BoxRec

We've got a few to choose from:

Commentators

Ian Darke
Glen Mcrory
Adam Smith
Jim Watt
Spencer Oliver
Richi Woodhall
Steve Holdsworth

Pundits

Johnny Nelson
Duke McKensie
Colin Hart
Steve Bunce
Paul Dempsey
Nicky Piper


There are others but these are the main ones that come to mind.

If I had to choose comentators I would go back to Darkey & Glen....don't know why they switched to Jim. He's gets on my wick sometimes with un fair critisicm.

Adam Smith sounds like someone's got hold of his nuts when the action heats up.

Spencer's OK but Steve Holdsworth should have been shot at birth (only joking) but man he is awful! Always turn the sound off on eurosport especially when he talks over the American commentator!

Think Richi Woodhall is quite knowledgable and could replace a few on sky.

As for Pundits...Colin Hart needs to be bound and gagged.....well.. :x he should't be allowed to converse.

Steve Bunce is as wide as he tall but does knows his stuff. The rest are OK apart from that heavyweight they keep bringing on who just can't string a sentance together.....forget his name....

I love the fact you criticise Derek Williams for not being able to string a sentence together and then fumble around trying to remember his name.

Classic.

Woodhall is excellent but a little predictable, 'everything comes from the jab', 'he needs to work behind that jab', 'he needs to get that jab out there', 'he needs to step in with the jab'...you get the idea.

I dont like ANY of our commentators. They all TALK TOO MUCH.

Smith tells you about the fighters wife's best friends dog has died in his best HOLLYWOOD movie trailer voice.....

And Darkie makes his mind up on a fight too early and leads the viewer too much. He should commentate on whats happening, too much he fills in as a PUNDIT too. His role is fact not subjective perception.

Of the colour commentators Nelson is best, because he's been there, done it, bought the t-shirt and is current.

Steve Holdsworth gets far too much criticism. He's sound. I like Johnny Nelson, Ian Darke, Duke McKenzie (another who is unfairly slagged IMO), Glenn Mc, Jim Watt, Buncey, Richie Woodhall.

Reg Gutteridge was one of the best - very knowledgeable and didn't follow cliches.

gutteridge was a class act, shame he retired. He did retire didn't he?

jamesmcdonnell wrote:gutteridge was a class act, shame he retired. He did retire didn't he?

Basically, I think he does whatever he wants. Met him in Cardiff - really nice, approachable, funny bloke.

Lot of work for charidee.

The thing is that him and 'arry' had been doing their job for years, and it showed, they had so much knowledge packed in those noggins and had been watching the sport for nigh on 30 years even when I was a nipper.

I know Carpenter could be a bit corny at times, and his relationship with Big Frank was a bit much for some people, but you really felt you were in the presence of a boxing bible with both men.

We don't have anyone around like those two now, and probably never will do again because coverage of sports has become a lot more facile now, cliche and hyperbole seems to be the name of the game in promoting sports, lots of fast-editing and flashy graphics, rather than letting the sport provide it's own drama.

ive got quite a large collection of videos featuring old fights ranging from 1908 to around the 80s. watching them occasionally its glaringly apparant how much worse commentary has got these days. jim neilly on the bbc is a classic example of this, he just never stops talking. constant chatter.

the doyens of british commentary, carpenter and gutteridge let the action do the talking only interceding occasionally. these days if i watch a fight on tv i just turn the sound down.

maybe one day the commentators will realise we want to watch the boxing not listen to them talking crap non stop.

if we want to get into somantics here surely the word 'commentator' means one who comments. ie not one who never shuts the fornicate up.

you listening mr neilly??!!

Yes exactly, but it's something which seems to apply across the board, I think perhaps viewers attention spans have gone down with the remote control culture, and producers feel that the actual event isn't compelling enough despite the fact that you are watching two people fighting, and so encourage the commentator to produce a constant jabber of verbal excrement.

Having said that, when a commentator gets really excited it can really add to the sense of occasion.

I think I would make the worlds worst commentator, filthy blue language, sound levels going off the scale as I scream my head off as a knockout approaches.

I had everyone in my house in my room the other day watching Kelly Holmes win gold.

"YES...YES, GO ON KELLY, GO ON, COME ON, YES....YES COME ON.....YES...YES, SHE'S GOING TO fornicating DO IT, COME ON, THAT'S IT, fornicating HELL, SHE'S DONE IT"

they really must have thought I had a bird in there giving me the best blowie of my life.

hjaha quality, mind you the geezer actually doing the commonetating wasnt much better was he!

similar the other morning with the coxless fours, was doing my nut in a similar fashion.

Not that i like rowing that much but it was pretty exciting.

DavidPayne wrote:I love the fact you criticise Derek Williams for not being able to string a sentence together and then fumble around trying to remember his name.

Classic.

Woodhall is excellent but a little predictable, 'everything comes from the jab', 'he needs to work behind that jab', 'he needs to get that jab out there', 'he needs to step in with the jab'...you get the idea.

I dont like ANY of our commentators. They all TALK TOO MUCH.

Smith tells you about the fighters wife's best friends dog has died in his best HOLLYWOOD movie trailer voice.....

And Darkie makes his mind up on a fight too early and leads the viewer too much. He should commentate on whats happening, too much he fills in as a PUNDIT too. His role is fact not subjective perception.

Of the colour commentators Nelson is best, because he's been there, done it, bought the t-shirt and is current.

Ha ha, your post made me chuckle Adam Smith always comes up with some story about why the fighter "Has always done it the hard way" and "Is building his life back after a hoffific car accident" etc

Ian Darke always describes everybody as a happy go lucky character and Glenn McCrory just agrees with everything he says. Richie Woodhall is rather repetetive and so is Jim Watt at times.

Barry McGuigan never let's anyone else speak and cuts in on peoples conversations, Johnny Nelson is sound and probably my favourite...Derek Williams is okay but always seems nervous and mumbles and of course "Knows Lennox Lewis"

Jim Neilly makes too many mistakes and Duke McKenzie gets excited and caught up in the moment but overall is not too bad. How many times though does Duke say this line "Oh he really is" after Jim points something out

According to Sky, Derek Williams has sparred with EVERY British heavyweight of the last 20 years. Fact.

I guess the thing is that most of them are not journalists, and so of course they are not going to be perfect.

The trick is surely in putting together the right team. I think Watt and McGuigan work well in the studio, reminds me a bit of Alan Hansen and Jimmy Hill, Watt is the curmudgeon, and McGuigan the over effusive one with lots to say.

To be honest, people rave about Teddy Atlas, but he's boring as fornicate, he just hammers the point home over and over, repeating whatever insight he had in the 1st round ad infinitum, very irritating.

I'm a massive fan of Steve Bunce and Richie Woodhall!

jamesmcdonnell wrote: To be honest, people rave about Teddy Atlas, but he's boring as fornicate, he just hammers the point home over and over, repeating whatever insight he had in the 1st round ad infinitum, very irritating.

you ever watch the ESPN fights on channel 5? they do a thing called 'teddys tips' prior to a fight where he gives out suggestions which he thinks will ensure victory for each fighter. everyone is a stunner. glaringly obvious, some of his recent gems included.. 'go to the body and the hands will come down' 'dont get caught with jabs' 'move out of trouble' 'throw your right hook over the opponents left' 'use your feet to move out of trouble'... insightful stuff!

they remind me a bit of those old public information films.. 'dont drink petrol', 'dont climb pylons to get your frisbee back', 'several thin layers are warmer than one thick one', dont leave your front door wide open or the gas switched on when your away on holiday'

quite how these are tips tailored to each boxer is beyond me but its always worth staying up just to hear them!!

I know, mind numbingly obvious, when you consider that the show is supposedly aimed at boxing fans. I find it incredulous that people rave on and on about Teddy's tremendous insights when in fact he is stating the bleeding obvious.

He might as well just sum it all up by saying 'Hit your opponent and try and avoid being hit.'

I am sure he must have great technical knowledge, but I find the stuff on that show bewildering, it's like he is aiming it at retards.

I guess the thing is that most of them are not journalists, and so of course they are not going to be perfect.



Journo's of course being the very soul of perfection themselves

you obviously don't see the state of the manuscripts I receive every day. I am lucky if they are not in crayon. :P

FWIW - I can just about listen to Ian Darke, but not if Watt is anywhere near. The guy redefines the word "tool" on a daily basis

for me, Gutteridge was the very best in the business. respected by the fighters, willing to let the action speak for itself and willing to call a stinker of a fight a stinker

Slapsie

Well Americans are the next best thing.....

Only joking...come on guys have a sense of humour (and lay off the burgers).

Slapsie Maxie wrote:I guess the thing is that most of them are not journalists, and so of course they are not going to be perfect.



Journo's of course being the very soul of perfection themselves

you obviously don't see the state of the manuscripts I receive every day. I am lucky if they are not in crayon. :P

FWIW - I can just about listen to Ian Darke, but not if Watt is anywhere near. The guy redefines the word "tool" on a daily basis

for me, Gutteridge was the very best in the business. respected by the fighters, willing to let the action speak for itself and willing to call a stinker of a fight a stinker

Slapsie

I wondered how long before someone picked up on it, sounded like I was intimating that journalists were perfect.

What I meant was that someone who is a trained journalist (which I am certainly not), is going to be more professional and will have different presentation skills to someone who is a former fighter turned presenter/pundit. It's a hard transition.

It's like the difference between Michael Parkinson (who is past it now, but was the best in the business once upon a time), and that Tweetie pie headed cuntok Frank Skinner. One is a journalist/interviewer, the other is a 'presenter/celebrity' which is a big difference. Parky used to actually do his own research for his shows and had a keen interest in his guests and plenty of knowledge about them, and asked incisive questions.

Frank skinner either insults his guests, or sits there fawning telling them how wonderful they are, and only occasionally has anything really interesting to say.

Interview shows these days are merely publicity opportunities, whereas once the BBC actually used to ban 'plugging' as it's known, hard to imagine in our times when everything is a 'media opportunity.'

Parkies halcyon days generally consisted of sentences containing "the great muhammad ali"

Now now, that's our heritage you're toying with there boyo. Parkie was a darned site better than anyone around today, aside from Johnathan Ross who has some magic moments on occasion.

Johnny Vaughan is to interviewing what chocolate is to fireguards.

I tell you who was fantastic, I don't know if anyone has ever seen the Mike Douglas show, but there's a fantastic one with Ali, Sly Stone and James Brown, Ali gets fucked off with Sly, who is obviously as high as a kite, and gets very antsy, he's interviewing just before his comeback fight against Foreman, and is a very angry man.

Mike is a real character too, he's obviously drunk, and he gets some great stuff out of all of them.

James brown rounds the show off with the best version of 'Georgia on my mind' I've ever heard.

J wrote:hjaha quality, mind you the geezer actually doing the commonetating wasnt much better was he!

similar the other morning with the coxless fours, was doing my nut in a similar fashion.

Not that i like rowing that much but it was pretty exciting.

I'm surprised noone picked up on the fact that when our lead was ebbing away at the end he managed to say "three feet, two feet, one feet". I bet the poor sod was cringing when the BBC right showed about thirty replays.

As for my favourites, Ian Darke is the best commentator we've got at the moment. As his sidekick (or co-commentator, if you so wish) i'm not bothered if it's Glenn or Jim. Both have their faults, but are miles ahead of some of the other guys. In the punditry role, i'm starting to warm to Woodhall. Once he manages to get out of Bunce's mammoth shadow, he's actually very good. Nelson seems to get better with every show he does, i think he'll eventually step into McGuigan's shoes as top dog.

Teddy Atlas is the MAN. Watch the Burton vs Augustus match -Him ridiculing an official puts Adam Smith vs allegedly in the shade.

Jim Watt is another the best British commentator and I like Barry's analysis.

Although my all time fave is Gill Clancy, Leonard vs Hagler wouldn't have been the same without Gill.

The HBO team are not the best either, Jim Lampley is obsessed with boring stats and facts and Larry Merchant is too slow. And all George Foreman ever says is "Ooooh that was a great fight"

Have to disagree about Reg Gutteridge . I thought he was the worst commentator on any sport I ever heard .
He always said the same things fight after fight . If a guy threw a few left jabs he'd say :' He should be able to box a bit , he used to be good amateur '
Jim Watt's ok in the studio but he's so negative when he does co-commentary . Plus he latches on to something after about 30 seconds then repeats it for the next 12 rounds .
Darke and McCrory are the best commentating duo .
And , sorry , but I've got no real problem with Jim Neilly . I can't see he's as bad as you all seem to think .
Woodhall has been excellent doing the Olympics . I like Bunce but he always seems to feel he has to go through a bit of a pantomime routine rather than just say his piece .
Johhny Nelson may be dire to watch as a boxer but he's an excellent analyst .

I disagree on Steve Holdsworth. I really like him. I like the way he says it how he sees it, his honesty is refreshing, and when compared to the Sky build-up to Hatton versus TBA as a life and death battle between good and evil, he's a breath of fresh air.

That said, he does have his opinions and stick to them. As a northerner, I appreciate that, but I can see how it could annoy some people. But he's one bloke alone in a commentator's booth.


I know a lot of Americans and many over here venerate Howard Cosell, but I just don't rate him. He misses the glaringly obvious and messes up results so many times, and is dull.