It appears to me at least Al Haymon is trying to significantly diminish the control of the boxing industry from premium cable networks HBO and Showtime. By bringing boxing to network tv (he just announced his NBC television deal) and now a non premium cable deal with SPIKE TV, there will be less marquee fights on HBO & Showtime.
Here are the details of the SPIKE deal according to ESPN.
One week after NBC announced a multiyear deal with powerful adviser and manager Al Haymon that includes the return of boxing to network primetime, Haymon will unveil another television deal with cable network Spike TV on Thursday, multiple sources with knowledge of the series told ESPN.com.
The first of multiple Spike TV cards — the number of shows is unclear — will take place March 13 at a location to be announced, the sources said.
The first card is slated to be headlined by former welterweight titleholder Andre Berto (29-3, 22 KOs) squaring off with fringe contender Josesito Lopez (33-6, 19 KOs). A bout between former welterweight titleholder Shawn Porter (24-1-1, 15 KOs) and Roberto Garcia (36-3, 23 KOs) is being planned as the co-feature. The level of the bouts on the first Spike card is a bit less than the what was announced for the first two NBC cards but they still appear to be competitive, exciting fights on paper.
The SPIKE TV cards will be shown on Friday Nights.