Can there be too much boxing on television? It’s a question that wouldn’t have been even asked a year ago, when a sprinkling of bouts were offered — mainly on HBO, Showtime and ESPN. These days, boxing is everywhere, thanks primarily to the Premier Boxing Champions series that has bought time on NBC, CBS, Spike and ESPN. Other networks, such as FOX Sports 1 and truTV, are televising bouts, while HBO and Showtime have beefed up their offerings.
But can this be too much of a good thing?
“That’s a good question,” said Ken Hershman, the president of HBO Sports. “There is a risk of oversaturation; if you’re everywhere you’re nowhere. It’s our job to make sure our product remains consistent and true for what we stand for which is the best boxing on television.”
Nevertheless, HBO is offering a tasty doubleheader from separate venues on Saturday night. Former lightweight champ Terence Crawford faces Thomas Dulorme for the vacant WBO junior welterweight title from Arlington, Texas, while Ruslan Provodnikov challenges Lucas Matthysse in a non-title junior welterweight bout that figures to be a slugfest, from Verona, N.Y.
“I don’t see how this fight can miss given the styles, the heart and the level of skill that each of those two fighters bring,” Hershman said of Provodnikov-Matthysse. “It’s the perfect storm of styles and fighters.”
Meanwhile on Showtime, a supposedly rededicated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. meets Andrzej Fonfara in a light heavyweight bout from Carson, Calif.
It’s a healthy menu that follows the PBC on NBC’s card last week from Barclays Center, where Danny Garcia earned a close decision over Lamont Peterson and Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin and Andy Lee fought to a draw. Spike TV will offer its second PBC card on April 24 from Chicago, where Anthony Dirrell defends his WBC super middleweight title against Badou Jack while Danny Jacobs defends his WBA middleweight crown against Caleb Truax.
On April 25, Wladimir Klitschko fights in America for the first time in eight years when he defends his heavyweight championship on HBO against Bryant Jennings at Madison Square Garden. That will lead into the mega-pay-per-view bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao on May 2 in Las Vegas.
It’s generally viewed as a good thing that boxing again is on primetime and other cable outlets. But the matches are coming in such rapid succession, it’s difficult to become engaged with each event. The other issue is finding out whether the bouts are on NBC, CBS, ESPN, Spike, HBO or Showtime.
Hershman said he hopes boxing doesn’t go the way of “Who Wants To Be Millionaire,” which went from being a highly anticipated game-show to being on “five nights a week and on every minute. It was just too much. It took the fun and specialness away,” he said.
Ultimately, if the fights are competitive, fans are more likely to become loyal followers. Saturday night shouldn’t disappoint. Crawford (25-0, 17 KOs) was voted the 2014 Fighter of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association while Provodnikov (24-3, 17 KOs) and Matthysse (36-3, 34 KOs) probably could be staged in a phone booth. Chavez (48-1-1, 32 KOs) said he has rededicated himself after being one of the biggest slackers in the sport.
“It’s less about volume as it is about quality,” Hershman said.
After Mayweather-Pacquiao, Canelo Alvarez headlines against James Kirkland on May 9 from Houston, while WBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin defends on May 16 against Willie Monroe Jr. Both bouts are on HBO. On May 23, James DeGale meets Andre Dirrell for the vacant IBF super middleweight title on NBC, and just announced for May 29, Amir Khan will face Long Island’s Chris Algieri on Spike TV from Barclays Center. A week later, Miguel Cotto defends his WBC middleweight title against Daniel Geale on HBO from Barclays Center.
Get your popcorn ready.