As a kid, had my ear glued -- my eyes shut tight (so I could see better) to the furniture-size wooden Philco radio to transport me ringside to the Gillette Friday Night Fights. The excitement of a great fight was thrilling. Would some of the great fights now be even MORE THRILLING if we heard 'em on the radio? Think I'd go into cardiac arrest if I heard Castillio-Corrales I on the radio.
Would legendary fights on radio -- because broadcasters had to speak so fast to keep up with the action -- be less so on TV now?
John..i listened to Hagler Hearns on the radio with my Dad and a load of mates.We couldn't see it the UK but we had a really good radio .It was a packed kitchen and the best fight on the radio as well. It was the only way we could "see" the big fights from the States. I listened to one of the Ali Frazier fights but the reception was poor. I think your point that the fights can sometimes sound better is right .Due to work i had to listen to a few of the Hatton fights on radio.They were not that good when i actually saw them Good memories though
Hello John; you've enlightened me to the nth level with your insights over the years. I've basically blown off the sweet science since the early nineties save the occasional "big" bout-multiple champs, a weight division every 4-5 lbs. etc... 57 years old. Dad got me into sports in the late-50's, early sixties and boxing was always one of his favorites. Patterson a life-long hero to me. Dad and my uncle went downtown here in Indy in 62 to watch the Patterson/Liston bout closed circuit. Against Mom's wishes, he woke me up and told me my hero had been stopped in the 1st round; I cried myself to sleep. Radio bouts a little before my time but I can imagine how exciting they would have been. Even my Mom told me about her and her sisters around the radio listening to the Joe Louis fights (was his name McCarthy?)..."Louis with a left, and a right..." I remember the Ali/Terrell Astrodome fight not being televised and on the radio that Friday nite in 66-early 67? It was delayed and after each round they gave you a re-cap of the action. Blessings John, keep on punching and giving us great insights from the past! :happy
jg,as a youngster i would listen to Sam Taub announcing the fights..He had a Clem McCarthy style,staccato exciting voice..Sam Taub would also have a 1 hr boxing show where he would interview the great fighters of the time...I was so young, but so thrilled with my radio...On his program i first heard the name of Harry Greb, as Taub's guests, Maxie rosenbloom and Mickey Walker, when asked by Taub,"who was the best fighter you fought", both said Harry Greb...I even remember Sam Taub's sponsor, Adams Hats...b.b.
I listened to Froch-Taylor on the radio, and you could kind of pick out what had happened before the commentary told you what had happened...this was because of the excitement in the broadcaster's voice...there is a certain thrill associated with that. The other big fight I listened to on the radio was Bruno-Tyson one. The spell where Bruno had Tyson hurt was thrilling.
I have listened to a few fights on the Radio when I did not have Sky television. The one I most remember was Amir Khan vs Bredias Presscott. Really exciting listening to it on the radio. Also I have a few old time radio boroadcast's on CD that I listen to, again very atmospheric and exciting.
Did any of the thrilling fights you heard on radio live up to your expectation when you finally saw 'em on TV?
Yes, but the atmosphere was not as good. I would have loved to live in the age when you listened to the Radio fights then if you were lucky were able to see them, as then you could have seen for yourself, the skills and technique's involved in it, rather than just a description of the action.
Think radio made it more exciting, KH. Broadcasters were always scrambling to keep up with the action. Made a busy fighter sound like a beast.
As a kid I remember listening to Bruno-Tyson I back in the pre-sky days when (living in England) you could never see the big fights from the states - remember in the seconds leading up to the opening bell my brother suddenly bolted down the stairs to save some toast he'd left under the grill and I 15 seconds in I was shouting him up stairs screaming "Bruno's down already!!!!!":yikes and then laughing my head off saying "good old Bruno!!?" Another one that stands out was Lennox Lewis against Tony Tucker - mum & dad had still not got Sky by that point - but I'm glad because that was sintillatingly exciting on the radio - I was scared of TNT Tucker - I thought he was going to blast Lewis to the moon - and there were some shakey moments where the commentator was going absolutely crazy - even after the fight was over my adrenalin was still flying and I ended up just staying awake all night sneaking smokes out the back door of my mum & dads house and nicking bottles of beer from under the stairs - there are so many more from those days - but often the bigger fights from the states would be shown the next day on Grandstand or something so it was always a toss up as to whether you tried to avoid the radio and the morning news and watch the replay or just stay up and listen - I'm a bit of a night owl so it was usually the latter