HBO Sports President Ken Hershman Resigns

In a move that came without warning, Ken Hershman, the president of HBO Sports, announced his resignation on Friday.

Hershman was originally hired away from Showtime near the end of 2011, succeeding longtime HBO executive Ross Greenburg. He was a big acquisition at the time because he had served in a similar position at Showtime, managing to build that network’s reputation in boxing despite having less history and (reportedly) resources behind his efforts there.

Since top level boxing is the crown jewel of HBO Sports, it only made sense for someone with a history of success in the sweet science to take the reins after Greenburg. To Hershman’s credit, HBO has remained the gold standard in the sport despite Floyd Mayweather signing with Showtime for the final deal of his career and the recent inroads made by Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions.

Hershman’s parting statement notes that HBO remains well positioned for the near future, citing fighters like Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto and Andre Ward who are signed with the network. HBO also has the two boxers who arguably have the greatest chances of filling Mayweather’s shoes as the biggest attractions in the sport, Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez.

It’s not known who will take over for Hershman, though ESPN boxing writer Dan Rafael notes that HBO Sports vice president Peter Nelson could be a prime candidate. It will undoubtedly be difficult to replace Hershman’s expertise, but since he’s sticking around until the end of 2015, the network has a few months to think over its next move.