Heavyweight fights with perceptive expert commentary?

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by cross_trainer, May 24, 2025.


  1. cross_trainer

    cross_trainer Liston was good, but no "Tire Iron" Jones Full Member

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    Welcome to the Un-Cosell thread.

    We're looking for heavyweight fights here with a very specific type of commentary: A professional coach or fighter who knows what he's talking about, walking the audience through what's happening.

    Not a hype guy. Not Jim Lampley screaming that something is unbelievable for the fiftieth time. Not Larry Merchant giving a wildly entertaining, intoxicated ramble. Not Cosell listening to the sound of his own voice for an hour and a half.

    Heavyweight fights narrated by experts. Fighters; coaches; people in a position to explain the intricacies of the fight to the audience.

    Have at it.
     
    cross_trainer, May 24, 2025
    cross_trainer, May 24, 2025
    #1
  2. cross_trainer

    cross_trainer Liston was good, but no "Tire Iron" Jones Full Member

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    I'll start:

    Tim Witherspoon has full commentaries on the Rumble in the Jungle, Ali/Shavers, and Marciano/Moore up on YouTube.
     
    cross_trainer, May 24, 2025
    cross_trainer, May 24, 2025
    #2
    The Long Count likes this.
  3. Saintpat

    Saintpat Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Go find heavyweight fights aired by CBS during the Gil Clancy/Tim Ryan era. Angelo Dundee was often there if he wasn’t in one of the corners.

    ABC had the bigger budget and also often aired heavyweight titles in primetime (before HBO began to throw even bigger money to get some of those title fights on its subscription service) and NBC was on the more bargain-basement end (although Ferdie Pacheco convinced them to jump in on some of Larry Holmes’ later fights), so ended up with some good bouts but not many of the better ones). CBS was right in the middle.

    Here are a few I can recommend:

    Weaver-Coetzee (Clancy/Ryan/Dundee)
    Cooney-Young (Dick Stockton/Clancy)
    Coetzee-Thomas (Clancy/Ryan/Ray Leonard)
    Page-Monroe (Clancy/Ryan/Dundee)
    Monroe-LeDoux (Clancy/Ryan)
    Leon Spinks-Lopez (Clancy/Stockton)
    Leon Spinks-Alfredo Evangelista (Clancy/Ryan/Dundee)
    Tate-Knoetze (Clancy/Ryan/Stockton)
    Dokes-Ocasio II (Clancy/Ryan)
    Dokes-Ocasio I (Clancy/Stockton)

    Some non-CBS crew heavyweight bouts with good heavyweight commentary:
    Cobb-Shavers (Don Dunphy/Ken Norton)
    Dokes-Weaver II (Stu Nahan? — not sure — with Dundee)

    This is far from complete, no doubt, but it should be helpful for starters. (And of course a lot of HBO fights have a former/current boxer on commentary along with Lampley and Merchant.)
     
    Saintpat, May 25, 2025 at 9:12 AM
    Saintpat, May 25, 2025 at 9:12 AM
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    Shay Sonya and cross_trainer like this.
  4. The Long Count

    The Long Count Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    I always found Emanuel Steward a pleasure to listen to on broadcasts
     
    The Long Count, May 25, 2025 at 10:43 AM
    The Long Count, May 25, 2025 at 10:43 AM
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    Saintpat and OddR like this.