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HBO Sports Senior VP Mark Taffet To Step Down When Contract Expires At Year's End

HBO Senior VP/Sports Operations & PPV MARK TAFFET, one of the "most important television executives in boxing history and essentially the creator of the boxing pay-per-view model, resigned Tuesday," effective Dec. 31 at the expiration of his contract, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.com. During his 32 years with HBO Sports, Taffet "oversaw more than 190 HBO PPV events, which generated 65 million buys and a staggering" $3.6B in PPV revenue, including the "two biggest pay-per-view events in history" with the May 2 FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.-MANNY PACQUIAO fight and Mayweather-OSCAR DE LA HOYA in '07. Taffet was also "closely involved in all aspects of HBO Sports, including programming, marketing, scheduling and negotiating countless big-money contracts with promoters." He is the "second top HBO Sports executive to announce his resignation in the past month." On Oct. 30, HBO Sports President KEN HERSHMAN, Taffet's boss, "announced he was leaving the network at the end of his contract, also Dec. 31." It was "clear" that Taffet "was not going to be promoted to succeed Hershman, just as he was passed over four years ago when former HBO Sports president ROSS GREENBURG was forced to resign." Taffet "likely could have remained in his present role." But he said that he "was not interested in going through another change of administrations and decided to leave at the end of his contract." He added that he "waited to disclose his decision" until HBO's two fall PPVs -- GENNADY GOLOVKIN-DAVID LEMIEUX on Oct. 17, and CANELO ALVAREZ-MIGUEL COTTO last Saturday night -- "were in the books." Taffet: "My intention is to work with the fighters, promoters and entities that will be most directly involved in the formation of the next great era of boxing. That also includes sites, sponsors and foreign broadcasters, all the key players necessary. Most likely I'm going to speak with people who HBO is already involved with, but I will be on the other side" (ESPN.com, 11/24).

NEXT MAN UP: YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole noted the resignations of both Hershman and Taffet "seem to solidify the power base" of HBO Sports VP/Programming PETER NELSON as the "presumed successor to Hershman." It is "unclear whether Nelson will replace Hershman as president of HBO Sports." But a source said that Hershman’s successor "would come from within" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/24).  

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