27.04.04 – By Bernie McCoy: HBO Network has provided its cable subscribers with some very entertaining and innovative programming choices: “The Sopranos”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “Six Feet Under”, to mention only several. In the area of sports programming, the network’s Emmy Award winner, “Real Sports”, is a far and away leader in investigative reporting; and here’s a potential story for Bryant Gumbel and company: Why is HBO’s boxing coverage stuck in the Eisenhower administration?
Last Saturday night, HBO broadcast the Vitali Klitschko/Corrie Sanders heavyweight title fight, a sporadically exciting bout that Klitschko won with an eight round TKO. On the undercard, Sumya Anani, arguably the best female fighter in the sport, returning to the ring for the first time in a year, pounded out a unanimous decision over tough Lisa Holewyne. Television viewers saw the Klitschko bout, but only the people in the Staples Center were treated to the return of Anani and her six round bout with Holewyne. On the surface, this is absurd and begs a question: How can HBO, a network that properly boasts it has been broadcasting boxing for over thirty years, continue to ignore the sport of Women’s boxing; more specifically, how can HBO ignore the opportunity of providing coverage of the best female fighter in the ring. Its not as though the telecast on Saturday was “wall-to-wall” boxing action.
Due to another bout’s cancellation, HBO had only the Klitschko bout scheduled and ninety minutes to of airtime to “fill”. HBO’s solution, their interpretation of programming innovation, was to foist on the viewers, in lieu of an undercard bout, a “roundtable” discussion, with Jim Lampley, several journalists, and heavyweight contender, Chris Byrd. This meandering discussion, incredibly, focused on the subject of what was wrong with the current heavyweight division. Thus, just prior to airing the Klitschko heavyweight title bout, HBO decides that viewers, tuning in to watch boxing, would be enthralled with a discussion of how bad the heavyweight division really is. Was HBO trying to turn viewers off? What about giving boxing fans, boxing. What about giving boxing fans a look at the best female fighter in the sport. C’mon HBO!
As a result of this programming decision, “talk” instead of boxing, the ninety minutes allocated for boxing on HBO on Saturday night was “stuffed” with only a bit more than 20 minutes of actual boxing. In the meantime, Sumya Anani and Lisa Holewyne were providing six rounds of exciting boxing; but only for the edification and enjoyment of the “live” audience in the Staples Center. Does HBO actually believe that boxing fans, tuning into a broadcast for boxing, prefer listening to Lampley and other “experts” bloviate about the deficiencies of the current heavyweight crop of fighters to watching the best female fighter in the sport go six rounds with another very good woman boxer. C’mon HBO!
Anani and Holewyne went six rounds of, reportedly, action packed boxing. Anani scored a knockdown midway through the fight, but Holewyne, exhibiting a trademark toughness, climbed off the canvas and was trading big punches at the end of the bout. Anani won all six rounds on the scorecards, indicating that her year long layoff has not dulled her skill. Anani is back in the ring and, hopefully, the HBO people noticed. The cable network’s “No Women Boxers Allowed” barriers will come down sooner or later. When they do, HBO will notice, to their obvious surprise, that there is a multitude of quality, talent laden female boxers available, starting with Sumya Anani and including the woman she was in with Saturday night, Lisa Holewyne. HBO missed an opportunity with those two last weekend, and the question now becomes: when are the programming blinders going to come off or does Bryant Gumbel and “Real Sports” reporters need to “get on the case”. C’mon HBO.