Howard Cosell - Yea Or Nay?

Yeah, gotta admit there was something condescending about his way with boxers. A lawyer by training, he did come off like he was slumming it. Even with Ali, I noticed the other night that he said something like, "You are not a stupid boy!" The surprise in that demeaning tone, I'm still not sure whether it was more due to Ali's race or his profession. I used to hate it when people would treat fighters that I knew like that, which of course only exposed their own stupidity. But truth is guys, there were then and there still are assholes like that. Plenty!

 

His relationship with Ali was sickening and should have disqualified him from any reporting on the matters of heavyweight boxing. His analysis and description of the action is worst I have ever heard with Kellerman a close second.

 

Cosell was a one of a kind talent. In a day and age when network broadcasters mix in cheerleading, Cosell was old school. If he felt something stunk, he'd let you know about it.

 

Yea Cosell! He was a drunk ass at times, but he was also a sharp one. His thorough condemnation of the Holmes-Shavers fight was brilliant, and I still respect his relationship with Ali. It was important for the time and place - brought them both farther than they would without each other.

 

Cosell was a smart guy, and sometimes not being a sports guy from the start meant he had a different perspective on things, one that sometimes turned in better insights than the pros did. Also, for as much as Cosell gets flak for his close relationship to Ali, a lot of the same people will turn around and criticize him for not kissing the asses of other athletes, (especially in some other sports he covered, like football), or for saying when something or someone stunk.

All that having been said... Cosell really didn't know boxing. He picked up some slight knowledge along the way, but watching some of his calls it's painfully obvious that he only has a limited idea of what he's talking about.

Interesting journalist, smart man, a rare combination of a guy who had some good principles but would also sell his own mother for success, but despite the occasional "Down goes Frazier!" type of call, a bad boxing commentator. (And since he seems to be getting mentioned a lot in this thread, let me jump aboard the bandwagon for people who absolutely cannot stand Max Kellerman).

 

Howard was an ego-maniac and often played favorites in a fight but he had his moments and was genuinely exciting at times. He stood by Ali at a time when few would...and he genuinely enjoyed boxing which IMO made up for his technical shortcomings. And his buildups to a fight were great. I still have fond memories of his doing the commentary on Saturday afternoon's Wide World of Sports boxing matches (many of them title fights). His Frazier-Quarry 1 another example of an exciting and spirited call.
Anyone remember his "halftime highlights" on Monday Night Football...he used to crack us up.
"Chuck Foreman takes the handoff, no room in the middle, looks left, goes right, turns the corner and You've Seen THIS BEFORE!!!!" :rofl

I guess I'm a tad more in the love camp than the hate camp...

 

I liked the way he thew out words & phrases, off the top of his head. He painted a picture of the action, by discription. There has never been another commentator like him. He didn't HAVE to do Boxing, but rather I think he did it because he really enjoyed the Sport. But his knowledge of Boxing did leave something to be desired. I remember one time Cosell was calling the Salvador Sanchez-Patrick Ford fight for ABC. Sanchez was pounding the body the whole fight. & finally Ford withered in the fourteenth round. Cosell immediatley started questioning Ford's Conditioning & Stamina! Completely ignoring the Sanchez body attack! But that's Howard! But anyway I would much rather listen to Howard & be entertained, then listen to Merchant Drone on...

 

yea. no doubt. he made non-boxing fans, boxing fans. pure excitement.

 

To his credit, Cosell was the only one who picked Foreman over Frazier:

Why I Don't Believe Those Who Say They Picked Foreman Over Frazier
03.02.04 - By FRANK LOTIERZO: First off, let me just say that I will be very blunt in my opinion and assessments in this column. It concerns former heavyweight champ George Foreman and his career prior to taking the title from undefeated champ "Smokin" Joe Frazier. I've grown tired over the recent years of so many revising history to make themselves come off smarter than they really were. I have noticed this a lot lately when the fight has been discussed. I was around at the time of the title fight between Frazier and Foreman. Although I was only 13, I followed it better and more closely than anybody.

I love how so many now say they knew Foreman was going to demolish Frazier before their 1973 title fight? And there are quite a few of you. No Way! I lived through that period, and I'm telling you nobody thought Foreman had prayer-one versus Frazier, nobody. Like him or not, there was only one person who thought Foreman was going to beat Frazier, Howard Cosell. That's right, not one fighter, retired great fighter, boxing writer, or broadcaster thought Foreman was going to win other than Cosell. And it's documented on tape.

I have the ABC archives footage where Cosell is holding court with the boxing/sporting press and tells Barney Nagler of the daily Racing Forum that he thinks Foreman is gonna kill Frazier. Cosell goes on to tell Nagler that Frazier took a bad beating in the Ali fight and that he has basically retired mentally from fighting. Cosell went on to say Frazier's only interested in making lousy records and soaking up the stardom he's gained from defeating Muhammad Ali.

Other big time writers were at this gathering while Cosell took an informal poll among them, and some great former ex-champs as well. Guys like Dick Young, Dave Anderson, and Red Smith were all in agreement that Foreman is a sitting duck for Smokin Joe. Ex-greats like Dempsey, Tunney, Walcott, Graziano, and Pep are some of the ex-fighters who Cosell polls for a pick. Everyone of them agrees with the writers and all like Frazier in a big way. Back then retired champs used to go to and care about the big championship fights...