Manny Pacquiao vs Shane Mosley set for Showtime/CBS

boxinglawyer wrote: He wont have to worry about it much longer. Ross is GGGGOOOOONNNNNEEEEE with the wind very, very, soon. He has embarrassed HBO with his incompetence once to often and too publically to be allowed to continue.

Hauser got in-depth article on arrangment Arum got with Showtime-CBS

Here it is:


Among the things that Moonves ultimately promised were 1) advertising spots and live cutaways during the NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament and other CBS Sports programming in April and the first week of May, 2) a four-part countdown series, with either the first or last episode airing on CBS in prime time on a Saturday night, 3) appearances for pay-per-view undercard fighters (such as Christy Martin) on CBS talk shows 4) a May 1st 60 Minutes segment following up on the Pacquiao feature that aired last March, and 5) hosting the CBS Morning Show in Las Vegas on Monday through Friday of fight week.

Also, when HBO produces a 24/7 series to engender pay-per-view buys, the promoter bears the cost of production. That’s true here too. But Top Rank will be given commercial time on CBS during the shows that it can sell to partially underwrite its costs.

In sum, the move to Showtime isn’t simply about choosing one pay-per-view platform over another. It’s about getting the broadest possible exposure for Pacquiao, Pacquiao-Mosley, and boxing. Manny is Top Rank’s vehicle for breaking down some of the barriers that have separated boxing from large segments of the American public for the past 30 years.

Showtime and CBS offered Top Rank more than HBO did. Not more up-front dollars. The currency here is awareness and exposure, 115,000,000 homes in the United States to promote the fight. That contrasts favorably with the 30,000,000 households that subscribe to HBO.

However, sources say that Arum’s disenchantment with the leadership at HBO Sports also played into the decision-making process. Arum was angered by what he felt was a tilt by HBO in favor of Golden Boy and Al Haymon. In recent years, HBO has turned down opponents for Kelly Pavlik and Miguel Cotto (two elite Top Rank fighters), who were just as good as the opponents that the network accepted for boxers who were promoted by Golden Boy and managed by Haymon. The maneuvering by HBO that hastened the transit of Floyd Mayweather Jr. from Top Rank to Golden Boy infuriated him. And he was saddened by the fact that no one from HBO attended the memorial service in Seattle in honor of his son, John (who was killed in a mountaineering accident last August).

“Ross’s arrogance led to this,” says a promoter who has done extensive business with HBO. “He fiddled while HBO Sports burned. HBO has the largest checkbook in the business, so he’s used to buying whatever he wants. If Ross had put together a package that gave Manny a platform on TBS or TNT, the fight could have stayed with HBO. But Ross didn’t see the need for that and he isn’t that creative. He’s creative in a production sense but not as a businessman. Ross doesn’t understand boxing as a business or a sport, so he can’t help find ways to make it better. He understands what makes a compelling documentary but not a compelling fight. He has lots of Emmys but Emmys are about art, not business.”

http://www.maxboxing.com/news/main-lead/how-hbo-lost-manny-pacquiao

interesting article..soo several blunders by hbo and greenburgs arragance caused this.not having a represenative from hbo to give bob there wishes and sympathy in person at his sons funeral to me is a major insult..

Thanks for the article Grant.

Seems DuBoef was the driving force behind this happening.

From June 24-2010

"“I’m very proud of Pacquiao-Clottey,” DuBoef says. “I think what we did in seven weeks to create that event was amazing. But I should have explored making a deal with ESPN for that fight. HBO brought nothing to the promotion. They wouldn’t even do a 24/7 series. They did The Road to Dallas as a promo piece. One show. ESPN would have given us four “Roads to Dallas” in 90,000,000 homes. Bob is a creature of habit. He likes things that are familiar and the way they are. But if I had it to do over again; absolutely, I’d discuss Pacquiao-Clottey with ESPN, with CBS, with Showtime. I’m not looking to rock the boat. But I am looking to grow the audience.”
http://www.maxboxing.com/news/sub-lead/todd-duboef-and-the-future-of-boxing-

This sounds like great news. Now lets see how much CBS actually promotes it.