Some news from two Rick Reeno reports over at BoxingScene.com today has HBO's April dates possibly moving around to accommodate a host of big-name fighters.
First, HBO's Ross Greenburg says that the Bernard Hopkins-Roy Jones Jr. rematch is likely to take place on April 3 instead of April 17. Greenburg notes they're holding basically every Saturday in April for fights, too. April 24 is still being looked at to host Cristobal Arreola-Tomasz Adamek, April 10 and 17 are in the air right now, with the names of Kelly Pavlik, Amir Khan, Paul Williams, Sergio Martinez and Lucian Bute being discussed.
Greenburg indicates that HBO has a clear stance. They want Pavlik-Williams just like most everyone does. But more and more, it looks like we just might get Pavlik taking on Sergio Martinez. Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment continue to discuss that fight, which HBO is willing to broadcast, seeing Martinez as a more-than-worthy "replacement" opponent for either Pavlik or Williams, which would be a rematch of a Fight of the Year candidate from December.
Reeno reports in the second linked article that HBO is talking about doing an April 17 double-header featuring Pavlik and super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute, which would go head-to-head with Showtime's Super Six double-header. Bute could even wind up fighting Allan Green, who is also promoted by DiBella, as it appears that -- shocker! -- there's some trouble getting the February 5 fight between Green and Sakio Bika finalized. Who woulda thunk it with those two guys?
Amir Khan's American soil debut is also going to come in April, though it could still wind up on the Hopkins-Jones show.