Would boxing have been better or worse to watch without Cosell's commentary?

I think boxing would be the "Same" watching wise even without Cossel. It is the fighters that make the fight, not the guy with the mic/

 

His commentary there was hilarious. We listened to an ATG commentator realize through the course of the fight that he was done with this **** and verbalize it, and then literally quit on air at the end.

For the record, I love watching old fights with Cosell commentating. He's a big part of the nostalgia for me. It just isn't the same watching with, say, a younger less drunk Larry Merchant in old fights. Cosell is a blowhard and you love to hate him, but it all just adds to it for me.

 

All voice, no expert opinion.

 

He had lots of charisma and a great voice...

But he was in large part a melodramatic carnie. It's cute when certain posters appeal to him as an authority.

 

In his timeframe, we the fans probably would have got a guy like Chris Schenkel. And Cosell is better than that guy, then again who isn't?

 

I personally liked Howard. Of course, at the end, I think he was bitter and disinterested, but, at his best, a sight to behold.

 

Yes, he was obnoxious, arrogant, self-serving and the like. And he always promoted an image of being buddy-buddies with Ali. Those closest to Ali said their relationship was not what Cosell would have people think. He later tried the same thing with Leonard. But all that said, I miss the guy. He had his own kind of charm and charisma, for lack of a better way of putting it. He loomed large in the popular culture of his era. Check on YouTube for the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast of Howard Cosell - it was one of the funniest and most entertaining roasts I have ever seen!

 

The fights would be no different to watch. You see what you see, and if one lets what they hear affect what they see, they have a weak mind.

 

I think, at times he was good and at times he was terrible. As long as I could see the fight, I really didn't care about him describing it to me. When I hear a really terrible broadcast team, I sometimes mute the sound and just watch the fights. I never muted Howard. At least he was funny sometimes. Some of his interviews with Muhammad Ali were pure gold.

 

I enjoyed Cosell’s commentary

 

Whoa , Nellie !!

 

This !!!!

 

He was awful. And I hope no one actually buys the B.S. line about him quitting as some sort of demonstration of his moral fiber. Please. He covered a lot of fights over the years, and THIS is the mismatch that is really going to flip him? What sanctimonious Cloak of Righteousness would he wrap himself in the days of Louis' Bum of The Month Club, I wonder.

Let's face it, he got bored or got a better offer and decided to go out in a fit of Cosellitude.

 

He didn't get a better offer. He tanked his own career in boxing first, and then in football. I think he had enough money to not worry about money anymore, and realized he was sick of it all.

I don't know how old you are, but did you have a grandparent who reached a certain age, and just stopped giving a ****? When my last living (now passed on) grandmother reached age 80 or so, she just had zero ****s left to give, spoke her mind at all times and damn the results. I think Cosell had reached that point.