HBO Adds Klitschko Fight One Week Before Match; May Be Part Of Three-Bout Deal

HBO on Saturday night announced that it has “finalized a deal to carry live American coverage” of the Nov. 15 Wladimir Klitschko-Kubrat Pulev heavyweight championship fight from the O2 World arena in Hamburg, Germany, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. A source said that HBO’s deal for the fight is “part of a larger overall deal the network has made with Klitschko for three fights.” Rafael noted the announcers will “call the bout from San Antonio, Texas, off monitors because HBO’s production team will be there for a card it is carrying on HBO Latino that night.” It is “unprecedented for HBO to add a fight to its schedule on a week’s notice,” as the net “usually lines up its schedule months ahead of time.” The telecast will begin at 4:45pm ET (ESPN.com, 11/8).