It came as a shock that reverberated throughout the boxing world when HBO announced on Friday that Ken Hershman, president of HBO Sports since 2012, is stepping down at the end of the year.
Hershman, who brought Strikeforce to subscription television and built Showtime into a boxing force before transitioning to HBO, will work with Mike Lombardo, President of HBO Programming, on finding a new leader in HBO’s sports division. Hershman’s departure comes months after HBO signed former ESPN media giant Bill Simmons.
With close to 25 years of television experience, Hershman departs HBO after a record-setting year, centered on the May 9 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight, which generated a record 4.