Tag: History

HBO Leaves Boxing Business After 45 Years

The longtime tradition of watching boxing on HBO seems to be coming to an end.

The post HBO Leaves Boxing Business After 45 Years appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

HBO Boxing is closing shop after 45 years of putting on historic bouts.

It all started with Joe Frazier vs. George Foreman back in 1973. Now, it will come to an end with Daniel Jacobs vs. Sergiy Derevyanchenko on October 27th of this year. The New York Times reports that, after putting on over 1,000 fights, HBO is getting out of the boxing business to focus on more original programming.

With juggernauts such as “Game Of Thrones” dominated the television market, and boxing struggling to make mainstream stars, the decision doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Peter Nelson, executive vice president of HBO Sports, had this to say:

“This is not a subjective decision,” Nelson said. “Our audience research informs us that boxing is no longer a determinant factor for subscribing to HBO. Because of our association with boxing, people forget that we’re not a sports network. We’re a storytelling platform.”

HBO Boxing’s last big event occurred earlier this month with Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennady Golovkin II. The Mexican star defeated “GGG” to become boxing’s premier middleweight champion.

With the move, Showtime Boxing now seemingly leads the way in producing boxing bouts – unless they follow in HBO’s footsteps in the near future.

The post HBO Leaves Boxing Business After 45 Years appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

The Complete Timeline of the Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Feud

Conor McGregor is an expert at manufacturing rivalries. At the drop of a hat, the man can whip up a compelling grudge match unlike anything ever seen and transform a standard fight into a vicious bloodfeud…

Conor McGregor is an expert at manufacturing rivalries. At the drop of a hat, the man can whip up a compelling grudge match unlike anything ever seen and transform a standard fight into a vicious bloodfeud…

TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt: The Complete Timeline to MMA’s Hottest Rivalry

The ugliest rivalry in MMA today is TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt. Though it may not have attracted the mainstream attention of a Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor nor stewed as long as Daniel Cormier vs…

The ugliest rivalry in MMA today is TJ Dillashaw vs. Cody Garbrandt. Though it may not have attracted the mainstream attention of a Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor nor stewed as long as Daniel Cormier vs…

That Time UFC Champ Cody Garbrandt Choked TJ Dillashaw on a Reality Show Set

The rivalry between Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw is one of the most enduring in MMA today. Both men are elite talents in their division, both have a shared history dating back to their time in Team Alpha Male and, of course, both men really hate eac…

The rivalry between Cody Garbrandt and TJ Dillashaw is one of the most enduring in MMA today. Both men are elite talents in their division, both have a shared history dating back to their time in Team Alpha Male and, of course, both men really hate each other.

It wasn’t always like this. Back in 2015, Garbrandt was riled up to the point of violence after Conor McGregor famously questioned the relationship between Dillashaw and his at-the-time friends at Team Alpha Male:

When Dillashaw eventually split off from the gym, however, the gloves came off and Garbrandt was right alongside Alpha Male owner Urijah Faber in bashing him. While Faber slid into retirement, Garbrandt kept rising up the ranks and, eventually, captured the UFC bantamweight title. That put Dillashaw and Garbrandt on a collision course and that, naturally, led to the UFC highlighting the rivalry through a season of The Ultimate Fighter. 

Everyone expected fireworks right away, and Garbrandt delivered when he blew up and grabbed Dillashaw by the throat during an argument on-set:

Even after seeing how hot-headed Garbrandt was during his rise up the rankings, this was a surprising sight, and one that only helped to build up the rivalry. The Ultimate Fighter was supposed to lead to a decisive showdown at UFC 213, but an injury forced Garbrandt off the card.

The bout was rescheduled for UFC 217 but the pure hatred between the two of them hasn’t cooled off since, with both fighters exchanging pointed barbs during interviews and over social media. The time for talk ends on Saturday, however, as they step into the cage for what should be their climactic showdown.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

That Time Conor McGregor Really Sparred the Mountain from Game of Thrones

Conor McGregor was allegedly very close to throwing his hat in the ring for a crack at taking over Westeros.
Yup. Westeros, the fictional land concocted in the mind of George R.R. Martin and supporting HBO’s biggest television success ever. You didn’t …

Conor McGregor was allegedly very close to throwing his hat in the ring for a crack at taking over Westeros.

Yup. Westeros, the fictional land concocted in the mind of George R.R. Martin and supporting HBO’s biggest television success ever. You didn’t misread that.

Is there any limit McGregor sees for what he can do? And given his meteoric rise, ability to predict these things and tendency to manifest his wildest dreams through sheer force of personality, would anyone be silly enough to doubt him?

He eventually decided to forgo his claim to leading the Seven Kingdoms, though, in the name of slaying an even more formidable dragon than those supporting the Targaryen bid for rule of the land—Floyd Mayweather Jr.

But he kept his eye on Westeros anyway and elected to sharpen his proverbial sword by throwing hands with one of its greatest warriors: The Mountain.

The Mountain, otherwise known as Gregor Clegane, is played by Hafthor Julius Bjornsson, an Icelandic sensation and perennial contender for the title of World’s Strongest Man. He stands 6’9″ and weighs in at a staggering 441 pounds, which is a full foot taller than McGregor and almost 300 pounds above the two-division UFC champion’s fighting weights.

So, naturally, McGregor wanted to have some fun with him.

 

When Bjornsson stopped by McGregor’s SBG Ireland to hang out and see MMA’s top athlete in action, as well as McGregor’s training partner and Bjornsson’s fellow Icelander Gunnar Nelson, it wasn’t long before the Westerosi icon was invited onto the mats.

What ensued was something, aptly, out of television, with McGregor circling the giant and lightly throwing shots while The Mountain engaged with some surprisingly athletic, albeit slow and controlled, action of his own. The whole thing was a bit of fun as far as any viewer could tell, but it’s still quite a sight to behold.

It’s also instructive of McGregor’s plan to always go bigger and better every time out: If he beats Mayweather this weekend, he might just be looking for whoever ends up on the Iron Throne as his next conquest. 

Check out the full McGregor vs. The Mountain here.

 

          

Follow me on Twitter @matthewjryder!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Most Shocking UFC Knockouts of the 2000s

“Anything can happen in MMA” is a cliche, but it wouldn’t have survived this long if it weren’t accurate. Over the many years of the UFC’s existence, fans have seen things so absurd and so spectacular that they pushed the boundaries of what seemed poss…

“Anything can happen in MMA” is a cliche, but it wouldn’t have survived this long if it weren’t accurate. Over the many years of the UFC’s existence, fans have seen things so absurd and so spectacular that they pushed the boundaries of what seemed possible in combat sports.

Stunning upsets. Incredible feats of strength. Whiplash-inducing comebacks.

The Octagon has played host to a number of jaw-dropping moments—knockouts in particular. With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Steven Rondina and Nathan McCarter are here to sift through recent UFC history and pick out some of the most shocking UFC knockouts.

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