Bob Arum predicts that Showtime will make its exit from boxing soon.
Top boxing promoter Arum is no stranger to taking aim at other promoters. He’s well known in the mixed martial arts community for making questionable comments about the sport. Arum and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) president Dana White have had their share of verbal spats.
Bob Arum Sees An End To Showtime Boxing
With HBO recently announcing the end of its boxing broadcasts, many have wondered if Showtime will follow suit. During a recent appearance on the Randy Gordon and Gerry Cooney Sirius show, Arum gave his two cents (via Bad Left Hook):
“Both HBO and Showtime are competing for viewers with Netflix. So every dollar that they have has to go into what they’re really great at — providing entertainment. HBO certainly has done it. They have really, really good, good programming. And so does Showtime. So I’m predicting also that within the next year Showtime will be exiting from boxing because, as great as they’ve been for boxing, they don’t belong. Does FOX belong in boxing? Of course they do. They’re a regular network that has a lot of sports. ESPN is perfect for boxing. That’s where it’s going. The world never stays the same. It always changes. Their time has now passed.”
With more prime time boxing events appearing on FOX and ESPN, it’ll be interesting to see if Showtime remains in the boxing game. The premium television network has been praised for its presentation and airing of exciting bouts over the years. Many felt the network did a better job than HBO at catering to younger boxing fans.
Do you think Bob Arum has a point or is he just trying to put down others again?
