The best commentators in the world

Kilburn · Post by **Kilburn** » 01 Mar 2004, 09:06

No.1 Teddy Atlas - Okay he never ever shuts up but his knowledge and compete understanding of the technical side of boxing just cannot be by matched. The guy is fast becoming a legend on the mic.

No.2 Steve Holdsworth - Very entertaining without really trying to be. He's got no agenda so he pulls no punches.

No.3 Jim Watt - Really makes some great points. He's not impressed easily. Sky boxing would not be the same without him.

Honourable mention - Ian Darke - If only for the way he explodes into life when something happens, really adds to the drama.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 01 Mar 2004, 09:10

Teddy Atlas is a monotonous automaton. He may have great technical knowledge, but he just repeats the same initial point about both fighters over and over again, I hate listening to his monotone voice.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 01 Mar 2004, 09:27

Yes I like both Darke and Watt. Jim's as informed as anyone going, more so than Atlas I'd say. He boxed at a much higher level after all, and is just as articulate.

Going back to the 80's you had Marv Albert and Gil Clancey, who I rate as just about the best team there's ever been. Pretty funny as well.

Poor old Marv was involved in some alleged hanky panky that saw him taken off the air, leaving us with his not-so-great brother instead...was it Al Albert? That can't be right can it - Albert Albert??!! Only in America! )

Howard ( telling it like it is )Cosell, while bordering on the insane, was also an All Time Great commentator:
"Frazier is down! Frazier is down!! Frazier is down!!!"

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 01 Mar 2004, 09:32

Gill Clancey - great trainer, great commentator.

Used to like Ferdie Pachecco aswell, he was so emotional for Ali vs Spinks II.

Another good team (although I can't remember the names) was the American comentators for Hearns vs Leonard II - Hagler was certainly there (minus the italian accent) and I think it might have been Tim Ryan? and there was someone else.

Hagler - who was very pro Hearns said after he was "gone" in the 5th.

"Hearns has got to fight back" - As he says it Hearns lands a couple of jabs. Both the other commentators simultaneously say "HE IS FIGHTING BACK".

Great fights, but capped off by great commentary.

J · Post by J » 01 Mar 2004, 10:12

.

No.2 Steve Holdsworth - Very entertaining without really trying to be. He's got no agenda so he pulls no punches.

you cant be serious i have to trun the sound down when he is commentating, I have admiration for him cos his enthusiasm for combat sports shows no bounds but he twitters on like someone with hypertension "its full fat fistic action"

please no.

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 01 Mar 2004, 10:21

MightyWarrior wrote:Yes I like both Darke and Watt. Jim's as informed as anyone going, more so than Atlas I'd say. He boxed at a much higher level after all, and is just as articulate.

Going back to the 80's you had Marv Albert and Gil Clancey, who I rate as just about the best team there's ever been. Pretty funny as well.

Poor old Marv was involved in some alleged hanky panky that saw him taken off the air, leaving us with his not-so-great brother instead...was it Al Albert? That can't be right can it - Albert Albert??!! Only in America! )

Howard ( telling it like it is )Cosell, while bordering on the insane, was also an All Time Great commentator:
"Frazier is down! Frazier is down!! Frazier is down!!!"

The great Marv Albert:

Marv Albert has to be the greatest.

I fondly recall his Saturday afternoon NBC shows, Mugabi, Ayala, Boza Edwards to name just a few of the exciting fighters he commentated on.

Pity he had a penchant for his wifes stockings and suspenders.

BRING BACK MARV

Imagine his dulcet tones on the BBC

MW - It was Steve Albert.

Dan Dierdorf and Alex Wallau deserve a mention also. They were good on ABC.

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 01 Mar 2004, 11:53

stujones wrote: Used to like Ferdie Pachecco aswell, he was so emotional for Ali vs Spinks II.

My least favourite commentator of them al. He knew little about boxing and his only claim is to have been Ali's doctor. In the George Foreman mold, quite often talks complete 5hit.

Bob Sheridan is also pretty dire.

Generally speaking I prefer British commentators.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 01 Mar 2004, 12:10

knockout artist wrote: Dan Dierdorf and Alex Wallau deserve a mention also. They were good on ABC.

Yes they were an excellent team too.

In fact I think I was wrong about Clancy, who used to work with Tim Ryan.

And yes shame about Marv - so what if he wore suspenders under his broadcast desk - as long as we couldn't see, that was fine!

And agree with Terrible Terry - Ferdie was a bit like Jim Neilly: always getting names and facts wrong.
He spoke three languages I think, all of them gibberish.

silkov · Post by **silkov** » 01 Mar 2004, 12:30

I like Ian Darke and Glenn Mccory, even though I disagree with them sometimes they are not too 'talkative'and overbearing or monotonous like Teddy Atlas who I think is wildly overrated both as a commentator and as a trainer... look at how he humiliated Micheal Grant on air.... nice way to ruin the belief of your own fighter Ted!.
Scott Ledoux is excellent and always interesting.
My favourite commemtator of all time has to be ARRY, Harry Carpenter... he knew when to talk and when to just be quiet and watch the action ...sometimes he'd go 10 seconds or so without saying a thing!.... and when he said something it was always an insight into the fight or one of the fighters.... Harry was the best... outclassing even the also excellent Reg Gutteridge.

Southpaw Stylist · Post by **Southpaw Stylist** » 01 Mar 2004, 12:32

Kilburn wrote:No.1 Teddy Atlas - Okay he never ever shuts up but his knowledge and compete understanding of the technical side of boxing just cannot be by matched. The guy is fast becoming a legend on the mic.

No.2 Steve Holdsworth - Very entertaining without really trying to be. He's got no agenda so he pulls no punches.

No.3 Jim Watt - Really makes some great points. He's not impressed easily. Sky boxing would not be the same without him.

Honourable mention - Ian Darke - If only for the way he explodes into life when something happens, really adds to the drama.

I fully agree with this.

I just want to add Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley to this.

Marv Albert and Ferdie Pacheco too.

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 01 Mar 2004, 12:46

Reg was better than Harry.

Who could forget Reg's

"It looks to be all over, bar the shouting, in the opening round"

or

"they used to be team mates as amatuers, these two, and its good to see them touching gloves, but that will be a reconnaisence short lived".

dondada · Post by **dondada** » 01 Mar 2004, 14:43

I know that many people regard him as one of the best exponents of his profession but, although I acknowledge his general intelligence, I have to say that I can't stand Larry Merchant.

He insults fighters he doesn't like, even if they have done a reasonable job. He does have the bottle to ask the difficult questions, I'll give him that, but sometimes he is so inarticulate the boxers fail to understand what he is on about and give a typical, irrelevant "I'd just like to thank God" answer.

Stefan · Post by **Stefan** » 01 Mar 2004, 15:34

My favourite commentators are Harry Carpenter in the past and Steve Holdsworth in the present. Here in Germany our commentators are really lousy, not good boxing knowledge, more praising the household fighters.
Very biased imo. Exception is Werner Kastor, who is our eurosport-commentator, but then again, i like Steve Holdsworth a little bit more, he has my vote for the best commentator.

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 01 Mar 2004, 19:08

harry carpenter was gr8 yeah he was excellent at giving those observations

although that honeyghan-vaca 2 fight always annoys me at the end he goes "we didn't keep a scorecard"

your watching the fight wheres your opinion thats bad commentating. :x

reg was just a little better for me and some of his quotes r quite legendary "thats just a slip we don't want 2 falls and a submission here"

no one touches darkey he's the king

mrbassie · Post by **mrbassie** » 01 Mar 2004, 19:15

Barry McGuigan used to be good at it, sky should swap him or Watt for Glenn McCrory

Dynamite Dean Phillips · Post by **Dynamite Dean Phillips** » 01 Mar 2004, 19:17

J wrote:.

No.2 Steve Holdsworth - Very entertaining without really trying to be. He's got no agenda so he pulls no punches.

you cant be serious i have to trun the sound down when he is commentating, I have admiration for him cos his enthusiasm for combat sports shows no bounds but he twitters on like someone with hypertension "its full fat fistic action"

please no.

Agree wholeheartedly

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 01 Mar 2004, 19:28

mrbassie wrote:Barry McGuigan used to be good at it, sky should swap him or Watt for Glenn McCrory

i've got bazza doing a co-commentator role on the chavez-randall 1 fight with jim rosenthal and they kept banging on about how close it was :x randall was winning it quite comfortably and in the end bazza and rosenthal were getting on my bloody nerves.

J · Post by J » 02 Mar 2004, 11:25

Dynamite Dean Phillips wrote:
J wrote:.

No.2 Steve Holdsworth - Very entertaining without really trying to be. He's got no agenda so he pulls no punches.

you cant be serious i have to trun the sound down when he is commentating, I have admiration for him cos his enthusiasm for combat sports shows no bounds but he twitters on like someone with hypertension "its full fat fistic action"

please no.
Agree wholeheartedly

cheers Dean hows the recovery form the other night going not that you got tagged too often. Like I said in Boxing central keep me posted if you are fighting in London dude Ill come shout for ya !

knockout artist · Post by **knockout artist** » 02 Mar 2004, 11:28

DUKE McKENZIE IS THE KING OF COMMENTATORS

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 02 Mar 2004, 11:33

I always liked Reg Gutteridge best, more knowledgable than Harry Carpenter, and talked less bollocks too.

adamiw · Post by **adamiw** » 02 Mar 2004, 11:34

Gil Clancy is my favourite of 'all time'. I haven't seen too many fights featuring his voice, but the 10 or so that i have, he has spoken sence with every word.

Ian Darke is the best currently out there. Jim Watt is probably the best pundit.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 02 Mar 2004, 11:41

Jim Rosenthail was funny, very excitable his commentry on Hearns vs Duran was quite entertaining. When Duran when down the first time I thought Jim was going to have a heart attack. When he went down the 2nd time (Zzzzzzzz) I thought Jim DID have a heart attack.

Kilburn · Post by **Kilburn** » 02 Mar 2004, 12:06

Interesting responses. I guess you just warm to different voices.

Apart from the excellent commentary from Atlas I guess I just like the ESPN format. You've got the expert (which Teddy certainly is) doing most of the talking with the presenter taking a back seat, chipping in every now and then with career facts and stats.

With Sky & the Beeb it's the other way around. Darke is okay but after years of listening to him you feel you know what he's about to say. Same old stuff. And McCrory, who I'm sure is a lovely bloke, really is nothing short of appalling on the mic IMO, so predictable.

Can't understand why anyone wouldn't like Holdsworth. Okay his manner is more suited to the slow-paced, often farcical fights we get on the continent but he really provides plenty of laughs along the way. Lines like "This guy can definitely box a bit, don't expect to see him in a British ring any time soon" are typical from him. He also makes many good technical observations over the course of a fight.

adamiw · Post by **adamiw** » 02 Mar 2004, 12:15

Kilburn wrote:Can't understand why anyone wouldn't like Holdsworth. Okay his manner is more suited to the slow-paced, often farcical fights we get on the continent but he really provides plenty of laughs along the way. Lines like "This guy can definitely box a bit, don't expect to see him in a British ring any time soon" are typical from him. He also makes many good technical observations over the course of a fight.

He often gets away from what is going on in the ring though, I remember once him going off on one about how many titles are around. he provided valid points, but meanwhile the 2 guys were having a war.

Southpaw Stylist · Post by **Southpaw Stylist** » 02 Mar 2004, 12:21

Haha.

Nah, I really do like Holdsworth.

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