HBO on June 17 will distribute via pay-per-view the rematch between light heavyweights Andre Ward and Sergey Kovalev, the network said Tuesday.

The fight, which will take place in Las Vegas, will once again pit light heavyweight champion Ward against former champ Kovalev. Ward won a close but unanimous decision in their Nov. 19 matchup, which generated a reported 160,000 PPV buys.

"After a razor thin decision last November in their first meeting, the boxing community has been eagerly waiting for a Ward-Kovalev rematch," said Tony Walker, Vice President, HBO Pay-Per-View in a statement. "These are two world class prizefighters who embrace being on the sport's biggest stage. Like Andre and Sergey, we can't wait for June 17th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas."

Four marquee boxing and UFC pay-per- view events over the next two months could salvage what has been an otherwise weak year for the category.

After generating more than $500 million in revenue last year — some $400 million from just the May 2, 2015 Floyd Mayweather- Manny Pacquiao welterweight title fight — the live PPV-event category has garnered less than half of that take through the first 10 months of 2016, industry sources said.

Distributors hope a flurry of big PPV events in November and December will help pad the category’s revenue take. The latest addition to the PPV category is the Dec. 30 return of UFC star Ronda Rousey to the octagon, more than a year after her shocking loss to Holly Holm in last November’s UFC 193.

UFC CARRYING THE LOAD

The show joins UFC’s Nov. 12 PPV event from New York’s Madison Square Garden, which will feature popular UFC fighter Conor McGregor. In Demand senior vice president of programming and business development Mark Boccardi said that the appearance of Rousey and McGregor in two of the final three UFC PPV events -- the MMA outfit will also distribute its UFC 206 event on Dec. 10 -- will cap off what has been one of the most lucrative years for the UFC in terms of PPV revenue, although he would not disclose specifics.

“Clearly, this is a year where the UFC is helping the entire category,” Boccardi said. “Everyone sees that boxing is down — we had no Mayweather and one Pacquaio fight so far [this past April against Timothy Bradley Jr.] — so the UFC’s really strong performance is good for the overall health of the business. The events feature two tentpole athletes for PPV in Rousey and McGregor — the two are by far the biggest UFC PPV stars — and the crossover appeal that Ronda has you can’t overstate.”

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Two high-profile PPV boxing events will also take place within two weeks of each other in November. This Saturday ([Nov. 5) Pacquiao will step into the PPV ring for a fight against WBO welterweight champion Jessie Vargas, while Nov. 19 will pit Sergey Kovalev against Andre Ward in a battle of undefeated light heavyweight boxers.

Boxing promotion company Top Rank, which is distributing the Pacquiao-Vargas fight, isn’t concerned about cannibalization, given the back-to-back-to-back marquee PPV events, company president Todd duBoef said.

DAILY DOC SERIES KICKS OFF

Top Rank recently turned to the Web to promote the fight. The network last week launched ALL IN: Pacquiao-Vargas, a daily documentary series on Top Rank’s Facebook page and Twitter feed that it said will give boxing fans an inside look at each fighter’s daily preparations.

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HBO will push the lion’s share of its promotional efforts for the Kovalev-Ward fight to the week before the event in an effort to avoid the marketing noise from the Pacquiao-Vargas and UFC 205 events. While there is a concern about potential cannibalization of viewers, HBO vice president of programming Tony Walker said the network is confident its event would appeal to boxing fans looking for a competitive matchup between undefeated fighters.

“There are some [cannibalization] concerns, but we think our fight is of a quality that will make people watch it,” Walker said.

Black Entertainment Television is the latest cable network to step into the ring with a new boxing series.

The network will televise live Roc Nation Sports throne boxing cards beginning June 20 with the Andre Ward-Paul Smith fight for Ward’s WBA Super Middleweight championship, according to network officials. Overall BET plans to televise nine live boxing cards over the next 18 months, said network officials.

Along with the fights, the events will feature live musical performances and a name DJ to play music throughout the telecast, said the network.

“BET is constantly searching for ways to expand its portfolio of content with the sole goal of satisfying our audiences,” said Stephen Hill, President of Programming, BET Networks in a statement. “Roc Nation is doing very exciting things in the entertainment space and we are excited to partner with them on this groundbreaking deal positioning BET Networks as a go-to destination for premier live boxing events. Together, we’ll provide unique entertainment.”

BET joins a growing list of cable and broadcast networks launching live boxing series in 2015 in what is turning into a renaissance for boxing on television. Broadcast networks ABC and CBS along with cable networks ESPN and Spike have teamed with Premier Boxing Champions to create primetime and weekend afternoon fight telecasts, while TruTV has partnered with Top Rank Inc. for a slate of live Friday night boxing events.

Longtime boxing promoter Dan Goossen died Monday after battling liver cancer.

Goossen, 64, worked with numerous boxing champions during his decades long career, including Mike Tyson, Bernard Hopkins, and current super middleweight champion Andre Ward. He was diagnosed with liver cancer this past Labor Day, according to ESPN.com.

Showtime Sports general manager Stephen Espinoza said in a statement: “All of us at Showtime are deeply saddened by the passing of Dan Goossen.  This news has come as a shock to many of us who knew Dan personally, beyond our collaborative work on boxing events, for decades.  We will remember Dan as a passionate advocate for the sport of boxing, a fun-loving colleague and friend, and, above all, a devoutly religious family man.  Our deepest sympathies to the entire Goossen family.  May he rest in peace.”

Ken Hershman, President, HBO Sports said,"Everyone at HBO Sports is saddened by the sudden loss of Dan Goossen. Dan was a dedicated boxing promoter who we worked closely with for many, many years on some of the most important fights in the sport. But what was even more impressive was his total commitment to his family, who were always right by his side during fight week or wherever his business required him to be. Our prayers and thoughts are with his wife, Debbie, and the entire Goossen family."

ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions said of Goossen: “Dan Goossen was an absolute titan in the boxing industry and a great friend to ESPN. He was the mastermind behind bringing the WBC World Heavyweight Championship bout between Bermane Stiverne and Chris Arreola to the masses via ESPN back in May. He will be sorely missed.”