15.04.04 – By Chris Acosta – When HBO announced that George Foreman would be leaving the network, the opinions on the move were split. Many folks, including your truly, were glad to see the big guy go. Sure, George is a great guy and a true inspiration, but how many times did he make comments that sent a wave of head- scratching across America? I will say it once and I will say it again: just because someone is a former boxer does not make them adept at articulating the games nuances to those of us watching at home. That is a fact that goes beyond the scope of boxing. Have you ever tried to write out the steps of how to tie your shoelaces? It’s hard but I can do it and that’s why I am a writer. So let me do my thing.
Larry Merchant, while often times annoying, is a master of scene setting. He’s one of the few broadcasters capable of building drama through personal experience and historical anecdote. Jim Lampley is a walking dictionary, a real articulate who incredibly, never seems to come off as a snob. They mesh well together and whether you like them or not, HBO would seem a lot less classy without them.
In all practicality the network would have been just fine with just those two working the mics and occasionally bringing in the guest commentator via trainer or fighter for freshness. I had hoped that all the execs at HBO would stick with this plan but every so often we are reminded that sometimes, stupid things happen for no reason.
Enter Roy Jones. Now, I love Roy the fighter but as an announcer, he just plain sucks. It is incredible that the human body can sustain an ego as large as his. He probably talks about himself in his sleep. In last Saturday’s double header from the Staples Center, he made comments to the effect of, “If he (Wladimir Klitschko) can’t take a punch, he better not fight me.” Years ago, when Lennox Lewis was bouncing Tommy Morrison around the ring, Roy stated his admiration for Lewis’ newfound left hook by uttering, “Uh-oh, it looks like he’s been watching some Roy Jones tapes.”
Sickening.
Is this the best HBO can come up with? I know that Emanuel Steward is busy with his training duties but hell man, what about Gil Clancy? Alex Wallau? Teddy Atlas? Does someone still have Tim Ryan’s number?
Think about it this way: Broadcast jouranalism is a learned skill. No one just goes up there and gets it on the first try. I once tried to do a radio show on a small public access show for a comedy magazine I do and guess what? I sucked. I didn’t realize that there was so much to enunciation and timing. To dismiss this occupation as trite is just the same as saying that anybody with two fists can kick ass in the ring. Roy is funny to listen to in post-fight interviews but he simply doesn’t understand that commentating goes well beyond standing there with a microphone in his hand and smiling. He obviously doesn’t know how to be objective either. As with anything in life, there is a science to it.
If HBO is truly the industry standard that it claims to be, then it had better put the reigns on the dude before he starts turning their broadcasts into his own personal infomercials.
For now though, I guess I’ll just stare at the volume control on my remote and sigh.