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Did Floyd Mayweather seal HBO Boxing’s fate with Showtime deal?

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  • 3 min read

Floyd Mayweather secured the biggest boxing deal of all time in the early 2010s, which would eventually net him half a billion dollars.

Mayweather walked away from HBO Boxing in a high-profile switch to Showtime nine years ago. Just over half a decade later, HBO Boxing ceased transmission.

Now, as HBO perished, Mayweather stands in the firing line regarding his role in the collapse.

Several forums and YouTube videos continue to throw shade on Mayweather, stating he played a significant role in destroying HBO Boxing.

Since 2013 went down, and Mayweather took the most significant contract ever signed in the sport back then, the former pound-for-pound king came under fire.

This outcome will be nothing new to the man himself. He always states he never gets the credit. However, the sheer boldness of the accusations is dumbfounding.

One disgruntled viewer even had the gall to say ‘Floyd Mayweather killed HBO Boxing’ when he left for Showtime. Ironically, Mayweather’s decision to leave came on the back of a high-profile spat with HBO broadcaster Larry Merchant.

Merchant told Mayweather he’d get laid out in unprecedented scenes if the HBO commentator was fifty years younger. This scenario didn’t help the situation.

There’s also the fact Mayweather was in prison for a couple of months before accepting the Showtime deal. His life needed balance at that time.

But for some to say Floyd Mayweather is responsible for the demise of HBO’s coverage is undoubtedly reaching at best.

If the company wanted to continue coverage and lay down the money for new talent, they could have achieved that without Floyd Mayweather.

Gennadiy Golovkin’s saga with Canelo Alvarez, both televised on HBO PPV, wasn’t enough to save the network’s ailing figures. All this despite both fights selling over one million purchases.

HBO Boxing

FLOYD MAYWEATHER

In the end, HBO didn’t want to commit to the sport any longer. They took losses many times, and the decision got made to focus on other projects.

Boxing fans didn’t take it well, and that’s a testament to the coverage they offered with the likes of Merchant and Jim Lampley at the helm.

HBO Boxing became an institution of the sport. Therefore, you truly cannot be saved if you can’t survive without Floyd Mayweather.

The views expressed in this article are opinions of Phil Jay.

Phil Jay – Editor of World Boxing News since 2010 with over one billion views. Follow WBN on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.