Who are your favorite commentators ?

Don Dunphy by far. Perfect mix of detailing the action and letting it breath. He didn’t editorialize or pick side and let his broadcast partner, often not professional broadcasters, shine and contribute. Always a class act.

 

Today,I like Mallinagi.

 

George "Look at his shoulders" Foreman
Was very funny.


I really miss Manny Steward.

RJJ is still pretty good.

 

I agree. I love watching old films and hearing that smooth delivery. He definitely got the concept that less is more.

 

I always liked Cosell. He brought a certain energy to a big fight. Back in the day, believe it or not, George Chuvalo did some good work calling fights. So did Jerry Quarry. Liked Al Bernstein in ESPN at first but he seemed to start talking too much in later years. These clowns on HBO today make me sick, trying to come up with some pre-fab iconic phrase every time out.

 

Dunphy and Harry Carpenter would articulate perfectly what was going on in the ring. And there is a part of me - for nostalgia purposes - that always liked to hear Jim Healy (It's allllllllll over!) calling the fights from the Olympic.

 

Howard Cosell "DOWN GOES FRAZIER"

Teddy Atlas

Whoever commentated Dempsey vs Willard

 

Reg Gutteridge by a mile for me.

 

Tim Ryan and Gil Clancy, without question. Perfect cadence and pitch to Ryan's voice, expert, (mostly) unbiased color commentary from a very knowledgeable and savvy Clancy.

Can't stand hearing Dunphy, and that nasally delivery of his. Also, everything he says sounds like he's blurting it out immediately after waking from a sound sleep.

 

Didn't think much of Carpenter,he totally misread the Ali v Foreman fight, nice man average reader of a fight,imo.

 

I liked Reg ,he knew what he was watching and there was no BS about him ,I sat next to him a few times ,
real gentle man.

 

Cosell, his voice was the sound track of the 60's and 70's as far as I'm concerned...also Gil Clancy, Tim Ryan, Don Dunphy, through he was a little dry,...I liked Sean O'Grady a lot.

 

Your mention of Atlas had me thinking of when Kellerman first showed up at ESPN. Atlas and another commentator - I think Bob Papa - were at ringside calling the fights, but when the fight ended they would shoot over to Kellerman who was doing like an offsite analysis side by side with another commentator in the same offsite office. Well the beauty of this was when they would be talking with Atlas and Papa via camera and Kellerman and Atlas appeared to be like oil and water. Each were contradicting the other. It was great and entertaining. I thought this would be great if these two were side by side in the offsite office just butting heads. But it was not to be. Max got his contract with HBO, took elocution lessons to lose his Brooklynese and that was that. But wait, with HBO dropping boxing, maybe Max will look to come back. I may get my wish yet.

 

Just interested in what you mean by he misread that fight ?
I agree he wasn't the greatest commentator. He had his favourites and made it very obvious.
Seemed a nice fellow though.