Fights on the wireless

[dondada]

TerribleTerry got me thinking about this when he posted on another thread about the dubious pleasure of following a Johnny Nelson fight via radio.

We are all from an era post-radio dominance but does anyone have any good memories of listening to fights on the radio? (More likely to be when you just couldn't get to a telly rather than by choice.)

It is a different experience altogether, in a way, more exciting as you can't see what the hell is happening.

I vividly remember listening to Herbie Hide-Michael Bentt...my goodness...13 years ago now. It was one of the first times I'd been invited round my then girlfriend's house and I made it seem a matter of life and death that I simply must listen to this.

Reader, she married me.

[m1kee50]

how old r u ian? reason i ask is not even my grandparents call it the wireless......

[dondada]

how old r u ian? reason i ask is not even my grandparents call it the wireless......

I know...that was a bit of a micky take.

35 mate.

[m1kee50]

how old r u ian? reason i ask is not even my grandparents call it the wireless......

I know...that was a bit of a micky take.

35 mate.

top man. i tried to stay up for the hatton urango fight on five live - sky was playing up at that time of all times, but i crashed out on the settee

[KOJOE90]

I remember listening to Bruno vs Witherspoon on the radio. very exciting and edge of the seat stuff listening to the commentator telling us about all the punches being exchanged etc.

I also remember listening to Glen Mcrory vs Jeff Lampkin being on the radio. Des Lynam (spelling?) did a poor job that night I recall, way too slow and laid back for radio.

[TerribleTerry]

My granddad back in Ireland followed Joe Louis’ remarkable streak of title defences, and later on Marciano’s life and death struggles, via the radio in the dead of the night..

Decades later, as a teen hooked on the game but without that all important Sky dish, I myself listened to many fights via Five Live and the odd one on talksport, or even the local Birmingham stations like BRMB.

I remember going to Eubank v Malinga in Birmingham when still quite young and actually taping the radio commentary off BRMB, to listen to when I got home (how did I ever make any friends; that makes me sound like the saddest c u n t alive..)

I was hugely disappointed to find that the DJ would play a record, then go over to the venue for an end of round summary. 12 records, and rounds, later Eubank was declared a points winner.

I know what you mean though Ian about a radio commentary being exciting; there is that delay/lag between hearing the scream of the crowds and waiting for the announcer (invariably the excellent John Rawling) describing the dynamite shots that were being exchanged.

It is an exhilarating, if always ultimately unsatisfying way to follow a fight. Still, I have always been of the belief that if you cant watch it live, a radio commentary is easily the next best thing. (Forget this modern day round by round on internet forums – give me the old crystal wireless transmission any day!)

[john2345]

at risk of suggesting that I'm the oldest person on the board (which i'm not, I just started following the sport at a young age!) ....and focusing mainly on the older fights, I recall listening to

Patterson-Johannson 1,2 and 3
Liston-Patterson 1
Archie Moore-Yolande Pompey
Almost all Howard Winstone's big fights (from Spinks on)
Cooper, Erskine, London etc - you get the picture....

There was something exciting about hearing these fights on the radio in those days, particularly from legendary venues like "The Polo Grounds", before affordable air travel made them all seem like they were just down the road. "Going to Vegas for Ricky's fight" sounds and seems a lot different from "I wonder what it's like at the Yankee stadium, must be great, I'd love to be there".

Also Eamonn Andrews - who did a lot of those commentaries - actually understood boxing (having been a dab hand at it himself) - so you were getting more "boxing" than "bull****" so to speak.

In a more modern era, I remember driving home one night listening to a Eubank fight and based only on the radio commentary believing Eubank was miles behind, losing every round. When I got to the TV around the halfway point, I found that he was way ahead.... and coasted home. Dreadful commentary - can't recall who did it.

J

[WildWaylon]

I actually became a fan of boxing back in the 50s - My Dad loved boxing and we sat together in the kitchen listening to the fights on the radio - In the radio times you would see a picture of both fighters just so you knew what they looked like - Freddie Mills, Joe Irskine, Henry Cooper, Jack London were radio boxing stars in those days - Actually the commentaries were very good and you could get quite excited listening to fights on the radio - We were very good at using our imagination, I dont think people are anymore - In the modern day we take so much for granted and are still not satisfied even with 42" screens and surround sound most people are not happy, now they want HD - In 1959 as I walked through the front door the sound of the radio seemed very different - As I went in the living room there in the corner was our very first TV - We thought it was wonderful with its 405 lines to make up the picture - In those days 9" screens were the norm but ours was a huge 14" model - The better off middle classes had the biggest sets money could buy with 21" screens - It was on this set I watched Clay in his first fights - In those days TVs were silent through the night so when we got up to see a fight such as Clay v Liston there was nothing on - We would switch the TV on to warm up the valves and Dad would get the kettle on - This was just so exciting you couldnt possibly imagine what it was like unless you lived through those days - By the late 1960s BBC2 had come along broadcasting in 625 lines in UHF, while ITV and BBC1 were still being transmitted on 405 lines VHF - You had to have a dual set that would work on the two different frequencies if you wanted BBC2 - BBC2 was the first station to transmit in colour and it took a while before ITV and BBC1 went onto UHF 625 lines - To begin with the news was in colour but very few other programs were - Buying a colour set was beyond most families - A very good wage for a man in the early 60s was £20 per week but most earned no more than £11 or £12 so with colour sets costing £700 to £800 the ordinary people had to make do with black and white - We were content though and at least we could see Ali v Frazier - In the late 70s I bought my first colour TV - It had a 14" screen and cost me about £500 on terms over 2 years - I think it was about £350 to buy if you had the money - Sport was great in colour, can you imagine snooker in BW - Before colour when you watched football it was the light greys v the dark greys, but England in their white tops was no problem at all - Boxing too was much better in colour with fighters wearing different colours for better identification - Yes I have seen a lot of changes through the years and the latest technowledgy is fantastic but are we happier because of it, no we are greedy and expect more and have to have the latest TV, Mobile phone, or Cars fitted with sat nav and other state of the art equipment yet still we are not content - Yes daft as it may sound I cherish the memories of those early days listening to boxing and then actually seeing it on our first TV - OK part of that has to do with enjoying it with my Dad who has passed on now but we were more content in those days, small pleasures meant a lot more then than the bigger by far things that happen in most peoples lives now - As they say a picture tells a thousand words so obviously seeing a fight is best but boxing on the radio, and football for that matter are still very good if they are not being televised or maybe you are at work - Sorry to be a boring old fart to those with laptops and the latest do everything phones who cant imagine a life before they existed.

[TerribleTerry]

Ah, the 1950s...Was that era pre-paragraph?

Only joking mate U make some interesting points there, I just found the text dense and difficult to read.

Its true 'more wants more' with regards to technology - I am not really fussed about HD in all honestly - who wants to see the spots on the face of the teenager in the font row at the football?

Boxing certainly created a much bigger buzz in the era you cut your teeth in. Nowadays its far more marginalised, and thats a terrible shame.

[stujones]

Listen to a few before I got sky.

Hamed vs Lawal, Hamed vs Medina (I agreed with Rawling's commentary here), Lewis vs Mercer (again great commentary), Bruno vs McCall (not so great, I think Cooper scored it a draw and Rawling only gave it to Bruno by a couple). Lewis vs Tucker - glad I caught this one via radio - it sounded like a thriller, dissapointed when I got it on tape. Benn vs Malinga II, Lewis vs Tua. Hide vs Bowe.

Great nights - I was probably more hyped for these than when they are on the TV. I also remember them well cause when something happend and Rawling would increase his vocal power my radio used to go "fuzzy" so it would almost be when he's cooled down when I could gather what had happend. So when Bowe and Hide fought, I thought Hide had floored Bowe.

[WildWaylon]

Ah, the 1950s...Was that era pre-paragraph?

Only joking mate U make some interesting points there, I just found the text dense and difficult to read.

Its true 'more wants more' with regards to technology - I am not really fussed about HD in all honestly - who wants to see the spots on the face of the teenager in the font row at the football?

Boxing certainly created a much bigger buzz in the era you cut your teeth in. Nowadays its far more marginalised, and thats a terrible shame.

Thanks for your comments, I always appreciate a bit of feedback - I was always the boss that needed a good secretary, spelling punctuation and paragraphs were never my thing - The first book I wrote was decribed by the actual writer who worked from my notes as a complete nightmare , working class no posh school for me and London born and bred (and proud of it)

[Grilling Machine]

Seems like a good thread to ask if there's any news on non-Sky PBF/DLH coverage?

Has anyone heard of available radio commentary or online feeds yet? Online radio would do.

[states]

Seems like a good thread to ask if there's any news on non-Sky PBF/DLH coverage?

Has anyone heard of available radio commentary or online feeds yet? Online radio would do.

I believe the Beeb are covering it on the radio. Not sure about any legal online feeds, but I'm sure you can find a feed of dubious legality.

Edit: Just checked, and yes, Five Live are covering the fight.

[WildWaylon]

As I said in my huge posting, 625 lines were first introduced in the 1960s and thats still the number used in modern TVs today - My understanding is HD will have 1000 lines, and certain things are already being broadcast in HD so I am told - Not really bothered personally, my TV does me ( 3 years old and out of date already) - Boxing on TV is important to keep the sport alive and to thus make more fans from the viewers - Boxing on ITV is very important reaching far more people than Sky so I hope FW appreciates that and provides far better cards than the last one, otherwise for many it will have to be listening to fights on the radio - I dont get to too many fights nowadays and watching them on the TV is very important to me so I dont want to see it taken off because the right fights are not being made - We dont need Spott v Harrison, Williams v Skelton 3, or Calzaghe v some yank unless its Taylor,Hopkins or RJJ - We must have some exciting bouts to keep ITV interested - The top fight ITV wanted last year was Haye v Macca and they were well upset because it couldnt be made - Something has to be changed (how about two promoters instead of one) a bit of competition and collaboration would be far better than the situation we have - Monopolys are not a good thing so that may be the answer - The survival of boxing on national TV is far more important than boxing politics so something has to change and change fast.

[Twinkle Toes]

I read the thread, and thought you wanted information on setting up a wireless broadband connection, but no!!

I can just picture you sat by one of these things Ian :)

[TerribleTerry]

Ah, the 1950s...Was that era pre-paragraph?

Only joking mate U make some interesting points there, I just found the text dense and difficult to read.

Its true 'more wants more' with regards to technology - I am not really fussed about HD in all honestly - who wants to see the spots on the face of the teenager in the font row at the football?

Boxing certainly created a much bigger buzz in the era you cut your teeth in. Nowadays its far more marginalised, and thats a terrible shame.

Thanks for your comments, I always appreciate a bit of feedback - I was always the boss that needed a good secretary, spelling punctuation and paragraphs were never my thing - The first book I wrote was decribed by the actual writer who worked from my notes as a complete nightmare , working class no posh school for me and London born and bred (and proud of it)

Dont worry about it mate - I am a brummie born and bred. Working class - comprehensive school, I didnt have an advanages over the next man in terms of learning opportunities - I just took mine

[lvlarc]

Valero-Mosquera live audio feed in Spanish was quite an experience.

[Collins2000]

I actually became a fan of boxing back in the 50s - My Dad loved boxing and we sat together in the kitchen listening to the fights on the radio - In the radio times you would see a picture of both fighters just so you knew what they looked like - Freddie Mills, Joe Irskine, Henry Cooper, Jack London were radio boxing stars in those days - Actually the commentaries were very good and you could get quite excited listening to fights on the radio - We were very good at using our imagination, I dont think people are anymore - In the modern day we take so much for granted and are still not satisfied even with 42" screens and surround sound most people are not happy, now they want HD - In 1959 as I walked through the front door the sound of the radio seemed very different - As I went in the living room there in the corner was our very first TV - We thought it was wonderful with its 405 lines to make up the picture - In those days 9" screens were the norm but ours was a huge 14" model - The better off middle classes had the biggest sets money could buy with 21" screens - It was on this set I watched Clay in his first fights - In those days TVs were silent through the night so when we got up to see a fight such as Clay v Liston there was nothing on - We would switch the TV on to warm up the valves and Dad would get the kettle on - This was just so exciting you couldnt possibly imagine what it was like unless you lived through those days - By the late 1960s BBC2 had come along broadcasting in 625 lines in UHF, while ITV and BBC1 were still being transmitted on 405 lines VHF - You had to have a dual set that would work on the two different frequencies if you wanted BBC2 - BBC2 was the first station to transmit in colour and it took a while before ITV and BBC1 went onto UHF 625 lines - To begin with the news was in colour but very few other programs were - Buying a colour set was beyond most families - A very good wage for a man in the early 60s was £20 per week but most earned no more than £11 or £12 so with colour sets costing £700 to £800 the ordinary people had to make do with black and white - We were content though and at least we could see Ali v Frazier - In the late 70s I bought my first colour TV - It had a 14" screen and cost me about £500 on terms over 2 years - I think it was about £350 to buy if you had the money - Sport was great in colour, can you imagine snooker in BW - Before colour when you watched football it was the light greys v the dark greys, but England in their white tops was no problem at all - Boxing too was much better in colour with fighters wearing different colours for better identification - Yes I have seen a lot of changes through the years and the latest technowledgy is fantastic but are we happier because of it, no we are greedy and expect more and have to have the latest TV, Mobile phone, or Cars fitted with sat nav and other state of the art equipment yet still we are not content - Yes daft as it may sound I cherish the memories of those early days listening to boxing and then actually seeing it on our first TV - OK part of that has to do with enjoying it with my Dad who has passed on now but we were more content in those days, small pleasures meant a lot more then than the bigger by far things that happen in most peoples lives now - As they say a picture tells a thousand words so obviously seeing a fight is best but boxing on the radio, and football for that matter are still very good if they are not being televised or maybe you are at work - Sorry to be a boring old fart to those with laptops and the latest do everything phones who cant imagine a life before they existed.

That brought back some memories, thanks.

William Hartnell as Dr Who and that seminal moment in TV when the first Dalek graced our screens...

[lowersmiths]

cant wait to listen to dlh v pbf on the radio. if only they were putting it on PPV i would have bought it..........

[Goz]

I remember listening to many of the Brit Middleweight clashes of the early to mid eighties on my little radio. Sibson-Kaylor etc as my interest in boxing grew, then looking at the picture(s) and reading the report in the newspaper in the morning.

That was my big fight coverage!

We had a tv of course, it was just past my bedtime, I think these fights were often midweek and shown delayed on Sportsnight.

[DavidPayne]

With the Radio's inherent ability to make tortoise racing exciting do you think we may have regarded Nelson as some sort of dancing fancy dan with a rock chin and smooth combinations?

My most vivid sporting radio memory, is listening Forest knock Spurs out on penalties in my car. I was parked outside the house but didn't dare leave in case I mssed them before I got an in house radio switched.

Big Mark Crossley what a penalty saver.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I read the thread, and thought you wanted information on setting up a wireless broadband connection, but no!!

I can just picture you sat by one of these things Ian :)

I thought the same thing! Thought there was some new Wi-Fi boxing show doing the rounds.

That picture, it's like a cathedral to sound isn't it? I can remember listening to boxing on my little tranny radio as a kid, cannot remember which ones, but I do remember being absolutely enraptured.

[MightyWarrior]

I vividly remember listening to Herbie Hide-Michael Bentt...my goodness...13 years ago now. It was one of the first times I'd been invited round my then girlfriend's house and I made it seem a matter of life and death that I simply must listen to this.

Reader, she married me.

Me too, though I was in a pub with the TV tuned into the fight, but no sound, so I had a walkman radio I listened to with headphones while watching the fight....not bad!

I remember listening to Sibson/Minter on the radio, and being shocked by what I was hearing...Minter? Down??

And Kaylor/Christie, which had a massive buildup due to them rucking at a press conf - the bloody reception kept going ( I was in Belgium ) and all I could hear in the first round was...Christie is down!...Now Kaylor is down! And fireworks going off in the Albert Hall...great stuff.

Ian Darke used to do radio commentary for the fights, I remember listening to him do the Colin Jones / Don Curry fight...pretty sure he described Curry's hair style as "..a swept back negro style..."! which seemed a bit, shall we say, dated??

[stujones]

I vividly remember listening to Herbie Hide-Michael Bentt...my goodness...13 years ago now. It was one of the first times I'd been invited round my then girlfriend's house and I made it seem a matter of life and death that I simply must listen to this.

Reader, she married me.

Me too

Whats going on here then? Ian and Mighty Warrior married to the same woman?

[MightyWarrior]

Whats going on here then? Ian and Mighty Warrior married to the same woman?

We're mormons.