BoxRec

Boxing on the radio was a big thrill for many people in past generations. It seems odd for some people now when we have so many TV channels, but there was something great about boxing on the radio.

Of course for some people it was the only way they got to know about fights.

My Grandma used to talk about the Louis-Farr fight. The radio commentary was supposedly quite pro-Farr in the UK, so much so that my grandma swears Tommy won. I have tried to reason with her “but you didn’t actually see the fight…” but to no avail. She described being a young teenage girl listening to every punch and clenching her fists so tight with nerves and excitement that she cut the palms of her hand with her finger nails. That shows you just what an impact boxing on the radio can have.

The one that sticks out for me was the domestic scrap in the UK between Kaylor and Christie.

Anyone else have fond memories of radio broadcasts?

The most memorable for me was listening to Bruno beat McCall, this was at my brother's wedding reception, more people were in the bar listening to the fight than were in the main hall dancing, a very happy evening it was too! I can't remember who the blow by blow commentator was but Henry Cooper was the summariser.

Flump wrote:The most memorable for me was listening to Bruno beat McCall, this was at my brother's wedding reception, more people were in the bar listening to the fight than were in the main hall dancing, a very happy evening it was too! I can't remember who the blow by blow commentator was but Henry Cooper was the summariser.

Watched that one in a local cafe that opened for the night. Bruno was running on fumes for the last 4-5 rounds. You just knew it could all unravel at any moment. Nice to see a guy who put such a lot into the sport finally get his moment.

I recall the big fuss my mom and dad made over Cooney-Holmes, when they listened to it on radio.

My dad tells the story of his family sitting around listening to the Joe Louis-Jersey Joe Walcott rematch on the radio. My grandfather was a pro middleweight bouncing around the west during the late 20s and early 30s. He retired and opened a flower shop of all things but continued to train fighters out of the Desseret Gym in Salt Lake City for most of his life. He never bet on fights on the grounds that (1) anything could happen and (2) many of them were corrupt.

He made 2 exceptions that my dad was aware of. The second was the first Clay-Liston match, famously telling my dad and uncles that "Liston is over-rated; he couldn't hit that kid with a bat." He made a killing betting heavily on Clay. Go figure.

The first exception was the Louis-Walcott rematch. He loved Joe Louis but believed the old adage that "they never come back," so, against his personal preference, he bet on Walcott.

My dad said sitting around, eating dinner with the family, listening to the fight and watching my grand-father's various mixed reactions during the broadcast -- at the end he was happy to lose his money -- was one of the highlights of his childhood. Sounds like a good time.

In 1970, I recall listening to the great Don Dunphy as he called the Frazier-Ellis fight on the radio. I remember when Ellis went down the first time that Dunphy said "I don't think he'll get up." When I saw the video replay on Wide World of Sports a week or two later, I could see why Dunphy said that as Ellis just collapsed on that first knockdown.

As a young boy in '64, I recall listening to the Liston-Ali radio broadcast. Rocky Marciano was one of the commentators and I recall how stunned he was at the outcome. I was stunned, too.

The earliest broadcast I remember was the second Liston-Patterson fight in 1963.

Do you recall Marciano saying anything of interest, regarding Liston?

I've never heard him opine on the man.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Do you recall Marciano saying anything of interest, regarding Liston?

I've never heard him opine on the man.

That was so long ago, I just remembered Marciano just being surprised at the outcome. I think he was stunned and disappointed that Liston handed over the most important title in sports (at least at that time) while sitting on his stool.

I'm guessing it also disappointed the Rock that the new champion, with his over the top buffoonery, threatened to make a mockery of the sport.

Listening to the Turpin v Robinson fight on the BBC back in '51. The feeling that we had a World Champ was marvellous. The fight was on the Tuesday, and there was so much interest that the BBC broadcast the recording of the whole fight again on the Friday evening. (needless to say I listened to it again ).

Which was the last major fight that was broadcast blow for blow live on Nationwide Radio?
Frazier vrs Ali I in 1971?

While not a super major fight, I think a Sugar Ray Leonard title defense was broadcast live coast-to-coast. I'm thinking the Larry Bonds fight or the Bruce Finch fight.

When I was a kid (late 70's, early 80's) the local AM country station used to broadcast round by round wire reports as they came in. My folks couldn't afford to take me to the closed-circuit showings (like Ali-Norton III, Leonard vs. Duran & Hearns, Holmes vs. Ali & Cooney) so waiting for those wire reports was pretty exciting.

I don't have cable now, so I get almost the same thrill from reading round-by-round forum posts of major fights. And in the case of Klitschko fights, it saves me a lot of time. Every few minutes I can check the boards to see what, say, Klitschko is doing with Johnson without having to watch the damn thing!

The very last Friday Night Fight radio broadcast by Don Dunphy was of a new heavyweight, Alex Miteff, against Julio Mederos.

Dunphy said Miteff fought a bit like Rocky Marciano, "but he doesn't have Rocky's punching power."

In closing, Dunphy said the one fight he would have liked to see more than any other would have Tony Zale against Sugar Ray Robinson.

Ezzard, sorry to drag the thread offtopic mush but did you just name a thread after a lyric from "Video Killed The Radio Star"?

I can see the relevance & all, I just had to check that I wasn't hallucinating or anything.

he could have used an inferior lyric like queen's "radio whats new? some-one still loves you!" but i'm glad he didnt.

i listened to bob foster/chris finnegan live on the wireless as a boy. and a little earlier i sat on the landing unobserved as henry cooper tussled with various opponents such as karl mildenburger, joe erskine and jack bodell. great post. i must ask my dad about the fights he tuned in to as a young man. i'm sure turpin - robinson will come up.

I remember my grandmother telling me about being a kid and listening to all the radio programs that were on at the time, and how she never missed a Joe Louis fight. She talked with such passion and conviction, you could have swore she was actually there when Louis kayoed Schmeling.

Datsue wrote:Ezzard, sorry to drag the thread offtopic mush but did you just name a thread after a lyric from "Video Killed The Radio Star"?

I can see the relevance & all, I just had to check that I wasn't hallucinating or anything.

You know you love it....