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Hopkins vs. Jones II: HBO PPV....without HBO broadcast team?

According to Evan Korn of Fighthype.com, Dan Rafael recently reported that the HBO broadcasting team will not be calling Hopkins vs. Jones II.  Although HBO will be distributing the PPV, production of the event is in the hands of Golden Boy Promotions. 

There have been rumors of adding the WBA heavyweight title between champion David Haye and recycled former heavyweight titlist John Ruiz to the telecast.  The fight will take place in the UK, but Golden Boy has expressed interest in adding same day coverage to the PPV telecast.  Such a proposition, however, has not yet been confirmed.  Could this event get any worse??

Lets face the facts: this rematch is happening at least ten years too late and its relevance was rapidly reduced to a dead fish out of water when Danny Green embarrassed Jones in December of 2009 by scoring a shocking first round knockout in Australia. Therefore, who could really blame Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, and Max Kellerman for not wanting to cover such a fiasco? 

Would you like to know just how well my memory serves me?  I still recall Merchant's sentiments following a dreadful HBO Jones/Mosley doubleheader that took place in January of 1999 at the Civic Center in Pensacola, FL.  Jones, making an appearance in his hometown, defended the light heavyweight championship with a 2nd round TKO of the vastly overmatched civil service worker and part-time boxer Richard Frazier, while Mosley posted a 7th round knockout of Golden Johnson to retain his IBF lightweight title. 

At the conclusion of the telecast, Merchant boldly exclaimed to the HBO subscribers watching worldwide, "We brought you junk tonight."  Following the announcement of the Hopkins vs. Jones rematch, HBO echoes those precise sentiments eleven years later.  This time, however, they react appropriately by quietly stepping aside and turning their heads in shame.

1 comments:

Fly Double N said...

Golden Johnson ;)
Luv it !!!