The Rise and Fall of the HBO Empire – part one

This three-part collection first appeared within the January and February 2024 problem of The Ring, out there to subscribers. 

HBO Boxing was the Roman Empire of the game. It lasted a ripe 45 years, spanning world cultural adjustments and technological advances, all whereas overlaying an outdated however ever-evolving sport.

HBO boxing programming bridged 5 many years – launching 1973 and lasting till 2018 – bringing all the things from iconic showdowns between all-time greats to stay riots and the weird “Fan Man” incident into the dwelling rooms of battle followers all through the world. The manufacturing was innovative and the voices and faces of the published crews turned as identified to boxing followers because the well-known fighters showcased on the community. 

By the late Nineteen Eighties, the rising premium cable channel was already famend for its lavish, glamorous shows of what was usually deemed a tarnished sport: Sugar Ray Leonard’s superb 14th-round comeback towards Thomas Hearns, the scintillating Marvin Hagler-Hearns shootout, the anticipated Hagler-Leonard showdown – all Ring Journal fights of the yr.

HBO Sports activities tried to provide each World Championship Boxing broadcast with a Tremendous Bowl atmosphere. Championship Boxing produced spinoffs like the favored and groundbreaking Boxing After Darkish collection, whereas HBO Boxing itself developed to incorporate TVKO (later HBO PPV), the pay-per-view arm that debuted spectacularly with the 1991 Evander Holyfield-George Foreman heavyweight title bout.

HBO Boxing continued to develop and thrive in the course of the Nineteen Nineties, and it endured all through the 2000s and 2010s, however it will ultimately crumble, as all nice empires do.

The final HBO Boxing telecast befell on Saturday, December 8, 2018, headlined by undisputed girls’s welterweight champ Cecilia Braekhus beating Aleksandra Magdziak Lopes by unanimous resolution. Regardless of going down earlier than a scant crowd on the StubHub Middle, in Carson, California, the cardboard resonated as a result of it was the top of an period. Jim Lampley gave a tearful last sendoff together with his arms shaking as he left his indelible mark on an establishment.

The primary battle between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns helped put HBO on the map. (Picture by Concentrate on Sport/Getty Pictures)

To commemorate the five-year anniversary of the curtain name of one in every of boxing’s nice establishments, Ring Journal interviewed most of the folks instrumental within the rise and sustained excellence of HBO Boxing, in addition to the handful who had been nonetheless there when the autumn got here in 2018.

This can be a three-part oral historical past instructed by those that witnessed the rise and reign of HBO Boxing (largely from the within), in addition to the autumn, which was accelerated in 2016 by AT&T shopping for Time Warner, HBO’s dad or mum firm, in a $85.4 billion deal that took 18 months to finish.

Half 1: Constructing the Empire

Seth Abraham, former president of Time Warner Sports activities, at HBO from 1978-2000: “I used to be really the primary president of Time Warner Sports activities, from January 1990 to September of 2000, initially employed by David Meister. David and I labored collectively on the workplace of baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn. David left to run HBO Sports activities, and he approached me in early 1977 and requested, ‘How would you want to return and work for me at HBO?’ For principally a yr, I stated no thanks. After I got here in 1978, for a couple of yr, perhaps a yr and a half, I reported to David. He ultimately left to take one other job inside HBO. 

Seth Abraham in October 1989. (Picture: The Ring Journal through Getty Pictures)

“Then my titles started altering. David Meister technically was the primary head of HBO Sports activities, however I used to be the primary one with the title. The very first telecast [of the HBO network], and a part of HBO lore, was a film starring Paul Newman known as Generally a Nice Notion. The second program on HBO was on November 8, 1972, a New York Rangers-Vancouver Canucks hockey recreation. The very first battle was [Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman], transmitted by HBO on closed-circuit. That was a rebroadcast, not stay. This was the darkish ages, pre-beginnings of HBO Sports activities then, since there was no ESPN then, there was no Showtime, there was no FOX Sports activities, there was no FOX Community then. What HBO Sports activities was then was a set of very disconnected, disjointed sports activities programming. It had no theme, it had no motif, it had no North Star. 

“When David moved on to a different division, I spent a good period of time fascinated about what HBO Sport’s id could possibly be. It started with a technique of elimination. HBO couldn’t afford the NFL. Out. Couldn’t afford Main League Baseball contracts. Out. Couldn’t afford NHL contracts. Out. Couldn’t afford any of the league sports activities. So now, we began to take a look at the gamut of particular person sports activities. Gymnastics, determine skating, after which, then boxing.

“Considered one of my first strikes was to maneuver Tim Braine elsewhere within the firm, as a result of I needed Ross Greenburg to be our head producer. I wanted Ross within the truck. Evaluating it to baseball, Tim was a .350 hitter, however I noticed shortly Ross was a .400 hitter. Ross was Ted Williams. I had to ensure we had the best folks doing the best job, with Lou DiBella working matchmaking and shopping for fights, Mark Taffet working TVKO, and Barbara Thomas was the chief monetary officer and ran the budgets. I needed to keep out of their manner. It was a legion of gifted folks working HBO Boxing. I additionally shortly realized the impression that pay-per-view points of interest can be round 1988. We realized that if we didn’t get into the pay-per-view enterprise, we might lose the massive fights and be left with B- and C-level fights. We created TVKO to get the massive fights and defend the mothership, Championship Boxing.”

Bob Arum, corridor of fame promoter: “Saying HBO Boxing was just like the Roman Empire of boxing is like all the things else – it will depend on who was the Caesar. The Caesar was Seth Abraham. Whether or not you preferred Seth or not, Seth was an skilled on dealing with all of the egos he needed to cope with. He knew programming, and learn how to hold everybody not less than nominally glad. Seth knew learn how to run a community like that whereas coping with all of the wild folks within the sport of boxing. 

“At first, when HBO got here on the scene, their first actual transfer was the three-fight cope with Marvin Hagler in prime time for thrice the cash a community was prepared to pay. The consequence and expertise from that first deal, they couldn’t consider it. They received 20,000 new subscribers from New England alone. They instructed [HBO CEO] Michael Fuchs there was a giant upside for HBO in boxing. When Fuchs left HBO, it carried on nicely as a result of Seth carried the torch to Fuchs’ successor, Jeff Bewkes.”

Lou DiBella, corridor of fame promoter, former HBO Sports activities Vice President in Cost of Programming, at HBO from 1989 to 2000: “I began because the lawyer for HBO East Coast unique programming. I used to be imagined to have a job with the New York Yankees. I used to be to interview with George Steinbrenner, and I received a name from Steinbrenner’s secretary saying I used to be too younger, as a result of I used to be 29 years outdated and he didn’t wish to rent a common counsel in his 20s. I received actually upset after I was canceled. Steinbrenner’s secretary stated, ‘I don’t know if this helps you, however the man who’s going to be provided the job was going to be interviewing for HBO Sports activities.’”

“Within the Nineteen Nineties, we turned a juggernaut.”

“I used to be already an enormous boxing fan. That day, I actually snuck into the HBO Constructing and frolicked exterior the overall counsel’s workplace at HBO begging for an interview. He talked to me a couple of minutes and located me amusing, and he despatched me to Seth Abraham. That was a Friday afternoon. The subsequent Monday, I received the job. I took an enormous pay reduce to take the job from the legislation agency the place I used to be working. I used to be with very sensible, bold fucking folks [at HBO]. And we had been all younger. Mark Taffet was in HBO’s monetary space and ultimately labored for me. Ross Greenburg was nice and had nice folks working for him. He was profitable all kinds of Emmys. We had been doing numbers just like the Sopranos and Intercourse within the Metropolis.

Julius Caesar is an fascinating analogy in the case of Seth, as a result of there have been a variety of younger, sensible folks under him trying to take Seth’s place. Seth and I didn’t finish nicely again then, frankly. We’re buddies now. A part of the rationale why I left was that there was speak inside the corporate that Seth was not going to be renewed. That they had instructed me to not take one other job elsewhere. I believed I used to be going to get Seth’s job. I’ll admit it. I used to be bold. I needed Seth’s job. I’m not going to lie. 

HBO produced a pay-per-view smash with the “Battle for the Ages” between Evander Holyfield and George Foreman in 1991. (Picture by Concentrate on Sport/Getty Pictures)

“Then I discovered Seth wasn’t leaving. I additionally received a way that they weren’t so clear with me. When it turned clear I wasn’t going to get it, I left. I had a run in with Jeff Bewkes, who was the top of HBO. I didn’t wish to keep beneath these circumstances. I admire Seth now. Everybody was jockeying to be the following man. It turns into exhausting whenever you’re the boss. In 20-20 hindsight, I feel Seth did a outstanding job managing very troublesome however gifted folks. Seth knew he had super-talented folks working for him. We had been all a handful, in equity to Seth. I used to be a handful, I’ll admit. I used to be younger. I used to be rising shortly. I used to be younger and had a younger man’s ego. I didn’t get pleasure from expertise. I may have performed higher managing relationships. I may have performed my politics much better. Actually, I used to be by no means a fantastic politician. It’s not who I used to be. My ardour and my lack of ability to be dishonest received in the best way. I say an excessive amount of what I feel more often than not. I are typically overly clear. I discovered, in time, I’m a a lot better boss than working for another person. 

“There are issues I may have performed in a different way speaking. There’s not a variety of what I’d have performed in a different way professionally. I don’t care if this sounds egomaniacal, however I’m going to be sincere: I assumed I used to be fucking nice at my job. I modified the character of that job. I needed to make the programming. If I needed to eat a compulsory, I higher be getting a megafight subsequent, if it was a foul obligatory. 

“A variety of what I did was forcing huge fights, forcing significant fights. After I received to HBO, there have been no little fighters combating on HBO. After I say little, I imply under light-weight. We began stepping into the decrease weight lessons and we began Boxing After Darkish. HBO was already a powerhouse in boxing after I received there. It’s why I needed to work there. Within the Nineteen Nineties, we turned a juggernaut.”

Ross Greenburg, former president of HBO Sports activities (2000 to 2011), at HBO from 1978 to 2011: “I used to be the second worker of the HBO Sports activities division, and in 1985 I turned the manager producer and president from 2000 to 2011. I got here from ABC Sports activities, the place I used to be a contract assistant to the producer. I witnessed the Roone Arledge model of sports activities producing, which was fairly revolutionary on the time. So after I received to HBO, Michael Fuchs was the president of programming and he was an actual boxing fan. 

“Within the early years of HBO, Don King had come to HBO together with his closed-circuit occasions, Frazier-Foreman after which Ali-Foreman. They had been each broadcast on HBO. Because it had so few subscribers then, it was felt that it wouldn’t impression the closed-circuit numbers. HBO began in its infancy with these mega occasions. 

Frazier-Foreman was the primary battle to be proven on HBO. (Picture by Herb Scharfman /Sports activities Illustrated through Getty Pictures)

“Michael Fuchs noticed there was a gap as a result of the networks had been getting out of boxing. I assume that was as a result of the networks had been having hassle promoting promoting, and advertisers had been shopping for rounds two by means of 15. Boxing was not conducive to promoting advertisements, since you by no means knew if a battle would finish in a single spherical. That was an enormous drawback, and value tags had been getting fairly huge. Michael Fuchs noticed that opening. HBO couldn’t compete with the networks when it got here to the NFL, NBA, MLB, however we may seize prizefights for a lot much less {dollars}. 

“Within the late Nineteen Seventies after I received there, I bear in mind one of many early fights was the tripleheader that includes Leon and Michael Spinks. I produced Ray Leonard’s battle towards Dick Eklund up in Boston, which was a monumental second in HBO boxing. Then, after all, Marvin Hagler got here alongside and we signed a three-fight deal for 1,000,000 {dollars} with Hagler. That actually began the drum roll.”

Thomas Hauser, corridor of fame boxing author and HBO marketing consultant (2012-2019): “HBO Boxing turned nice for a number of causes. First, it had the assist of senior administration, which began with Michael Fuchs and continued with Jeff Bewkes. They had been sports activities followers, they usually wholeheartedly supported HBO Sports activities and HBO Boxing with their checkbook. It’s the checkbook Seth Abraham had that allowed him to construct one thing nice. He had the complete assist of senior administration and an enormous, big funds. 

“Second, you had two folks on the prime of HBO Sports activities, Seth Abraham and Lou DiBella, who had been dedicated to the boxing program and understood it. Seth understood boxing. He understood the game and the enterprise. However he stated to me as soon as, ‘I turned a a lot better boss after I got here to know and settle for the truth that Lou knew extra about boxing than I did.’ Not essentially the enterprise of boxing, however the sport of boxing. They labored completely collectively. They had been dedicated to creating one of the best fights they presumably may for HBO. Lou had HBO’s checkbook and his ardour and understanding, however he additionally had Seth’s steerage.

“[Seth Abraham] needed one of the best pound-for-pound fighter on the earth, the heavyweight champion, the battle of the yr and probably the most thrilling fighter to all be on HBO. He received that usually.”

“I bear in mind Seth telling me a narrative as soon as about being at odds with [promoter] Dan Goossen. Dan got here into the workplace to barter some deal. And Dan being Dan, he refused to shake arms with Seth. He instructed Seth, ‘I’ll do enterprise with you, however I gained’t shake arms with you.’ Seth instructed Dan that if he wouldn’t shake arms, the assembly was over. He wasn’t going to just accept that. Then Seth stated to himself, ‘Our subscribers actually don’t care who I could be at odds with. They wish to see one of the best fights they will presumably see.’ 

“That’s what Seth was dedicated to doing. He had this guideline that, at any given time, he needed one of the best pound-for-pound fighter on the earth, the heavyweight champion, the battle of the yr and probably the most thrilling fighter to all be on HBO. He received that usually. He and Lou made very, superb fights collectively. They usually had a fantastic supply system to the general public. Ross Greenburg did an excellent job producing the fights. Marc Payton was an excellent director. That they had an exquisite saying workforce that developed. Barry Tompkins was fairly good. However as soon as you bought to Jim (Lampley), Larry (Service provider), Harold (Lederman), and both Emanuel (Steward) or George (Foreman), that was a fantastic workforce. That to me was the excessive level of boxing throughout my lifetime. 

“Their greatest fights had been on pay-per-view, however in addition they had a variety of nice fights on common HBO. Take a look at what you’ve gotten at present on pay-per-view that, prior to now, would have been on common HBO. Many of the pay-per-view fights on HBO had been very particular. The Seth Abraham-Lou DiBella period was the peak of HBO Boxing. They labored collectively fairly nicely. And Seth let Lou be Lou. Lou would come into the workplace at 2 within the afternoon and be there till 10 at evening. These aren’t common company hours. Lou left HBO in Might 2000 and Seth left shortly after that.”

Jim Lampley, corridor of fame boxing broadcaster, HBO’s blow-by-blow commentator (1988-2018): “I used to be in my 14th yr of working for ABC Sports activities in 1987. I had gained a expertise hunt in 1974 to grow to be one of many first two folks to ever stand on the sidelines of a soccer recreation with a digicam and a microphone. I had come to the community to do precisely that, ostensibly for one season, then to get replaced by another person the next yr. 

“I wound up doing three seasons on the sidelines of school soccer as a result of they selected to not exchange me, however moderately to maintain me there whereas I continued creating different assignments. I used to be on ABC’s Broad World of Sports activities; I used to be doing characteristic reporting on the Olympics. I had a broad and proliferating profession at ABC Sports activities. 

The HBO ringside crew, circa 1991. Left to proper: Harold Lederman, Larry Service provider, George Foreman and Jim Lampley. (Picture by Concentrate on Sport/Getty Pictures)

“By 1987, I used to be within the very propitious place of wanting down the highway with older announcers – most significantly, Jim McKay and Howard Cosell – being out the door. There have been going to be very promising and favorable assignments towards which I had the within observe at that second. After which, abruptly, the community was bought from a person proprietor named Leonard Goldenson to a stations administration group named Capital Cities Broadcasting. Capital Cities arrived with one main goal, which was to maximise the owned stations and make a substantial amount of cash off them. For the primary few months after Cap Cities got here by means of the door, I assumed all the things was going to be superb.

“They took the man who had been working stations for ABC, a man named Dennis Swanson, and moved him in control of sports activities. Dennis Swanson arrived on the sports activities division in late-1986, early-1987 with one main predilection concerning the division, which was: Who’s Jim Lampley, and why are we paying him all this cash? He hated my model. He hated my youth. He hated my on-air work. He hated all the things about me. I had a really strong contract that went on for years to return. It additionally included eye-catching and favorable ensures for the Calgary Olympics in 1988. Swanson overtly instructed my agent, ‘I’m going to discover a option to eliminate Jim. I’m going to create pressures which can power him to stroll away from his contract right here.’ 

“His first tactic to get me to stroll away from ABC was to assign me to grow to be the ringside blow-by-blow boxing commentator. He had it in his head there was no manner I would slot in boxing. Boxing can be allergic to me. I’d be allergic to boxing and the general public would see me because the type of prolonged heir of Cosell, as a result of the community’s boxing picture was nonetheless associated to Cosell, though he had not known as a battle in a number of years. Fairly early in 1987, I used to be abruptly assigned to be the boxing blow-by-blow man working with an in-house government who had by no means labored on the air earlier than, Alex Wallau, who had the best information credentials to do it, although he had by no means labored on-air expertise. What Swanson didn’t take note of was that the community had signed an introductory, look-see contract with a 19-year-old heavyweight from upstate New York whose title was Mike Tyson.

“I used to be standing at ringside considering, ‘Oh my God, have a look at what I’ve occurred into right here accidentally.”

“The very first battle I ever known as on TV was Mike Tyson vs. Jesse Ferguson, in Troy, New York. Within the fourth spherical, Tyson exploded Ferguson’s nostril with an uppercut, splattered his nostril. There was blood all around the ring, and within the fifth around the referee stopped the battle. 

“Alex went into the ring to do the post-fight interview with Mike, and the primary query was concerning the uppercut. Mike stated the aim of the uppercut, Cus D’Amato had taught [him], was to drive the opponent’s nostril bone into his mind, ‘So I used to be attempting to drive his nostril bone into his mind.’ I used to be standing at ringside considering, ‘Oh my God, have a look at what I’ve occurred into right here accidentally. This man’s not solely the No. 1 quote machine in boxing, he’s going to be the No. 1 quote machine in sports activities.’ Positive sufficient, within the subsequent few weeks, all of them started tumbling out: ‘Boxing is a harm enterprise,’ ‘Everyone’s received a plan till they get punched within the face.’ Instantly, Tyson turned a worldwide phenomenon, and I used to be the one that was narrating that phenomenon.

“Ultimately, HBO, having all of the ambitions HBO had at the moment in regard to boxing, with Seth Abraham in control of the sports activities division, determined that HBO completely needed to signal Mike and get him away from ABC the moment the contract expired. They did that. Seth was already into the method with my agent getting me to depart ABC and are available to work at HBO. In early 1988, I signed a contract with HBO to name all of the boxing matches and host Wimbledon tennis yearly. 

through Final Mike Tyson on YouTube:

“I’m very proud to say Barry Tompkins is likely one of the most sleek, lovely males alive. Our friendship survives to today. He has by no means, ever stated something remotely important of me for being within the fortuitous place to wind up getting his chair. It’s the manner the enterprise works. It was a colossal supply. I don’t enable my conscience to hassle me, as a result of it was a colossal supply. Anybody would have taken it. However I’ll at all times be consistently impressed with the sleek, gentlemanliness of Barry Tompkins, who did nothing aside from smile and pat me on the again. 

“I got here within the door at HBO and commenced calling fights, calling Tyson fights, working with Ray Leonard and Larry Service provider. Two years later, we had been in Tokyo for what turned the most important upset in boxing historical past, which was poetic in my life. The very first prizefight I ever attended was Sonny Liston versus Cassius Clay, February 25, 1964, in Miami Seaside, after I was 14 years outdated. I had purchased a ticket with lawn-mowing and car-washing cash saved over a number of months to go to that battle. Within the late rounds of Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas, when the end result regarded apparent, I used to be sitting there considering, ‘Oh my God, you couldn’t write this right into a life story.’ The primary stay prizefight I ever attended was the most important upset in boxing historical past, and now I’m calling, for the complete American viewers, the battle that’s going to be its successor as the most important upset in boxing historical past. You possibly can’t resist considering I used to be meant to be there.”

Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who was inducted into the Atlantic Metropolis Boxing Corridor of Fame in 2023. He has contributed to Ring Journal/RingTV.com since October 1997 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Affiliation of America.

Comply with @JSantoliquito