L.A.-based K2 Promotions announced on Friday that WBA and IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin has "signed a multi-fight contract extension with HBO," according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. K2 Promotions Managing Dir Tom Loeffler, after Golovkin's Saturday night fight against Daniel Geale, said, "We are looking forward to continuing our long-term relationship with HBO." Rafael noted the deal calls for a "minimum of four fights, although the Geale bout was the first one under the contract." The agreement also has "provisions for overseas fights and potential pay-per-view fights, meaning there could be far more than four bouts." All of Golovkin's fights will be on HBO or HBO PPV for the "foreseeable future." Saturday's bout was "supposed to be the final bout of Golovkin’s previous agreement with HBO," but the terms for the fight were renegotiated, and the old deal was "ripped up and replaced by the new deal." Since making his HBO debut in September '12, Golovkin’s star has "steadily risen, as have his viewership figures" (ESPN.com, 7/28).
COMBAT ZONE: MULTICHANNEL NEWS' R. Thomas Umstead reports DirecTV will "throw its hat into the combat-sports ring with the August launch" of Big Knockout Boxing. DirecTV VP/Marketing Alex Kaplan said that BKB will make its debut on DirecTV's "pay-per-view platform Aug. 16." Umstead notes BKB features a "circular ring dubbed 'the pit' with no ropes or corners" that is "twice as small as a traditional square boxing ring to encourage more action." Kaplan: "While it is based on boxing, we look at this as something that's not competing head-on with boxing. We look at this as a third entity and being incremental within our combat-sports business." BKB's PPV event will sell for $29.99 (MULITCHANNEL NEWS, 7/28 issue).
