The Rise and Fall of the HBO Empire – half one

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

HBO Boxing was the Roman Empire of the game. It lasted a ripe 45 years, spanning international cultural modifications and technological advances, all whereas protecting an previous however ever-evolving sport.

HBO boxing programming bridged 5 a long time – 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 residing rooms of struggle followers all through the world. The manufacturing was innovative and the voices and faces of the published crews turned as recognized 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 wonderful 14th-round comeback in opposition to Thomas Hearns, the scintillating Marvin Hagler-Hearns shootout, the anticipated Hagler-Leonard showdown – all Ring Journal fights of the 12 months.

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 sequence, 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 throughout the Nineties, and it endured all through the 2000s and 2010s, however it could ultimately crumble, as all nice empires do.

The final HBO Boxing telecast happened 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 ultimate sendoff along with his arms shaking as he left his indelible mark on an establishment.

The primary struggle between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns helped put HBO on the map. (Picture by Deal with Sport/Getty Photos)

To commemorate the five-year anniversary of the curtain name of considered one of boxing’s nice establishments, Ring Journal interviewed most of the individuals 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.

It is a three-part oral historical past advised 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 mother or father 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 12 months, I stated no thanks. After I got here in 1978, for a few 12 months, possibly a 12 months 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 by way of Getty Photos)

“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 struggle 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 by what HBO Sport’s identification 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 have a look at the gamut of particular person sports activities. Gymnastics, determine skating, after which, then boxing.

“One among 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 spotted shortly Ross was a .400 hitter. Ross was Ted Williams. I had to verify we had the fitting individuals doing the fitting job, with Lou DiBella operating matchmaking and shopping for fights, Mark Taffet operating 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 proficient individuals operating 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’d lose the massive fights and be left with B- and C-level fights. We created TVKO to get the massive fights and shield 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 relies on who was the Caesar. The Caesar was Seth Abraham. Whether or not you preferred Seth or not, Seth was an knowledgeable on dealing with all of the egos he needed to take care of. He knew programming, and the way to maintain everybody no less than nominally completely happy. Seth knew the way to run a community like that whereas coping with all of the wild individuals within the sport of boxing. 

“At first, when HBO got here on the scene, their first actual transfer was the three-fight take care of Marvin Hagler in prime time for 3 times the cash a community was keen to pay. The consequence and expertise from that first deal, they couldn’t consider it. They obtained 20,000 new subscribers from New England alone. They advised [HBO CEO] Michael Fuchs there was an enormous 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 authentic programming. I used to be alleged to have a job with the New York Yankees. I used to be to interview with George Steinbrenner, and I obtained a name from Steinbrenner’s secretary saying I used to be too younger, as a result of I used to be 29 years previous and he didn’t need to rent a basic counsel in his 20s. I obtained actually upset once 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 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 outdoors 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 obtained the job. I took an enormous pay lower to take the job from the regulation agency the place I used to be working. I used to be with very good, formidable fucking individuals [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 individuals working for him. He was successful all types of Emmys. We had been doing numbers just like the Sopranos and Intercourse within the Metropolis.

Julius Caesar is an fascinating analogy on the subject of Seth, as a result of there have been quite a lot of younger, good individuals under him trying to take Seth’s place. Seth and I didn’t finish nicely again then, frankly. We’re associates now. A part of the explanation why I left was that there was discuss inside the corporate that Seth was not going to be renewed. They’d advised 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 formidable. 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 Deal with Sport/Getty Photos)

“Then I came upon Seth wasn’t leaving. I additionally obtained 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 pinnacle of HBO. I didn’t need to keep underneath these circumstances. I admire Seth now. Everybody was jockeying to be the subsequent man. It turns into onerous if you’re the boss. In 20-20 hindsight, I feel Seth did a outstanding job managing very troublesome however proficient individuals. Seth knew he had super-talented individuals 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 benefit from expertise. I might have finished higher managing relationships. I might 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 incapability to be dishonest obtained in the best way. I say an excessive amount of what I feel more often than not. I are typically overly clear. I came upon, in time, I’m a a lot better boss than working for another person. 

“There are issues I might have finished in another way speaking. There may be not quite a lot of what I might have finished in another way professionally. I don’t care if this sounds egomaniacal, however I’m going to be trustworthy: 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 necessary. 

“Lots of what I did was forcing large fights, forcing significant fights. After I obtained to HBO, there have been no little fighters combating on HBO. After I say little, I imply under light-weight. We began entering into the decrease weight courses and we began Boxing After Darkish. HBO was already a powerhouse in boxing once I obtained there. It’s why I needed to work there. Within the 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 chief 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 once I obtained 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 along 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 struggle to be proven on HBO. (Picture by Herb Scharfman /Sports activities Illustrated by way of Getty Photos)

“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 bother promoting promoting, and advertisers had been shopping for rounds two by way of 15. Boxing was not conducive to promoting adverts, since you by no means knew if a struggle would finish in a single spherical. That was an enormous downside, and worth tags had been getting fairly large. Michael Fuchs noticed that opening. HBO couldn’t compete with the networks when it got here to the NFL, NBA, MLB, however we might seize prizefights for a lot much less {dollars}. 

“Within the late Nineteen Seventies once I obtained there, I bear in mind one of many early fights was the tripleheader that includes Leon and Michael Spinks. I produced Ray Leonard’s struggle in opposition to 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 guide (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, enormous funds. 

“Second, you had two individuals 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 once 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 the perfect fights they presumably might for HBO. Lou had HBO’s checkbook and his ardour and understanding, however he additionally had Seth’s steerage.

“[Seth Abraham] needed the perfect pound-for-pound fighter on the earth, the heavyweight champion, the struggle of the 12 months and probably the most thrilling fighter to all be on HBO. He obtained that frequently.”

“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 advised Seth, ‘I’ll do enterprise with you, however I gained’t shake arms with you.’ Seth advised 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 need to see the perfect fights they’ll presumably see.’ 

“That’s what Seth was dedicated to doing. He had this guideline that, at any given time, he needed the perfect pound-for-pound fighter on the earth, the heavyweight champion, the struggle of the 12 months and probably the most thrilling fighter to all be on HBO. He obtained that frequently. He and Lou made very, excellent fights collectively. And so they had a fantastic supply system to the general public. Ross Greenburg did an outstanding job producing the fights. Marc Payton was an excellent director. They’d an exquisite saying group 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 group. That to me was the excessive level of boxing throughout my lifetime. 

“Their largest fights had been on pay-per-view, however additionally they had quite a lot of nice fights on common HBO. Have a look at what you might have in the present day on pay-per-view that, up 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 night time. These aren’t common company hours. Lou left HBO in Could 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 12 months of working for ABC Sports activities in 1987. I had gained a expertise hunt in 1974 to turn out to be one of many first two individuals 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 12 months. 

“I wound up doing three seasons on the sidelines of school soccer as a result of they selected to not exchange me, however somewhat to maintain me there whereas I continued growing different assignments. I used to be on ABC’s Vast World of Sports activities; I used to be doing function 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 Deal with Sport/Getty Photos)

“By 1987, I used to be within the very propitious place of trying down the highway with older announcers – most notably, 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, all of a sudden, 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 way of the door, I assumed all the things was going to be superb.

“They took the man who had been operating stations for ABC, a man named Dennis Swanson, and moved him answerable for 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 stable contract that went on for years to return. It additionally included eye-catching and favorable ensures for the Calgary Olympics in 1988. Swanson brazenly advised my agent, ‘I’m going to discover a solution to eliminate Jim. I’m going to create pressures which can drive 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 turn out 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 might 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, although he had not known as a struggle in a number of years. Fairly early in 1987, I used to be all of a sudden 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 fitting 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, take a look at what I’ve occurred into right here by chance.”

“The very first struggle 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 everywhere in the ring, and within the fifth around the referee stopped the struggle. 

“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, take a look at what I’ve occurred into right here by chance. 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.’ Certain sufficient, within the subsequent few weeks, all of them started tumbling out: ‘Boxing is a harm enterprise,’ ‘Everyone’s obtained a plan till they get punched within the face.’ All of a sudden, Tyson turned a world phenomenon, and I used to be the one that was narrating that phenomenon.

“Finally, HBO, having all of the ambitions HBO had at the moment in regard to boxing, with Seth Abraham answerable for 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 go away 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. 

by way of Final Mike Tyson on YouTube:

“I’m very proud to say Barry Tompkins is among the most swish, lovely males alive. Our friendship survives to this present day. 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 provide. I don’t permit my conscience to hassle me, as a result of it was a colossal provide. Anybody would have taken it. However I’ll at all times be continually impressed with the swish, 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 started 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 largest 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, once I was 14 years previous. I had purchased a ticket with lawn-mowing and car-washing cash saved over a number of months to go to that struggle. Within the late rounds of Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas, when the result seemed 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 largest upset in boxing historical past, and now I’m calling, for your entire American viewers, the struggle that’s going to be its successor as the largest upset in boxing historical past. You’ll be able to’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.

Observe @JSantoliquito