HBO Sports President KEN HERSHMAN on Friday announced he was stepping down from his current role at the end of the year. Hershman, who has been in the position since '12, will work with HBO Programming President MIKE LOMBARDO on transitioning the leadership role in the sports division. No successor was immediately named. Hershman came to HBO in October '03 from Showtime (HBO Sports). YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole writes Hershman's departure is "shocking news," and there is "no indication of whether the move was entirely Hershman's or whether he was pushed out the door." Hershman ran HBO's boxing program and was "one of the most influential men" in the sport. Despite the "explosion of boxing on network television and basic cable" due to Premier Boxing Champions, Hershman "has kept HBO Sports at the top of the heap in terms of ratings" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/30). ESPN's Dan Rafael writes Hershman's departure is "totally out of blue," as it seems like his final task was to sign ANDRE WARD to a contract and "call it a day." SI's Chris Mannix wrote HBO has "strong in-house candidates to replace" Hershman, with Dir of Programming PETE NELSON may be the "strongest." Nelson is seen as being responsible for bringing GENNADY GOLOVKIN to the net (TWITTER.com, 10/30).
