I will give Max some credit for being somewhat more mellow at HBO than ESPN. But when he was with Atlas over at ESPN, it was a non-stop screaming contest. You could predict Max's OOHHHH and AAAHHHing over the greatness of:

1.) Pernell Whitaker

2.) Zab Judah

3.) Ring Magazine

each and every weak and it became nauseating to watch. But even when James Butler sucker punched Richard Grant on an ESPN 2 show, Max went on and on about how Butler should get a "second chance." This was the same James Butler, who was a roommate of Max's brother Sam Kellerman and who was later tried and convicted of murdering him.

Even today at HBO, while Max has toned down his volume, (Leaving arrogant Atlas at ESPN was welcome to the ears of many viewers.) Max still has a very strong bias favoring African-American boxers while bashing Latin-American and Hispanic fighters. From my perspective it seems that Max may have been raised in a very poor area growing up in New York and may have developed a very close relationship with many African-American boxers with the attitude of lending a helping hand to fighters from the wrong side of the tracks. That's all cool, but it doesn't really explain his hatred of many Hispanic and Latin-American fighters. Or was Max so incensed at the Whitaker-Chavez decision, certainly a bad call, but I have seen a lot worse, that he has let his own personal bias cloud his judgment or thinking. Has it now transcended to HBO where all of them have become little more than PR men for the fighters that the network has under contract?

Announcing bias goes back throughout boxing history. Howard Cosell would never crucify Ali or Leonard for anything and it showed. The same is reflective in Lampley praising the HBO contracted fighter. Delahoya, Mayweather, Cotto. Is it now worse with Kellerman there, as Larry Merchant, the last of the true network free-speech commentators moves toward retirement?

Does anyone at HBO think for themselves anymore?

Jack

The Whitaker-Chavez fight was a disgusting robbery....

I don't think Kellerman hates on too many hispanic fighters? He seemed to like Juan Diaz alot..

I don't care who commentates...I personally liked Roy Jones Jr. and Foreman (lol) the best. Lampley is great blow by blow guy when he isnt bias ala Hopkins-Taylor

Jack, my man, almost no one anywhere in the world thinks for themselves, most especially television announcers employed by network promoters who seek nothing except to make as much money as possible off house fighters. This is just one of the many major problems in boxing, and it's never gonna change.

Showtime and ESPN are no different. Teddy Atlas can't go a day without shitting on Mike Tyson in one way or another, and Joe Tessitore lick's Teddy's baby-batter like it's going out of style.

Hell, even ESPN Classic has gotten in on the act. Is there anything worse than listening to Tessitore and Joe Mesi retroactively call fights, retroactively analyze how the fight is going mid-way through, and then retroactively predict who will win and why. What is particularly hilarious is how they call some of Lennox Lewis's early fighters, referring to him as the "champ," even during Lewis's early career when he was walking around with Riddick Bowe's trash-dump belt around his waist. What a load of junk. Lewis got no respect then for holding that belt, not from anyone, and it's beyond ridiculous for these hindsight corporate whores to start trying to rewrite the development of the sport.

We can pontificate all night about Max selling out, or about Larry Merchant's drunk ass heading for the door (and straight for the bar), but its pointless. Boxing is fractured beyond repair, and it has much more problems than Jim Lampley and crew's sperm-licking tendancies.

Rant over. I agree with you, Jack, I just had to do it in a round-about way. Boxing's infrastructure blows right now, and I don't think it's ever gonna get better. The world will end first.

Co-sign there too. Alot of people hate Foreman, but I thought he was better than Lampley and Merchant, and he always kept their retardedness in check. Usually.

Roy Jones, regardless of how people feel about him as a fighter, was the best at breaking down fighters, at what they were doing in the ring and what they should be doing. I don't know about his predictions pre-fight, but he almost always picked the correct winner a few rounds in, once he got a look at how the fighters were fighting.

On a side-note, I think Mike Tyson would be a great commentator as well. His knowledge of the sport is profound.

Mike did commentary for Hasim Rahmans rematch with Oleg Maskaev (Top Rank telecast w/ toprank commentators) and he was great to listen to...breaking down the fighters, fights...comparing them to old fighters..he lost his head quite a few times when Rahman was stopped and David Daiz KOd Santa Cruz...

He also did a good job commentating Hopkins rematch with Segundo mercado..

all you guys have some good points but I look at it from the business aspect. there is always going to be two bias commentators and one color commentator with experience in the ring to keep the other two in check when their opinions of the fight gets ridiculous. its all really entertainment cause all they are doing is debating thru out the fight while making predictions while making blow by blow calls to keep the fight interesting if the fighters are throwing like 40 punches a round. I've found myself enjoying listening to Lampley crack jokes about boring fights and fighters at times (mainly undercards). but I think its good for the commentary of the fight to have these guys with bias opinions. but I wish merchant with is slow thought processing ass would retire. he hardly ever give fighters credit for their accomplishments. but it is funny how he'll go back to the dressing room of a fighter that just got knocked out and ask them dumb ass questions about what happen as he make them watch themselves get knocked and make up excuses. prime example montel griffin after getting knocked out by roy and taylor after being knocked out by pavlick.

I liked Roy Jones as a color commentator, the same with Tyson. Tyson's best commentating moment, Simon Brown- Vincent Pettway. That was one of boxing forgotten gems that had a little bit of everything. Tyson was great that night! "This is a war!!! This is a war!!!" And it most certainly was.

Jack

I've always loved Kellerman (and Lampley and Merchant as well) and I thought he was outstanding on Saturday night. He's still operating within Lampley's world and is inclined to give Lampley the benefit of the doubt, but I think Kellerman was giving Margarito the right praise on Saturday. I thought Steward was great as well.

Lampley is starting to disappoint me with his biases. Seriously, if you were listening to radio broadcast of Saturday's fight, you'd have thought it was a one sided beatdown for Cotto. Lampley literally never gave Marg any credit for landing those incredible body shots all night.

Jack, I disagree with you. I thought Max Kellerman was AWESOME (yes, I used that word) on ESPN 2's Friday Night Fights, and I believe he and Teddy were an excellent "Checks & Balances" duo. The in studio segments of ESPN 2's FNFs w MAx was pretty much why I tuned in every week...hell, the in studio segments pretty much still are.

I believe the more casual theme of the FNF production suits the younger Kellerman better, as opposed to the stuffy tuxedo situation, coupled with the pairing with the clueless Lampley and "I told you so" Manny.

I would love to see Roy behind the Mike. Would like to see how Bernard would do. James Toney would be good if he didnt have slurred speech and signed a "I promise I won't talk about me" clause.

I'd love to have Toney on the mic.

Jim Lampley: "It's Klitchsko versus Klitchsko, brother versus brother, in one of the biggest fights... of all time. James, what does Vitali have to do to get by his brother's jab?"

James Toney: "Pound for pound, baby! Pound for pound!"

Jim Lampley: "James?"

James Toney: "I'm a throw-back, you won't never see another fighter like me again, period! Vitali we can do this! Come see me, I promise you..."

Jim Lampely: "James..."

[Toney slaps the mic out of Jim Lampley's hand and starts going off on his. He is sweating profusely now.]

James Toney: "I'm the best damn heavyweight in the world, period!"

[KFC delivery boy enters the scene.]

KFC Boy: "Your order, sir."

[Toney takes a drumstick from the bucket, and tears a chunk of meat off, snarling like a mangy, hungry, homeless dog.]

James Toney: "And I'll whip your sister too!" [He shouts this to Vitali, who is now staring down from the ring. Vitali shouts something in return, but it is incomprehensible.]

Larry Merchant: "Jim... it looks like... an old fashion... brew haha is... breaking out."

[James steals Larry's mic, and starts shouting into both of them.]

James Toney: "I ain't done! You gotta come see me! Peter, we ain't done! Rahman, garbage! I'm the best damn heavyweight, period! And I'm the king of Madden!"

[Roy Jones Jr. appears from out of nowhere.]

Roy Jones Jr: "60-40 and I whoop yo ass right heaahhh!" Everyboy know Roy Jones Jr. still the baddest man EVER to throw hands! Oscar, you runnin and hidin', Tarver don't want none, Calzaghe... Calslappy!"

Max Kellerman: "WOW!!!! Can you believe this? James Toney AND Roy Jones Jr. going AT IT, right here? This is unBELIEVABLE!"

[James Toney rips his shirt off, which is met by a wide, inhalation of disbelief at the blubber that has been unleashed.]

James Toney: "60-40!? I'll whip that ass right here, no charge! Ya heard me!?"

Roy Jones: "Roy Jones only fights in the ring, ya heard? Roy Jones only fights in the ring. Roy don't fight no man fo free!"

James Toney: "Anytime, anywhere! Anytime, anywhere! Uhhhh!" [out of breath]

Max Kellerman: "It's PANDEMONIUM!!!!!



Well, anyway, you get the picture. James Toney would be gold.

It's funny this thread came about. I had the pleasure too meet and discuss this fight with Kellerman on friday at the weigh in. Though he never gave me a bold prediction he did seem to favor Margarito! He told me the the odds were unbelievable and that if anyone had the tools to be Cotto that it was Margarito. Kellerman is a real cool guy. He knows his sh*t!

This has been discussed in great lenghts but the Chavez/Whitaker decision was not as bad as some made it out to be. While I agree Pea won that fight there have been much worser deisions in boxing.

Man I bout fell over in the floor laughing at this! LMBO!!!!!!!!!!!

What a classic post from the Warlord!!!! Thank you!!!

Jack

OMG!!! That was one of the funniest things i've read in a loooong time. Warlord absolute classic... Y'all should put this out on the front page, its so funny. He nailed Toney perfect...

LMAO @ Warlord! That was some good shit! Made me think of this classic interview here...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIpXR7-qmCY


I think James Toney would make the perfect replacement for Harold Ledderman.


Lamps: OK, three rounds are in the books. James? How do you have the fight scored so far?

JT: Jim, I got it 0-0. Neither one of these fools want it, you hear me? They just actin like a couple of sissies. What's his name, the ugly dude, (butchers pronunciation of name), he got in a nice little jab and uppercut at the end of that round there so I gave him five points, but that's it.

Lamps: Five points...?

JT: That's all they worth. This some bullshit here, I'm tellin you. Can't neither one of them faggots do shit. Look at em, complaining to the ref. Hey, I'm a fighter, you understand? I don't talk to no ref about no little cut. Hey, you a fighter, you fight. If I was in that ring I'd knock em both out, you hear me? I'm the best fighter in the world. Period. James Toney.

Larry: I have it, one round a piece, with one even.

That's so Larry. I can hear that voice in my head. All monotone. Emotionless.

dude, that shit is hilarious.

picture this group and a few others, like tyson, hopkins, mayorga(translated), all involved in one of those "dean martin roast" type things. they could all be roasting Merchant, that shit would be hilarious.