HBO TURNS DOWN ALVAREZ-KOVALEV REMATCH

MMALOPEZ

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Last week ESPN reported that former two time light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev exercised his contractual immediate rematch clause to face undefeated WBO champion Eleider Alvarez in his next bout. In an interesting turn of events, Boxingtalk has been informed that HBO, the network that has featured Kovalev for the last several years, will not pick up the bout. HBO's Peter Nelson, Kathy Duva and Yvon Michel were all unavailable for immediate comment. There will be more to follow, until then Remember where you heard it first!
Update:
Kathy Duva confirmed to Boxingtalk that HBO has declined to pick up the bout, while retaining its right to match any offer made by another party.

http://boxingtalk.com/pag/article.php?aid=35821
 
Doesn't surprise me. They have the Jacobs/Derevyanchenko fight in late October and probably don't have any interest in paying out anything for another fight this year. They have Superfly 3 next weekend and then the GGG/Canelo 2 PPV.
 
Duva was the one who took the gamble on Kovalev in the first place, im wondering if there is more to this than meets the simple "there are other good fights booked"

I get the feeling that Kovalev has made his money and isnt interested anymore
 
Bummer. The first fight was fantastic and HBO has clearly been replaced by Showtime as the premier boxing outlet. C'mon Peter Nelson, make it happen!
 
I take it HBO isn't interested in an immediate rematch that most people probably won't be interested in. Maybe they will be pushing for Alvarez vs Bivol instead.
 
Do or die for Kov, really. If he loses to Alvarez a second time, he's done.

I don't think I'd go for that fight unless he's comitted to making some serious lifestyle/training changes.
 
Hard to sell a rematch where one guy looked like crap then gets ko’d
 
Duva was the one who took the gamble on Kovalev in the first place, im wondering if there is more to this than meets the simple "there are other good fights booked"

I get the feeling that Kovalev has made his money and isnt interested anymore

The biggest gamble she took was bailing out of the purse bid with Stevenson. Then thinking turning down 4 million to fight stevenson was a good idea. Duva sucks. Let's not even get into the crap deal Kovalev got in the Ward rematch.
 
the fight could be on non hbo but would it make enough money?? have it in montreal a world title fight with a montreal based fighter would sell well
 
I guess I'm a lot more surprised than some of you. I didn't even consider they wouldn't pick it up.
 
probably cost too much money they have a handful of other hbo stuff coming up.
 
sounds like the rematch for sake of the rematch Clause is going to be a hard sell.
 
Kov really has nowhere to go if he loses this rematch. Hbo probably doesn't think it's worth the money. If Kov wins he's still an aging fighter with no future to really predict going one way or the other. If he loses then you've got Alvarez, who despite being a pretty fun watch, isn't really a name outside Quebec/Canada. Selling out the venue is cool but hbo wants ratings and looking past the rematch it doesn't seem to sell well for them no matter who wins.
 
The biggest gamble she took was bailing out of the purse bid with Stevenson. Then thinking turning down 4 million to fight stevenson was a good idea. Duva sucks. Let's not even get into the crap deal Kovalev got in the Ward rematch.
and Kov would've had to violate his contract with HBO so he would've had to pay them one way or another. Think he would've sniffed close to that 4 million?
 
and Kov would've had to violate his contract with HBO so he would've had to pay them one way or another. Think he would've sniffed close to that 4 million?

Win the purse bid and win the rights to put on the fight. She didn't even participate. The WBC even tried forcing the fight by making Kovalev-Pascal an eliminator fight with the winner getting Stevenson. Would Duva win the bid? Probably not, but the road they went down wasn't nearly as lucrative even when you include the HBO deal.
 
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TVs sports reports that the rematch still is yet to be exercised. I don't know if a venue and date and network need to be set first. Deadline is October 4
 
Let’s see what happens here. Badou Jack and Mayweather are pushing to face Alvarez!!! Haymon can make a power play
 
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