxing history includes some of the most storied bouts of the past four-plus decades, including Buster Douglas’ upset of Mike Tyson in 1990 and various fights including Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns. Roy Jones Jr. and Oscar de la Hoya each appeared 32 times on the network, more than any other boxers.