Thread: HBO, TOP RANK, SHOWTIME?

I'm a huge fight fan and have a decent amount of fights on tape and dvds. I've got a few doubles of fights on tape from different networks eg. Ive watched pacquiao vs morales (rematch) with both the top rank commentaries and HBO commentaries and i much perferred the top rank broadcasters they make a huge difference to the input and enjoyment of the fight.
so my question is WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE BROADCASTERS? AND WORSE? feel free to add in your favourite commentators or worse.

HERES MY LIST My favourite commentator is rich marotta

I like bob sherton voice on the Mic but i think he can be abit biased sometimes

I'm not a big fan of showtime AL Bernstein just doesn't do it for me

HBO is ok although George can say some ridiculous things on the show and Mr merchant
can give me the s..ts sometimes

ESPN is average but defiantly not PPV material

Jim Lampley Has To Be,In My Opinion,The Worst.I Call Him The Sooth Sayer Of Phantom Punche's.I Am Convinced He Just Makes S!#T up.
Watch ANY H.B.O Poster Boy Fight And Slo-mo ANY "lamp's" Yelling At An Exchange. No Boxing Knowledge At All,He's The "who Ha,Oh My,Invent Words,flash"Guy.

Lampley has the odd moment of brilliance. What about Gatti v Ward I

"Stop it Frank, you can stop it any time!"

Teddy Atlas has to be my favorite announcer. Never really biased, just truthful. He will say what a fighter is doing well and what a fighter needs to do to get back into a fight. Joe Tessatore gets an honorable mention for being better than the HBO or the Showtime announcers.

I think Emmanuel Steward and (gritting my teeth) Lennox Lewis do the best jobs for HBO. Papa is alright as well I guess. Steward is probably the best at picking out when a guy is finished. Sometimes up to a couple of rounds in advance. As for the rest of the gang, Lampley, Merchant, Lederman they are only slightly better than the Showtime crew. I will give Max Kellerman big props for having probably the best boxing knowledge of any commentator out there. When he was on FNF they had a segment on there where people tried to stump him with questions and the guy could pull out answers about fights or fighters from any era. Pretty amazing stuff. His only real downfall is that he sucks when doing color commentary, he's not very fluid at all.

I don't know where Sean O'grady wound up but he was one of my favorites as well.

The Showtime crew just sucks a**. Whoever is the favorite, that's who's winning the fight in their opinion.

Originally Posted by 'Big' Dan McCarthy

Lampley has the odd moment of brilliance. What about Gatti v Ward I

"Stop it Frank, you can stop it any time!"

Might Have Had A $4TH Fight Then.Lamps Is A Tard!

I like Joe Tessitore, Manny Steward, Larry Merchant, Lennox Lewis, George Foreman, Steve Farhood, Jim Watt, Glen McCrory and Ian Darke.

I cannot stand Duke Mackenzie or John Rawling, and I'm not keen on Bernstein or Sherton.

Originally Posted by Jeff Spicoli Surfs In 'Nawlins

Jim Lampley Has To Be,In My Opinion,The Worst.I Call Him The Sooth Sayer Of Phantom Punche's.I Am Convinced He Just Makes S!#T up.
Watch ANY H.B.O Poster Boy Fight And Slo-mo ANY "lamp's" Yelling At An Exchange. No Boxing Knowledge At All,He's The "who Ha,Oh My,Invent Words,flash"Guy.

LOL have Cool click on me

Well, my experience of American commentators is limited, but from what I've seen of some HBO stuff, I like Merchant and Lewis, and scorecard reading just wouldn't be right without Lederman. The man is a legend.


British commentators have to be Ian Darke & Jim Watt. They do a great job. As far as presenters go, no programme is the same without Dempo.

Jim Rosenthal is the worst presenter I've seen, and whoever did commentary on the Hatton DVD for his fight with Tszyu wants shooting, for the worst commentary I've ever heard on any sport, period!

Howard Letterman

Best there is IMO. Are scorecards usually mesh and I normally agree with whatever comments he makes.

Jim Lampley

I don't have any problem with Lampley. I think he adds some exitement to the fight with his voice, like in the Gatti Ward fight. He doesn't try to hard, and mostly just calls the action and defers to the other commentators for analysis.

Larry Merchant

I like Larry. Alot of times when other commentators are talking nonsense he is not afraid to call them on it, or at least argue his position. I remember Emmanuel Steward pissing me off with his commentary in the first Shane Mosley Fernando Vargas fight by berating Shane. Shane's punches were having no effect, Shane was too tight, Fernando was more effective etc. And finally Larry Merchant was like look that eye isn't closing for no reason and neither fighter has hurt the other, etc. Sometimes are scorecards don't mesh though.

George Foreman, Lennox Lewis, Emmanuel Steward

Their decent but sometimes they say some things that make absolutely no sense. Lewis can also get overhyped sometimes. I remember in the Edison Miranda vs. Allan Green fight when Allan Green went down. And Lennox is screaming he won't make it to his feet!! And Allan Green was already getting back up and the other commentators were like he'll make it and Lennox is like NO!!!

Teddy Atlas

Good commentator. But he has a tendency to go off on these long stories that can last the entire round. Also when he has a point to make your going to agree because he'll keep asking you the same question until you do. Like if he wants to say someone is effective with the right hand and he asked another commentator Don't you think the right hand is his most effective weapon."? If the commentator doesn't agree he'll just ask it differently until he gets the answer he wants.

Max Kellerman

From the fights I have heard him do commentary on I don't have any problems with him.

I honestly think that commentators makes the fight, game or match-up exciting/interesting. With all do respect to his greatness, John Madden sucks at commentating. He is boring. Commentators should make the games exciting. Marv Albert, Bob Costas, Greg Gumbel and more are very good at it. Especially Bob Costas, The best in every sport.

I like listening to Lampley. Especially with Merchant and leaderman with him. They are usually fair in all fights. Foreman favored alot of fighters. I noticed on alot of his commentating he would tend to favor one he liked. He did give us good advice on what gameplan a fighter should who was losing, but He favored too much. I don't think Larry Merchant liked him at all. but if I'm to pick Knowlege commentators, I'd have to go with Max kellerman, Teddy Atlas

I think Larry Merchant is good when it comes to scoring the bouts. At least in my point of view. He likes to give his score throughout the rounds and I usually have it the same as him.

When you watch a fight on showtime, it feels like you are watching local programing. The blow by blow guy is too monotone, and they dont have a color annoucer. It's boring. And there shobox gets even worse.

I dont understand why they dont put some money out an buy a Teddy Atlas or a Max Kellerman. The best they have is bernstein, and he is average at best.

Originally Posted by slk123

I don't know where Sean O'grady wound up but he was one of my favorites as well.

CC I used to like his commentary, as well...where did he end up?

Originally Posted by bcollins

Originally Posted by slk123

I don't know where Sean O'grady wound up but he was one of my favorites as well.

CC I used to like his commentary, as well...where did he end up?

There are a lot of good commentators that just dont work anymore. Sugar Ray Lenorard was really good. That guy who said "AND WE...Have a new era in boxing" was a good.

Why do they stop working?

hear a bit of showtime and top rank i think, find them all pretty shit tbh... nothing special at all.

HBO is the cream... lennox does lack a bit of charisma, but when he talks you do listen he does explains tuff or point out stuff you miss... George is like lennox but with too much charisma lol... sometime shes a bit to full of him self but still cracks you up and point sout good stuff...

Ol' larry may be quiet for long periods of times, but most often when he speaks its damn well worth listening too... not to sure about the othe guys name who has just seem to be taking over form larry doing the ring interviews, but hes not to bad either..

that harold letterman(?) fella is alright to, when he does his every few round score card he cracks me up, syas some mad shit and sounds funny too, shot u could tune into a bore fest mid way through, here him talk inbetween round doing his scores and think it is exciting as hell the way he goes off on one

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With all that said when you been used to Jimm Watts for the last god knows how many years anything's better right?

Larry Merchant is no.1 pacnuthugger