BoxRec

Wondering if anyone is in possession of a recording of the episode of 'Who's The Greatest?' broadcast in 1987 featuring Dennis Waterman and Eamonn Andrews arguing the merits of Ali and Marciano, respectively.

I've searched the internet high and low and it's difficult enough to find any mention of the series, let alone the episode.

I was 9 years old when I recorded the programme on vhs and 11 years later lost my entire collection to a burglary, of all things! Most of the fights I'd collected are easy enough to come by on YT now, even the same broadcasts that I'd recorded. This programme is the only piece of nostalgia that remains unrequited.

Would appreciate any help I can get.

516797 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2025, 11:41 Wondering if anyone is in possession of a recording of the episode of 'Who's The Greatest?' broadcast in 1987 featuring Dennis Waterman and Eamonn Andrews arguing the merits of Ali and Marciano, respectively.

I've searched the internet high and low and it's difficult enough to find any mention of the series, let alone the episode.

I was 9 years old when I recorded the programme on vhs and 11 years later lost my entire collection to a burglary, of all things! Most of the fights I'd collected are easy enough to come by on YT now, even the same broadcasts that I'd recorded. This programme is the only piece of nostalgia that remains unrequited.

Would appreciate any help I can get.

Contact Norman Giller (he wrote the show) on Facebook or X. Not sure how active he is (he's 85 now) on there but he's by far your best bet, I reckon. I think he will be pleased that you are interested. Good luck.

https://www.facebook.com/norman.giller/?locale=en_GB

[/quote]

Contact Norman Giller (he wrote the show) on Facebook or X. Not sure how active he is (he's 85 now) on there but he's by far your best bet, I reckon. I think he will be pleased that you are interested. Good luck.

https://www.facebook.com/norman.giller/?locale=en_GB
[/quote]

I have messaged him on Facebook, thanks for the advice - if nothing else I've at least let him know that his work is remembered and appreciated.

(didn't notice the pc logged me into a different account when I wrote the original post)

witherspoon wrote: ↑26 Jun 2025, 16:06
I have messaged him on Facebook, thanks for the advice - if nothing else I've at least let him know that his work is remembered and appreciated.

(didn't notice the pc logged me into a different account when I wrote the original post)

Good stuff. Funso Banjo on here had a copy but his got lost too. I reckon Mr Giller will come up trumps providing he is well.

Remeber that series.

They had botham vs sobers also.

Think Steve vs Joe Davis

Jimmy2025 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2025, 16:38

witherspoon wrote: ↑26 Jun 2025, 16:06
I have messaged him on Facebook, thanks for the advice - if nothing else I've at least let him know that his work is remembered and appreciated.

(didn't notice the pc logged me into a different account when I wrote the original post)

Good stuff. Funso Banjo on here had a copy but his got lost too. I reckon Mr Giller will come up trumps providing he is well.

Unfortunately Norman is unaware of any existing footage. He reminded me that the Ali-Marciano episode was the last tv appearance by Eamonn Andrews (a detail I'd forgotten) and so was particularly poignant.

I shall keep searching, but thanks again, was a great tip.

hard for me to make an argument for marciano. rocky a beast but defo ali, on resume and ability

witherspoon wrote: ↑26 Jun 2025, 23:39

Jimmy2025 wrote: ↑26 Jun 2025, 16:38

witherspoon wrote: ↑26 Jun 2025, 16:06
I have messaged him on Facebook, thanks for the advice - if nothing else I've at least let him know that his work is remembered and appreciated.

(didn't notice the pc logged me into a different account when I wrote the original post)

Good stuff. Funso Banjo on here had a copy but his got lost too. I reckon Mr Giller will come up trumps providing he is well.

Unfortunately Norman is unaware of any existing footage. He reminded me that the Ali-Marciano episode was the last tv appearance by Eamonn Andrews (a detail I'd forgotten) and so was particularly poignant.

I shall keep searching, but thanks again, was a great tip.

No worries. That's a pity.

Great series, like a wallybrain I taped over the Ali vs Marciano one

Likewise Funso had it but it got taped over:

funso banjo baby wrote: ↑16 Jan 2022, 16:39 I left my entire VHS collection round my brothers and when I moved out he taped over everything !!!!

I had recorded practically everything on the box from 1985 to about 1990 !

Rocky Kelly's lunchtime swearing during post fight interview 'im the fuckin guvner'

Henry Cooper's golden belt featuring McMillan and Carr

The clash of the titans show where Dennis Waterman and Eamon andrews argued out whether Marciano was greater than Ali.

Barry Michaels huge ear against rocky lockridge

Sweet memories

Blast, the footballer, golfer and cricketeer ones can be tracked down. but not the Ali one so far. I'm sure someone uploaded it to youtube a few years ago. I'll keep an eye out for it.

Here's the Greavsie vs Rush one:

IRONFIST wrote: ↑27 Jun 2025, 09:43 Here's the Greavsie vs Rush one:

Jimmy, surely!

Always nice to be reminded that football existed before the Premier League. It's galling that we can only see about 5% of Bobby Charlton's goals but all of Gabby Agbonlahor's.

I used to love watching this.

TV was so much better back then >sighs<

The HW one was with Eamon Andrews and Dennis Waterman, I think. All of them were excellent.

I had this, I taped it back in the day. I had a quick look through my old archive 'mimmys boxing archives', post and was confident I had it.

A lot of my VHS tapes grew mold on them through the years and I cannot have saved the tape it was on. Im gutted to be honest as I had loads of stuff from the mid 80s onwards, but unfortunately on this occasion it's disappeared with a lot of my boxing footage.

I’m pretty certain Ali won. Although at the time Marciano had a lot more love than he does now.

Remember , Holmes has just failed in his quest for his undefeated record and Frazier at the time (and I think Eamonn Andrews used it a lot) as the Black Marciano and obviously I think at the time, there was more memory for fight 1 than the thriller in manilla when looking at Frazier vs Ali.

I think Garfield Sobers beat Ian Bothan. Not sure who won the snooker one. Shocked to watch the football one back with that result.

I think there was also Gordon Richards vs Lestor Piggot also.

Ali won by 9 votes to 3.

Henry Cooper was one of the "witnesses" and I'm 70% certain that he was on the Marciano side.

I can't be as certain that Reg Gutteridge was also there, but if he was it was definitely on Ali's side.

Brian London might have been another witness.

Good shout, witherspoon.

Yup, you are right, Henry was on Marciano's side. Mind is blank who the other 'witness' was.

Brian London and Reg Gutteridge were on Ali's side.

I do remember London saying that all Ali's punches were 'very, very fast and very, very hard'.

MasterG wrote: ↑28 Jun 2025, 04:56 I had this, I taped it back in the day. I had a quick look through my old archive 'mimmys boxing archives', post and was confident I had it.

A lot of my VHS tapes grew mold on them through the years and I cannot have saved the tape it was on. Im gutted to be honest as I had loads of stuff from the mid 80s onwards, but unfortunately on this occasion it's disappeared with a lot of my boxing footage.

I remember Mimmys Boxing Archive, I spent hours of my life watching your videos you absolute legend. Thanks for checking. What happened to your channel?

witherspoon wrote: ↑06 Jul 2025, 20:07

MasterG wrote: ↑28 Jun 2025, 04:56 I had this, I taped it back in the day. I had a quick look through my old archive 'mimmys boxing archives', post and was confident I had it.

A lot of my VHS tapes grew mold on them through the years and I cannot have saved the tape it was on. Im gutted to be honest as I had loads of stuff from the mid 80s onwards, but unfortunately on this occasion it's disappeared with a lot of my boxing footage.

I remember Mimmys Boxing Archive, I spent hours of my life watching your videos you absolute legend. Thanks for checking. What happened to your channel?

Well.

I got my first complaint, former poster on here, who has since died (RIP), made a complaint to YouTube saying that I had used footage he shot at a live show. Infact I got permission from his friend who did the commentary on the show.

YouTube removed the footage and gave me my first strike. After that I got to speak to the individual and it was cleared up.

I then got 2 strikes in quick succession from the media company who owns the rights to Tony Tubbs fights. My channel of around 3000 fights and rapidly growing was suddenly removed.

I had around 2500 fights of what I had taped myself from TV on the channel. I was then converting Dave Hall's fights for him onto dvd but he was allowing me to submit the footage to my channel.

Dave Hall was a Sky TV cameraman, and has a great UK based group on FB called 'ex-boxers'. He had thousands of VHS tapes. He used to bring me a car full to my house and I would convert from VHS to dvd.

Anyway that was the end of Mommy's Boxing Archive.

MasterG, purely out of curiosity....did you have Kevin Middleton v Bradley Stone in your collection ?

Well.

I got my first complaint, former poster on here, who has since died (RIP), made a complaint to YouTube saying that I had used footage he shot at a live show. Infact I got permission from his friend who did the commentary on the show.

YouTube removed the footage and gave me my first strike. After that I got to speak to the individual and it was cleared up.

I then got 2 strikes in quick succession from the media company who owns the rights to Tony Tubbs fights. My channel of around 3000 fights and rapidly growing was suddenly removed.

I had around 2500 fights of what I had taped myself from TV on the channel. I was then converting Dave Hall's fights for him onto dvd but he was allowing me to submit the footage to my channel.

Dave Hall was a Sky TV cameraman, and has a great UK based group on FB called 'ex-boxers'. He had thousands of VHS tapes. He used to bring me a car full to my house and I would convert from VHS to dvd.

Anyway that was the end of Mommy's Boxing Archive.

That's crazy. Tony Tubbs is a personal favourite of mine, too bad that his fights are being looked after by such sharks.

But your whole story just goes to show that no good deed goes unpunished

witherspoon wrote: ↑29 Jun 2025, 04:58 Ali won by 9 votes to 3.

Henry Cooper was one of the "witnesses" and I'm 70% certain that he was on the Marciano side.

I can't be as certain that Reg Gutteridge was also there, but if he was it was definitely on Ali's side.

Brian London might have been another witness.

As I remember it, Cooper and London were on Ali's side and Reg Gutteridge and Welsh heavyweight and former British Champion Johnny Wiiliams were for Marciano.

Bladder wrote: ↑08 Jul 2025, 06:24

witherspoon wrote: ↑29 Jun 2025, 04:58 Ali won by 9 votes to 3.

Henry Cooper was one of the "witnesses" and I'm 70% certain that he was on the Marciano side.

I can't be as certain that Reg Gutteridge was also there, but if he was it was definitely on Ali's side.

Brian London might have been another witness.

As I remember it, Cooper and London were on Ali's side and Reg Gutteridge and Welsh heavyweight and former British Champion Johnny Wiiliams were for Marciano.

It was Dennis Waterman, Reg and London on Ali's side, with Eamon Andrews, Williams and Cooper on Marciano's side. Mute point as it was a class programme.

THEBUTCH wrote: ↑07 Jul 2025, 13:16 MasterG, purely out of curiosity....did you have Kevin Middleton v Bradley Stone in your collection ?

Search 'mimmy boxing archive' using the search option and you will find all my fights.