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What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 23 Jun 2023, 16:02
by Caractacus
how far back some of you go ?

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 23 Jun 2023, 19:37
by Ambling Alp II
Norton-Stander. It was on the undercard of Ali-Young.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 23 Jun 2023, 20:11
by writehooks
As a seven-year-old growing up in Western Canada, I was mesmerized by George Chuvalo vs. Zora Folley live from Cleveland Arena on Gillette Friday Night Fights, Jan. 17, 1964 ...

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 23 Jun 2023, 22:15
by HomicideHenry
Not sure if it was the first but one of the earliest I remember was Michael Nunn vs Sumbu Kalamby. I think really what I remember was that the television was showing a few of Nunn's matches prior to the Toney fight, and it surprised me that Nunn was beaten like he was when he made it look effortless against other opponents even though I did not know who they even were.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 23 Jun 2023, 22:57
by oogiebe
I think it was Frazier/Foreman I. Although I must've seen others before that on UHF from the Forum on Spanish TV.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 12:10
by Theoson
Probably not the first live fight I saw but the first one I can name is the Jim Watt vs Charlie Nash fight broadcast one Friday night in March 1980

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 14:24
by chinarich
Tyson-Bruno, although it was on delay some time later on BBC I guess, watched it with my Father. I have fond memories of watching quite a few Benn and Eubank fights with him on TV a few years later.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 14:49
by The Docker
chinarich wrote: 24 Jun 2023, 14:24 Tyson-Bruno, although it was on delay some time later on BBC I guess, watched it with my Father. I have fond memories of watching quite a few Benn and Eubank fights with him on TV a few years later.
I can remember staying up for this half pissed, pretty sure it was a radio only job and didnt air on the BEEB. My first fight memory was watching Lloyd Honeyghan, haven't a clue who against but he snotted him over about 5 brutal rounds and became my favourite boxer.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 14:50
by giacomino
Maybe Monzon-Griffith 1971 on Wide World of Sports (ABC). I seem to remember seeing several Monzon fights. Also Duran-DeJesus 1974, which was a great bout, also on Wide World of Sports

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 16:02
by Caractacus
I think it was Muhammad Ali vrs Floyd Patterson II, back in 1972.
Because it was shown live on ABC-TV.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 16:06
by chinarich
The Docker wrote: 24 Jun 2023, 14:49
chinarich wrote: 24 Jun 2023, 14:24 Tyson-Bruno, although it was on delay some time later on BBC I guess, watched it with my Father. I have fond memories of watching quite a few Benn and Eubank fights with him on TV a few years later.
I can remember staying up for this half pissed, pretty sure it was a radio only job and didnt air on the BEEB. My first fight memory was watching Lloyd Honeyghan, haven't a clue who against but he snotted him over about 5 brutal rounds and became my favourite boxer.
It was shown in the afternoon the next day.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 24 Jun 2023, 21:54
by oogiebe
Caractacus wrote: 24 Jun 2023, 16:02 I think it was Muhammad Ali vrs Floyd Patterson II, back in 1972.
Because it was shown live on ABC-TV.
Forgot about that one. Perhaps that one for me too.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 25 Jun 2023, 00:55
by gilgamesh
The first one that I can recall for sure seeing was Lennox Lewis vs Tommy Morrison.

There was probably something earlier on Tuesday Night Fights, but I can't recall who was fighting.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 25 Jun 2023, 08:26
by Controversial
I think it was Pedroza v McGuigan in June 1985. I can remember watching fights before that on Grandstand, Bruno v Smith rings a bell but they were pre-recorded ones, as a live event the McGuigan one stands out.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 25 Jun 2023, 14:28
by SteveO
Muhammad Ali v Sonny Liston II

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 25 Jun 2023, 15:14
by Sammy Scaff
Remember seeing Chris Finnegans gold medal bout in the 68 Mexico Olympics but most pro bouts were shown at least 24 hours after having taken place.
The first live one I recall seeing was John Conteh's first fight with Matt Franklin where the American's corner saved him from a stoppage on cuts by using some illegal stuff on his eyebrow.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 25 Jun 2023, 15:31
by Joson
I can't remember for certain, but I think it was Ali vs Lyle in 1975.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 26 Jun 2023, 10:23
by elmersalsa
Roberto Duran vs Esteban De Jesus fight #2

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 26 Jun 2023, 11:22
by wouter
Tyson vs. Spinks. It should have been Tyson vs. Holmes, but they delayed the broadcast until the Australian Open women's final was over.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 26 Jun 2023, 15:32
by Caractacus
I think I only watched a couple of rounds of Ali vrs Patterson II,
I watched more of this fight, when it was also shown live on ABC-TV later that year.


Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 26 Jun 2023, 21:14
by oogiebe
Forgot the '72 olympics. That counts. And the '71 pan am games.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 27 Jun 2023, 13:35
by Caractacus
were those boxing matches shown on video tape delay tho ?
remember when the networks ,re-capped the events that were not shown live ,after the 10 o'clocks news ?

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 27 Jun 2023, 23:06
by oogiebe
Caractacus wrote: 27 Jun 2023, 13:35 were those boxing matches shown on video tape delay tho ?
remember when the networks ,re-capped the events that were not shown live ,after the 10 o'clocks news ?
I remember some live and some 'delayed.' Jesse Valdez was on live. I do remember that.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 28 Jun 2023, 14:30
by Joson
The fights that got me hooked as a fan were the Ali-Wepner and Norton-Quarry doubleheader in March 1975. But both bouts were nationally broadcast several days after occurring. So they weren't live fights.

But Ali-Lyle, which happened just two months later, was real time.

Re: What was the First "Live" fight on tV you remember seeing ?

Posted: 28 Jun 2023, 14:44
by Caractacus
Muhammad Ali vrs Jimmy Young was also shown live on ( free)Network TV
so was Ali vrs Richard Dunn,
Ali vrs Alfredo Evagelista
Ali vrs Earnie Shavers too.