Floyd Mayweather believes HBO Boxing died due to them not giving him the deal he wanted before his move to Showtime.
Mayweather has attributed some blame for HBO’s Boxing collapse to the bosses who rejected his demands for a six-fight deal.
2012 saw Mayweather wanting to cash himself out with the most significant contract possible. He subsequently gave HBO first refusal on the most lucrative terms any sportsman has ever secured.
To his astonishment, HBO rejected giving the ‘Money’ man an unprecedented two-fight per year deal between 2013 and 2015, worth in the region of $200 million.
Floyd Mayweather signed with Showtime
Mayweather took the same agreement with Showtime. The rest is history.
Showtime would then benefit from a 2017 comeback against Conor McGregor.
UFC fighter McGregor crossed over for one of the most lucrative bouts of all time, earning all involved over 400 million dollars for one event.
Just over a year later, HBO went off-air. Mayweather believes their decision not to renew with him was a significant factor.
“This is what happened. I basically told HBO, ‘This is what I need,'” Mayweather told Drink Champs on Revolt TV. “They said, ‘Nobody will give you that deal.’
“I said, ‘HBO – when I told you guys a long time ago that I was going to be the biggest fighter you guys ever had, you guys doubted me.’ And when I kept telling you guys, you said, ‘Floyd – you’re right.’
“Then I said, ‘the show that I created ’24/7’ – I got an Oscar for that show. But they didn’t give me the deal I needed.
“I kept going to them and saying, ‘Let’s make this happen.’ Then I said, ‘If you don’t make this happen, you know how big I am. I’m colossal.
“So I went over to Showtime and made Showtime the A-side. And when I made Showtime the A-side, HBO Boxing is now off-TV.”
Why did HBO Boxing go off-air?
Showtime has since gone from strength to strength, signing big names and breaking boundaries in boxing – even now. The launch of DAZN, ESPN+, and the emergence of FOX didn’t sway Showtime from being number one. That’s even though they all spread the playing field thinly.
A lack of top stars on the network, mainly due to other promoters moving elsewhere, failed to hinder Showtime from remaining a massive force.
When Mayweather made a sad comeback to the sport against a YouTuber, Showtime was his first port of call. And look what happened, he sold over one million PPVs.
HBO would still be alive today if they had renewed with Mayweather when they had a chance a decade ago.
