Boxing After Dark

History

Boxing After Dark, or BAD for short, began on February 3, 1996 with commentators Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant. The first fight was a 12-rounder between then-unknown Marco Antonio Barrera and Kennedy McKinney, which Barrera won by knockout. The program has since focused on fights between lesser-caliber fighters with something to prove, though occasionally well-known HBO-signed boxers appear. In 2006, BAD entered its tenth season with a new lineup: Fran Charles, Max Kellerman, and Lennox Lewis replaced Lampley, Merchant, and Emanuel Steward, who moved to World Championship Boxing and pay-per-view events.

Kellerman reportedly received about $10,000 per BAD telecast. The season emphasized lighter weight classes and introduced new theme music and logo. On March 13, 2007, Bob Papa replaced Fran Charles due to NFL Network scheduling conflicts; Jim Lampley occasionally substituted for Charles or Papa. Beginning in 2013, the announcing teams for BAD and World Championship Boxing became identical, with Lampley, Kellerman, and Roy Jones Jr. calling all HBO boxing events, and Andre Ward and Bernard Hopkins substituting for Jones.

On September 27, 2018, HBO announced it would drop boxing after its last televised match on October 27, though an additional airing occurred on December 8, 2018. Reasons cited included declining ratings, increased boxing options on other channels, surveys indicating boxing was no longer a primary reason for HBO subscriptions, a lack of marquee contests, and HBO's corporate stance that it is not a sports network.