HBO passes on Tomasz Adamek-Glen Johnson

According to BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno, HBO has officially passed on a potential clash between cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek and light heavyweight contender Glen Johnson.

Reeno also notes that a fight between the two is "almost done," and seems to be saying it'll go ahead, and all they're looking for is a TV date. Showtime televised Adamek's last defense against Johnathon Banks, which isn't nearly as intriguing as this fight is. Johnson is aging, but he still brings it and has incredible stamina. Both guys have rock solid chins, decent power, and come to fight. It's a damn good fight on paper and an excellent chance for both to truly earn a solid payday. Neither of them would go into this fight expecting anything less than a stern challenge.

HBO has done great stuff this year, and I like their core base of young fighters they're promoting, but this is the second good fight they've passed on. Mr. Reeno even states the same opinion I have, and that many of us share: Passing on Froch-Taylor was weird, and this is strange, too. Froch-Taylor was a far more intriguing fight than Taylor-Lacy, and they were OK with that one. Froch-Taylor was a better fight than Lopez-Penalosa, too, but since they're trying to promote Lopez I get that one.

Passing on Adamek-Johnson is probably a budget issue more than anything, though. I'm hoping Showtime grabs this fight because it's very worthy and sort of stuck in the same spot Froch-Taylor was, and that one sure turned out to be worth the risk.