HBO commentators suck compared to Showtime

This. I can't stand that phony voice nor his phony enthusiasm. I wish Sho would bring Tarver back.

 

I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but HBO boxing isn't going anywhere, at least in the short term. Of the fighters in the Top 10 PFP, they are aligned with a significant number (GGG, Marquez, Pacquiao, Bradley, Alvarez... borderline).

Jim Lampley is a HOF broadcaster. I agree Al Bernstein is good, but Paulie has sold out in the past year. I don't like Kellerman that much, but RJJ is good as a commentator.

 

i don't understand why so many here (mostly floyd fans) pays so much attention to who the announcers are.

it sounds like they're unsure of what they're watching. they want someone else to describe it for them.

 

Well almost. Merchant and Bernstein put together would be great

 

I close sound and I put music

 

:verysad

 

HBO commentary seems to be exclusively catering to the CASUAL FAN.

No die hard boxing fan would take HBO's commentary serious. Its a joke 95% of the time.

Showtime can be as bad, but not usually, they seem to have a bit more dignity than HBO.

 

The both suck, as long they have professionals boxers commentating they will be bias. Since, those professional boxers will always have an agenda, (like, talking up fighters with a style similar to their own, hating on fighters that are more popular than them, building up fighters that beat them or vice versa on that one etc.) And the other commentators will always follow their lead since "the professional boxers are the only ones who truly know what they're talking about since they been there"

Which I obviously disagree with since you learn and know much from the outside looking since you can see the whole picture, else, why do boxers listen to their trainers who are not actually fighting?? These networks need to cut bias "professional opinions" of fighters out, commentating and boxing would be better off, overall. I understand there are certain things only the pro guys would know, but they have should guest commentating who can only speak when asked (like Lederman) and not freely give their biased opinion which ends up swaying all of the commentating, it's old and tiresome especially when people don't see what's happening.

 

I actually don't mind the HBO commentary but yeah I don't take it very seriously and I do think that the Showtime team is better.

Max Kellerman is not my favorite and before that we had Merchant who I thought was just awful

 

HBO use to be really good, now their just plain idiotic. Lampley is an ass, Merchant is super senile and not funny anymore, Kellerman is awful and Roy can't save them. All they can do is insult the fighter's, they all except for Roy can't give good boxing insight. Showtime is better now, Bernstein kills all those guy's!

 

Larry Merchant is BEEEEYOOOND pathetic. I'm glad HBO fired his ar$e after the Pac-JMM IV fight. The dude was senile and completely drunk most of the time. Very unprofessional. Also don't mistake asking boxers hard questions with what Merchant did, he would disrespect fighters.

Maybe in his prime Merchant was good or decent, but he totally lost it towards the end.

 

Whenever I start feeling cynical and jaded about the HBO commentators, I just watch one of the other channels and realize that they really are the best out there. Showtime is a little bit lower but still in the same league. ESPN or Sky/Box Nation is B level. Everything else is amateur hour or in a language I don't speak.

I've watched boxing and listened to commentary from roughly a century of fights and unfortunately, the coverage was never as good as the fights. It usually adds a dimension to the spectacle and is better than nothing, but it's not as good as say watching the fight with a friend and talking about it.