Source: Spike TV Will Broadcast Boxing Events in 2015

Spike TV will add boxing to its slate of combat sports related programming in 2015, likely turning Friday nights into some iteration of boxing, kickboxing or mixed martial arts.

Sherdog.com has learned from parties close to the situation that the Viacom-owned network is in negotiations with promoters currently to put some sort of deal in place. One of the names mentioned is Al Haymon, who represents a who’s who of fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Amir Khan and Deontay Wilder.

Earlier this year, a report claimed that Haymon had a $20 million deal in place with NBC to bring boxing back to network television. While this has yet to come to fruition, it’s quite possible Haymon could take his stable of boxers to Spike.

While the fights Spike would feature would likely not hold the name power that a HBO or Showtime broadcast yields, sources claim the product would rival something similar to “Boxing After Dark,” which features boxers who are on the rise within the sport. The program has aired on HBO since 1996.

With the addition of boxing to its lineup, at some point in 2015 the goal would be to air Glory World Series, Bellator MMA and boxing at different points over the course of a month.

When asked about the ongoing negotiations and if Spike would be entering the boxing market anytime soon, David Schwarz, senior vice president of communications at Spike TV, offered this comment:

“We are always on the lookout for the right programming to complement our great stable of combat sports -- Bellator and Glory.”

In 2012, it was widely rumored that Top Rank Inc. and Spike had reached a deal for a weekly, 36-show boxing broadcast, but the plan never developed to the point of an active broadcast.