Showtime’s reemergence as a powerful force in the biggest boxing matches on prime cable and on PPV is, as I noted Saturday, a plus for the sport/business overall.
Only time will tell how deep Top Rank’s allegiance to HBO’s archrival will be but Todd duBoef and Bob Arum certainly planted their flag deep and strong with the deliverance of boxing’s hottest attraction, Manny Pacquiao, and his May 7 bout against longtime HBO regular Sugar Shane Mosley.
(Consider that, on March 12, Showtime will offer up two well known commodities, Ricardo Mayorga and Miguel Cotto, on PPV while regular HBO fight programming will feature Sergio Martinez against completely unknown in USA Sergei Dzinziruk. Will this be the first of many head to head collisions, I wonder.)
The wild card here seems to be how much Showtime’s “sister broadcaster,” the august CBS network, one of the original Big Three along with ABC and NBC from the before there was cable Dark Ages of American television, and what CBS will add to the situation.
Will CBS allow itself to shill, to serve as a “barker channel” and carry HBO 24/7 style video commericals for such fights as Mosley-Pacquiao?
FOR A CLOSE, INSIDE LOOK AT PACQUIAO ON THE HOME FRONT, CHECK OUT GENSAN BASED SCRIBE EDWIN ESPEJO.
Or will the CBS operators want to go further and carry live bouts in the same manner that Showtime was able to put MMA matches on its own airwaves on “The Big Eye” for a while?
Again, this seems to be all positive and, if sends some shock waves through the HBO ranks, it cannot be a bad thing.
But, like a guy who was on the lot a few days ago, bought a car and now has “buyer’s remorse” with it in the driveway, I’m having second and third thoughts.
Maybe this divergence will keep Pacman away from Floyd Mayweather as they both finish out their storied careers.
Maybe Arum will be content to have Pacquiao fight whoever Arum chooses on Showtime PPV rather than subject himself to any quality control objections by the HBO suits.
And maybe Mayweather will take avantage of this development by sticking to HBO PPV and cherrypicking a list of easy foes himself.
Certainly, the walls of the HBO office on Sixth Avenue would quiver and shake if L’il Floyd comes back to the ring and also flies the Showtime banner.
Maybe Manny will be the P4P king of Showtime and Floyd the P4P king of HBO.
Rudy Ray Moore, better known to millions as “Dolemeite,” used to run through the jungles, kicking lions in the backside just to stay in shape.
At the age of one, “Dolemite” was drinking whiskey and gin. At age three, he was eating the bottles they came in.
He was a BAD man and apparently even a BAD infant.
Rudy Ray always said “pimping ain’t easy.”
But those guiding Mayweather and Pacquiao may prove that long held maxim to be false as they exploit the revived war between Showtime and HBO.
So far, the only shot have been fired from the Showtime bunker.
Now HBO has to strike and strike hard.
It could be a lovely war but it may keep Mayweather and Pacquiao separated as cash cows and champions of different networks.
The pimping might be easy.
