Showtime is done as a top network for Boxing

Bang on. Haymon has already hinted that he's sick of SHO. His plan is to make boxing mainstream again. He's spent a lot of years in the background assembling his fighters and working towards getting boxing back on public TV. This is his big plan for boxing and it MIGHT just be what boxing needs in the US. SHO isnt part of that big plan apart from a few select PPV fights.

 

Showtime is definitely in a state of major turmoil. While HBO has 4 major shows announced for the first quarter, Showtime has no Championship Boxing dates announced for 2015.

My guess would be that Showtime would serve as a place for the new boxing league to place fights that Al doesn't want to pay for himself, or is too embarrassed to put on NBC (see Cherry Garcia v. Rod Salka, LSC v. Ruiz).

If Showtime were smart, they'd go the route of AWE or BEIN and try to invest in foreign fights or lesser known prospects. They could start out by showing interest in Salido v. Martinez in March. They could also try to make fights like Roman Gonzalez v. Estrada II and appeal to hard-core fight fans.

I believe the Mayweather/Pacquiao negotiations are make or break for the network. It's clear that, much like when Tyson finally fought Lewis, they are in dire need of this big fight to make good on their $200M investment. If the final two Mayweather fights flop I could legitimately see Showtime out of the business within a few years.