Freddie Roach the leading candidate to join HBO team
by Scott Christ on May 8, 2010 8:31 AM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
Email
Print
With the news yesterday that Lennox Lewis is out at HBO, a leading candidate is said to have emerged, and he could start as soon as June 5, when Yuri Foreman meets Miguel Cotto.
Paul Upham of Seconds Out reported that Freddie Roach, the three-time BWAA Trainer of the Year who has been given enormous credit for molding Manny Pacquiao into the fighter he is today, is in talks to join the network's boxing team for editions of Boxing After Dark, where Lewis had worked with Bob Papa and Max Kellerman.
Roach would be used on June 5, of course, because Emanuel Steward is training Cotto. Steward is the usual "third man" in the booth for World Championship Boxing and HBO pay-per-view events, but with Lewis out of the picture, there's a hole. HBO likes to keep it simple: Play-by-Play Guy (Lampley/Papa), Bizarre Pseudo-Poetry Guy (Merchant/Kellerman), and Boxing Guy (Lewis/Steward). With Lewis out, Roach would be the new Boxing Guy.
To be honest, there are probably better options out there, but none with Roach's hot name. Shannon Briggs is a terrific commentator, and Roy Jones Jr. has worked with HBO in the past as well, and he's not exactly busy right now. Bernard Hopkins has shown a wonderful flair for the job on his appearances for ESPN2 over the years, too.
I guess this means Steward will work the May 15 fight between Amir Khan (a Roach fighter) and Paulie Malignaggi, too. And speaking of that fight, Roach is predicting a knockout within three for Khan, to which Paulie gloriously responded with this rant:
"I tried to be Mr. Nice Guy and respect Amir Khan and his perverted ways. But that is now out the window, like when round four comes and he hasn't knocked me out. Tell that pervert Amir Khan, to stick to sending photos to models, because this boxing game is a real sport."
66 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I can see this as being potentially very successful
However, Roach can be very inflammatory at time and, while someone who speaks there mind is desirable, he may not be ideal for keeping a civil and relevant discussion going. I can’t really imagine him agreeing with anything Merchant says, which could be enjoyable at first, but would get very tiresome
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
They’d likely not work together much. My hope would be that he and Max could have boxing conversations together, thus leaving Papa only to call the fight and ask them questions, and maybe, for once, getting answers that a four-year-old couldn’t come up with.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
LM- “And there’s a jab”
FR- “No, it wasn’t.”
JL- “Err… I do believe it was, Freddie.”
FR- “Fuck you. I think I know a jab when I see one…..”
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
by Chaos100 on May 8, 2010 8:40 AM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Fuck you, I'm Freddie Roach
Might not even be enough to put Merchant in his place!
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 8, 2010 4:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Paulie = Da Shizzle. lol
Now, Tweek, boxing is a Man sport. There is nothing in the world more Man than boxing. It is Man at his most Man. So when you spar with Ned here, just dig deep into that most Man part of you. (Uncle Jimbo, South Park: Tweek vs Craig)
Heck, why not just have Paulie be the third commentator?
Actually, you know what, I think Paulie would be good at it. I mean, for real! Although after a while, his voice would start to grate.
12 seconds?
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 9, 2010 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Pervert?
What is Khan’s alleged perversion? Anyone have information, or photos, or videos? Inquiring minds want to know.
It's mostly just tabloid crap really
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 8, 2010 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Sending photos of his dong to models is what I hear.
This has been the most life-affirming thing for me, to know you're valued and then show your resolve to not just curl up and die,
--Nick Charles
by The Midnight Rambler on May 8, 2010 12:39 PM EDT reply actions
In that case don’t email me the photos, Ted.
by FrankinDallas on May 8, 2010 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I like Roach. He is from Dedham wher my son lives. How can I not like him?
This has been the most life-affirming thing for me, to know you're valued and then show your resolve to not just curl up and die,
--Nick Charles
by The Midnight Rambler on May 8, 2010 12:40 PM EDT reply actions
I really hope not
I mean, he’s a smart guy and all, but he’s a little too punch drunk. One of the main qualifications for being a TV commentator is being intelligible. Hell, for ESPN’s baseball commentators, that’s the only requirement.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
It's sad enough to see Parkinson's slowly take over his life
HBO should not hire him. I love Freddie but it would be too much for me to handle.
"It's fourth and fifteen and you're looking at a full-court press." - Lt. Frank Drebin, Police Squad
I think the same way….
"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."
Yes, upon reflection, so do I.
This has been the most life-affirming thing for me, to know you're valued and then show your resolve to not just curl up and die,
--Nick Charles
by The Midnight Rambler on May 8, 2010 4:24 PM EDT up reply actions
I say HBO should just hire Floyd Sr. The lulz would be endless.
by SilverLaker on May 8, 2010 2:33 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
I would love to see the closed captioning for a fight where Floyd Sr is a part of.
"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."
Jim Watt!
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 8, 2010 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Are you on the piss?
This has been the most life-affirming thing for me, to know you're valued and then show your resolve to not just curl up and die,
--Nick Charles
by The Midnight Rambler on May 8, 2010 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Very often
I was just enjying the ide aof how amusing it would be to have him alongside the HBO analysts! Also, he would definitely need subtitles.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 9, 2010 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Not sold on this one
Roach’s tone sounds a lot like Larry Merchant and in the role i’ve seen him in, he sounds more like a salesman than a commentator. I kind of liked Lennox though. He had his faults, but was always pleasant.
I say give Roach a shot...
While I agree that Parkinson’s may take it’s toll over the course of a fight, Freddy’s earned the right to try it out. In fact, I’d much rather have to turn my volume up to listen to Freddy than to continue turning it down listening to Lennox. Now, if only someone would replace ‘Captain Obvious’ Antonio Tarver over at Showtime.
Off topic, but according to HBO they are showing a repeat of the Mosley / May fight with the William fight tonight. Anyone know which will be broadcast first?
Boxing writer: "Iran, what are you going to do when you retire?"
Iran Barkley: "Rob your house"
The repeat will be forst
This has been the most life-affirming thing for me, to know you're valued and then show your resolve to not just curl up and die,
--Nick Charles
by The Midnight Rambler on May 8, 2010 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Repeat’s always first. That way they can get dummies to stop and go WHOA FLOYD MAYWEATHER and then the ratings for Williams-Cintron go up.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
woudl rather not see roach get it
i would like to see hopkins get it. roach just gets under my skin and i cant stand to listen to his voice. hopkins would be a good addition and would be much more vauleable than lewis ever was.
I really don't think Hopkins is that much better than Lewis
He has the same 3 or 4 “observations” every fight.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
This is a very strange thing to say.
Insane, really.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
strange that i said i would rather see hopkins
and now that i think of it. i like hopkins energy but i rarely see him announce so he could get old after 3 or 4 shows. I am not totally sure if he does make the same 3 or 4 observations every fight. I just know from the limited stuff I have heard I really liked him.
by tylerrcurtis on May 8, 2010 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
strange that i said i would rather see hopkins
No, strange that Brickhaus would say “I really don’t think Hopkins is that much better than Lewis.” That might be the strangest thing I’ve ever heard on this blog. A very peculiar opinion. I don’t understand it at all.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I mean, just to get it clear, Bernard Hopkins is probably the best booth analyst I’ve ever heard. Bar none. The idea of comparing him in any way to Lennox is like saying “the moon is made of green cheese.” It is truly deranged.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Well I guess a division of opinion is ahead
As I think Hopkins is pretty shoddy as a commenator too. He is sort of the opposite of eloquence.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 9, 2010 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I think Hopkins has gotten a little bit overrated too. I was expecting a lot from him, but I think he’s turned out to be just OK. I do think he’s quite a bit better than Lewis though.
In my view, Roy Jones is the best commentator out there in the ex-fighter ranks.
I really liked Foreman
But, as far as I can tell, he lost it a bit towards the end.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 9, 2010 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I would love to see Hopkins in the booth but purely as an analyst. He should give a segment before each fight where he goes over the technical strengths and weaknesses of each fighter and then outlines his “keys to the fight” much like Teddy does before the FNF matches. Hopkins has the good ability to break down matches and a great grasp of the technical aspects of boxing. The real question is whether or not he could effectively communicate this knowledge with the boxing public.
That I'd be fine with
And I think Hopkins does a great job before and after the fights, but during the fights, he sounds like a broken record. Also, sometimes he has trouble taking off his promoter hat.
It was an overstatement to say he’s not much better than Lewis, but I don’t think he’s particularly great either. No better than Glen Johnson (other than that he doesn’t have an accent) or Shannon Briggs.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
But Briggs is good! Surprisingly good. I mean, I know Shannon is trying to get his promotional business off the ground and become a player on the local scene, and that’s fine. But I think the ringside mic is his true calling. When he’s not doing his pro wrasslin’ routine – trying to land a title fight that’s very far out of reach – and cleans up his act for broadcast, he is enjoyable to listen to. Or, at least, not alarmingly stupid, which seems like the best you can hope for with commentary these days.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I thought Briggs was better than Hops.
Johnson’s pretty decent too, just hard to understand.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
On the HBO “buzz” feature for Mayweather/Mosley, they interviewed Dick Vitale briefly. Who thinks that’s an exciting prospect….? ;-)
I know this is going to come out sounding bad, but with Freddie’s illness, by the time he comments the round may be over. Just calling it like I see it.
Besides that, I think they need a commentator that represents “us”, at least in general terms. A guy who curses and is always holding a beer and wears jeans who disagrees just for the fun of it and throws bottle caps at the ref. Someone who would tell the other guys to open their fuckin’ eyes. I don’t see why they don’t have that already. It’s on cable.
Maybe they should just drag Chris Arreola in. Load him up with beer and burgers and let him curse for an hour or so.
A promise is comfort to a fool.
Stone cold Steve Austin?
"I guess I can’t do anything if you’re just irrational, but to point it out and move on."
- fundamentallysound
by J Theory on May 9, 2010 2:32 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Well I'd much rather have a guy
Who is articulate, knowledgable, intelligent, observant and experienced in boxing, rather than some “everyman” who’ll blurt out cliches and over react to things.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 9, 2010 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, we already had Lennox Lewis blurting out cliches and overreacting to things.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 9, 2010 10:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Well, you just described Bernard’s commentary.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Articulate?
Perhaps I place too much importance in eloquency but I find that commentators who don’t express themselves well lose my interest very quickly.
"All the time he's boxing, he's thinking. All the time he was thinking, I was hitting him." - Jack Dempsey
by Drunken cutman on May 9, 2010 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions
I don’t see where you are coming from with this. Bernard may not be William F. Buckley in there, but he talks like guys talk in a gym, and makes observations that are, you know, actually useful, particularly when it comes to evaluating each guy’s particular tendencies and their ability to command the action. Many have mentioned how Tarver is developing into a good commentator, and he is, but Antonio still has not come close to the level of insight that Bernard has provided in that spot. I mean, not even close.
Anyway, comparing Hop’s analysis in any way to Lenny like Brickhaus is just laugh-out-loud crazy. Doesn’t make a lick of sense.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I was impressed with him at first
But after seeing him call 2 PPV cards and about 6 Fight Night Club cards, I’m just not as impressed anymore. He says things that sound smart, but he just keeps saying them over and over. And then when a house fighter comes on, he can’t turn off being a promoter and starts just saying cliches that fly in the face of what’s actually happening, because his boss won’t let him say anything bad about David Rodela or whatever.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
You heard him call two bullshit Lightweight Lightnings, a few of those FNC crappers, didn’t like what he had to say about David Rodela, and suddenly he’s Lennox Lewis? Not, that’s still a screwball comparison. You know who you can say is as bad as Lennox? Boom Boom Mancini. That’s it. That’s Lenny’s only competition.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Yeah, Mancini’s terrible. But at least enthusiastic, so I put him above Lewis, who also sounded bored half the time.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 10, 2010 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
He's not as bad as Lennox
That was an overstatement. But he’s not the second coming either.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Well, at least you’ve admit how out of whack the comparison sounded. I don’t have trouble with different opinions, but that just seemed like a real oddball position to take, that they were somehow comparable. I mean, here you have one guy (Lennox) who most good hearted souls react to like nails on a chalkboard versus another guy that most consider a bright spot in fighter commentary. Okay, not you maybe, but most guys I’ve known.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I mean, what’s he supposed to say at FNC? “This is all a horseshit charade that doesn’t resemble boxing in any way?” I’m sure that would appear in a thought bubble over his head, but when you are trying to put lipstick on the pig it is always going to sound bad. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a worse fit than Bernard Hopkins and Fight Night Club cards. Water and vinegar. Sound more like a job for Mario Lopez.
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bad Left Hook
Related FanShots on Bad Left Hook
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
