What ever happened to 15 round title fights?

[mucho testosterone]

I am glad Howard Cosell left boxing to go to Football in 82 after being disgraced by the Holmes fight. He was all ego and just used boxiing to prove a point. I remember him saying he would not watch a boxing match again or commentate one and I thought, there is a guy using boxing to prove a point about his ego..

I couldn't stand him either. I was young but I still remember that atrocious haunting voice of his. He was definately a meglomaniac.

Why? What happend?

He was a famous boxing commentator for years - the voice of the sport in the US from the 60's onwards.

He was commentating on the Holmes v Tex Cobb 'fight', and was apparently sickened by the systematic and ruthless beating that Cobb absorbed for so long. he said it was barbaric and that he would never commentate a fight again, and he never has.

I suspect the truth of it is that he was aging and wanted more money, so the network told him to F*** off and terminated his contract. he then called the fight as if it was his choice to walk away to give himself a bit of dignity in leaving. Cobb himself was in the lift with him at a hotel the next day, and he said that all Cosell was doing was moaning about the travel and how he never saw his wife - he never mentioned this so-called life-changing fight to one of its chief protagonists.

That's what I heard, anyway.

Not suprised...he is part of the reason why I didn't watch sports when I was a kid.