WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.960 --> 00:00:07.360 I'm very excited to bring into the podcast this week my long time pal well 2 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.039 I haven't seen in a while because we haven't been a ringside together in a 3 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:14.039 long time. And that's the one and only International Boxing Hall of Famer, 4 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:18.079 the great blow by blow announcer for thirty years on HBO, and it is 5 00:00:18.120 --> 00:00:21.079 none other than Jim Lampley. And we're gonna get into it why you're on 6 00:00:21.120 --> 00:00:23.800 the podcast and what you're doing. But thank you very much for doing this, 7 00:00:23.879 --> 00:00:27.359 Jim, My privilege, Dan and great to be back in touch with 8 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:30.519 you. I look forward to seeing you. Yeah, well, we were 9 00:00:30.519 --> 00:00:33.200 in touch regularly. We text a lot, even if we'd haven't hung out 10 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:36.679 in a while. But we'll tell the people why you're here. You haven't 11 00:00:36.679 --> 00:00:41.840 done any boxing matches since HBO exited the business at the end of twenty eighteen. 12 00:00:42.920 --> 00:00:45.200 Still a shock to me, to be honest with you. But now 13 00:00:45.240 --> 00:00:47.920 we're getting you back in. We're getting you back in for a little bit 14 00:00:48.039 --> 00:00:52.479 because you've signed on with our good friends at ppev dot com to work fight 15 00:00:52.520 --> 00:00:58.719 Week for the upcoming September thirtieth Showtime pay per view event between Canelo Alvarez and 16 00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:02.479 Jamal Charlot for the unders speed super middleweight title. Of course, PPV dot 17 00:01:02.560 --> 00:01:04.719 com is the digital platform that will streaming event like they do for all the 18 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:07.599 big pay per view fights, and so you're gonna be working with them, 19 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:12.159 hosting a chat on the night of the fight, doing some other activities and 20 00:01:14.239 --> 00:01:18.280 content creation I guess during the week for their website, for their social media. 21 00:01:18.439 --> 00:01:23.120 So first of all, just how excited are you be back involved in 22 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:25.959 a big fight of any capacity, even though you're not necessarily calling the fight. 23 00:01:26.920 --> 00:01:32.959 Well, I'm very excited that I'm coming back to a fight that takes 24 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:40.599 place in the natural homeland of present day boxing, the MGM Grand Hotel in 25 00:01:41.480 --> 00:01:46.400 Las Vegas, around the corner at the Team Obile Arena. So back to 26 00:01:47.760 --> 00:01:53.760 a venue and surroundings with which I'm very familiar from all of my past experiences. 27 00:01:53.840 --> 00:02:00.640 Back to strolling the hallways of the cavernous MGM Grand and bumping into people 28 00:02:00.719 --> 00:02:07.760 like you uh and Lance bug Meyer and uh many of my old friends from 29 00:02:07.799 --> 00:02:13.039 the years of boxing coverage. I think that you and I might have agreed 30 00:02:13.240 --> 00:02:20.280 logically a few years ago that I was likely to show up doing blow by 31 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:23.879 blow somewhere, but that turned out to be for whatever reason, a false 32 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:30.960 expectation I did sign. You'll recall I signed a deal to do one fight 33 00:02:31.240 --> 00:02:38.800 on Trailler to female Lopez against George Cambosos in a proposed rematch. Lopez came 34 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:47.039 down with covid U and I wound up with no further connection to U. 35 00:02:47.199 --> 00:02:52.560 That outlet Trailler after that, because the next thing they asked me to do 36 00:02:53.039 --> 00:02:57.360 was something that I just didn't want to do U. And you know, 37 00:02:58.639 --> 00:03:02.680 whether it was to be expected or whether it was unexpected, take your pick. 38 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:07.479 Nobody else, no streaming excuse me, no streaming service, no cable 39 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:13.719 network, no other television vendor for boxing reached out to say, are you 40 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:17.719 interested in doing our blow by below commentary? So to get a reach out 41 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:24.159 from PPV dot com to do something that's a little bit more free form, 42 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:31.840 that's more editorial analysis, more in keeping with what Larry Merchant and Max Kellerman 43 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:38.560 did in my company is very exciting, and I'm interested to see what kind 44 00:03:38.599 --> 00:03:45.560 of an impression I can create, what kind of impact I can deliver working 45 00:03:45.639 --> 00:03:52.000 in something more like a Merchant slash Kellerman rolled than calling blow by blow. 46 00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:54.280 Very very interesting. We have a lot to unpack from that. First of 47 00:03:54.280 --> 00:03:57.199 all, I think when you were going to do the trailer fight, it 48 00:03:57.319 --> 00:04:00.680 was actually the first fight between Cambos's and low was. It never fought a 49 00:04:00.719 --> 00:04:02.120 second fight, so there was no rematch. But that was you know, 50 00:04:02.159 --> 00:04:06.639 that was because Truller ended up mishandling their purse bid and it ended up dropping 51 00:04:06.639 --> 00:04:10.919 down to the second bidder in match room boxing, and so it was unfortunate 52 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:14.439 you never got the opportunity to do that fight. And I know that the 53 00:04:14.479 --> 00:04:15.199 other fight. I think they tell me if I'm wrong about this, I 54 00:04:15.199 --> 00:04:21.079 believe they asked you to do the farcical exhibition between Vander Holyfield and an MMA 55 00:04:21.160 --> 00:04:29.639 fighter. Correct, I you know, love it or hate it, judge 56 00:04:29.639 --> 00:04:32.199 it the way you won't want. I said to them, I don't do 57 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:41.399 trite and meaningless exhibitions between boxers and MMA competitors. That's not to my way 58 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:45.079 of thinking, real and legit, like all the boxing I've covered over the 59 00:04:45.160 --> 00:04:47.759 years. So I wasn't interested in going to Miami. And it feels like 60 00:04:47.839 --> 00:04:50.920 the right move since bell Fort knocked out holy Field in the first round and 61 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:55.360 that was that. But now on to what's going on with this. I'm 62 00:04:55.360 --> 00:04:58.560 curious about so you mentioned our buddy Lance Plugmer. You're gonna work with him, 63 00:04:58.560 --> 00:05:01.560 who's also involved with PPB com doing some writing for their website and also 64 00:05:01.639 --> 00:05:04.560 co hosting the chat with you they'll do on the fight night and some other 65 00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:10.279 creation during the week of the fight. What I'm interested to know is what 66 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:12.480 sorts of things. Okay, the chat we all know, but I know 67 00:05:12.480 --> 00:05:15.160 about chats anybody that's followed me, No, I did chats for years on 68 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:18.639 ESPN and USA Today, etcetera. But besides being involved with that, which 69 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:21.000 is going to be very cool, I think for the viewers, what other 70 00:05:21.040 --> 00:05:25.639 sorts of things do you have planned or are you thinking about doing with them 71 00:05:26.079 --> 00:05:28.800 during the week of the fight while you're out in Vegas. Well, I 72 00:05:28.839 --> 00:05:31.759 think some of it will be unplanned in the sense that they want me to 73 00:05:31.759 --> 00:05:36.759 come to Vegas on Tuesday night, which is forty eight hours earlier than would 74 00:05:36.800 --> 00:05:41.319 have been the case back in the day calling blow by blow. So I'm 75 00:05:41.920 --> 00:05:46.480 there to show up Tuesday night at d MGM Grant. Then then in the 76 00:05:46.519 --> 00:05:50.839 next seventy two hours ninety six hours before the fight. I think what they're 77 00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:55.319 looking for is that I strolled the halls, go to the media room, 78 00:05:56.399 --> 00:06:00.839 hang out with people like Dan Rayfield, wind up being a part of the 79 00:06:01.279 --> 00:06:09.360 general conversational environment relative to the fight of Some of that will be taping interviews 80 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:16.160 with radio and online people. Some of it will be just talking with people 81 00:06:16.240 --> 00:06:23.480 like you about what we expect and what are the reasons for those expectations and 82 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:28.040 the context within this within which this competition is going to take place. Some 83 00:06:28.120 --> 00:06:34.399 of it will just be rubbing the shoulders with people like my dear friend Lance 84 00:06:34.399 --> 00:06:39.079 pug Meyer, whom I really admire, who I think is a classy guy 85 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:45.160 with a strong editorial vision. And you know, some of it will just 86 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:51.839 be enjoying the company of fighters, promoters, managers, trainers, writers, 87 00:06:53.240 --> 00:06:58.279 broadcasters, all the people who are part of the fight community and who basically 88 00:06:58.600 --> 00:07:05.800 haven't seen me face face in four years. December eight, twenty eighteen was 89 00:07:06.120 --> 00:07:12.279 the date of the last boxing card on HBO. Were four and a half 90 00:07:12.800 --> 00:07:18.439 years removed from that, and I the one big plan I had in the 91 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:23.879 interim was to go to the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Canistota, New 92 00:07:23.959 --> 00:07:29.360 York three years ago, to be a part of Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins 93 00:07:29.519 --> 00:07:33.480 inductions because they were so much a part of my friend structure and I felt 94 00:07:33.800 --> 00:07:38.480 so close to both and that was the moment when I caught COVID. So 95 00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:44.480 I was not able to go to Canistota on that planned occasion. So basically, 96 00:07:46.040 --> 00:07:49.800 I've been isolated. I've been kept in a lock box. I haven't 97 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:57.279 had any of the kinds of experiences in direct contact with boxing that I'm looking 98 00:07:57.319 --> 00:08:00.959 forward to having at the end of September when I go to Las Vegas, 99 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:05.439 and all of that leaves open a lot of room for discovery in terms of 100 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:09.720 what the heck does Jim have to say about this at this point and is 101 00:08:09.759 --> 00:08:13.759 it in any way interesting? We'll find out. So one thing, I 102 00:08:13.759 --> 00:08:16.079 mean, I know the answer because you and I have stayed in touch, 103 00:08:16.120 --> 00:08:20.000 but a lot of people have asked me via social media. Sometimes I've seen 104 00:08:20.040 --> 00:08:22.519 people at fights that I have been to to cover, what's Lampley doing now? 105 00:08:22.759 --> 00:08:24.839 They don't I mean, You're not doing boxing, of course, but 106 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:28.040 can you just take them in and explain to people what your life is now 107 00:08:28.079 --> 00:08:31.920 away from boxing, Because we were so used to seeing you on TV every 108 00:08:31.120 --> 00:08:35.919 couple of weeks doing the HBO events, and it's been a while so. 109 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:41.559 At the end of twenty nineteen, my wife, Debrah, and I made 110 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:48.559 a big move from Delmar, California, to the home of my college alma 111 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:54.000 mater, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I was responding to an invitation to 112 00:08:54.159 --> 00:08:58.080 teach in the Department of Communication at the University of North Carolina. I wound 113 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:05.799 up teaching five semesters and what a thrill that was because I was on campus, 114 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:11.639 a member of the faculty, hobnobbing with the chancellor of the university at 115 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:18.480 the school where I dropped out of school more than fifty years ago in nineteen 116 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:24.000 sixty eight. I ultimately flunked out of school because of my terrible undergraduate school 117 00:09:24.080 --> 00:09:31.240 grades. I had to fight my way back into school via correspondence courses and 118 00:09:31.039 --> 00:09:35.279 a long string of a's. When I got back onto campus, I wound 119 00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:41.000 up going to graduate school in the department which is now the Department of Communications. 120 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:48.000 And it was at the end of graduate school when I accidentally was chosen 121 00:09:48.039 --> 00:09:52.039 out of a talent hunt by ABC Sports to become the first person who ever 122 00:09:52.080 --> 00:09:58.039 stood on the sidelines college football with a camera and a microphone. First person 123 00:09:58.080 --> 00:10:03.000 who ever stood on the side live line of any football game with a Cameron 124 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:07.279 on microphone. That was in nineteen seventy four. It was nineteen eighty seven, 125 00:10:07.360 --> 00:10:13.840 of course, when a new division president arrived at ABC Sports, succeeding 126 00:10:13.960 --> 00:10:18.600 run Arlige in that job, and arrived with one basic predilection about ABC Sports, 127 00:10:18.600 --> 00:10:20.960 which is how do I get rid of Jim Lampley? And he assigns 128 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:26.200 me to boxing, thinking that that would kill me. His idea was boxing 129 00:10:26.200 --> 00:10:31.080 will be allergic to Lampley. Why why did he want to get rid of 130 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:33.159 you? Why would he want to get rid of you? You were good 131 00:10:33.159 --> 00:10:37.799 on college football. I remember those days. He didn't like me, that's 132 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:43.200 all the pure personal animosity. He didn't even know me, but he walked 133 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:46.919 in the door at ABC Sports saying basically, I don't like this guy and 134 00:10:48.159 --> 00:10:52.320 I want to get rid of him. Oh and I had I had specific 135 00:10:52.360 --> 00:10:58.039 guarantees in my contract for the Calgary Olympics that he absolutely wanted to up end. 136 00:10:58.440 --> 00:11:03.320 So his aim was to mistreat me as much as he possibly could, 137 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:09.120 and part of that was assigning me to boxing. They had been casting about, 138 00:11:09.159 --> 00:11:13.120 trying to find the right ringside blow by blow person to succeed co Sell. 139 00:11:13.639 --> 00:11:20.679 Obviously, following co Sell in any role whatsoever was a thankless task. 140 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:26.519 The audience was accustomed to that bigger than life persona, so he thought, 141 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:30.399 Okay, I'll put Lampley at ringside in boxing. That will kill him, 142 00:11:30.440 --> 00:11:35.320 That will force him and his agent to walk away from this contract. What 143 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:39.039 he didn't realize at the moment, or didn't pay attention to, I guess, 144 00:11:39.440 --> 00:11:43.759 was that the network could just signed a look see, get acquainted contract 145 00:11:43.080 --> 00:11:46.840 with a nineteen year old heavyweight from New York named Mike Tyson. So my 146 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:54.559 first several on air boxing appearances at ABC Sports were Tyson's first few appearances on 147 00:11:54.639 --> 00:12:01.279 television, and therefore I sort of became connected to the Tyson story, so 148 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:09.360 that eventually, when HBO signed a long term contract with Tyson, HBO decided 149 00:12:09.360 --> 00:12:13.720 they wanted me to call the fights, and I wound up. You know, 150 00:12:13.799 --> 00:12:18.120 everything in this business is poignant and has a downside. The downside was 151 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:22.080 that I was brought in to replace a very dear friend and a wonderful guy 152 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:28.240 named Barry Tompkins. To Barry's great credit, we have never had a fractious 153 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:33.240 moment about it. He's still been my friend ever since that moment. And 154 00:12:33.360 --> 00:12:37.759 I love him and revere him for that. But I replaced Barry Tompkins in 155 00:12:37.799 --> 00:12:41.919 the HBO chair and I continued forward with Tyson. February ten, nineteen ninety 156 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:46.919 As you know, I was in Tokyo to call what became the biggest upset 157 00:12:46.000 --> 00:12:52.879 in boxing history. And I called dozens and dozens of great prize fights over 158 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:58.720 the years before AT and T bought HBO and in twenty eighteen, twenty nineteen, 159 00:13:00.080 --> 00:13:03.360 decided they weren't interested in boxing anymore. Well, one thing you forgot 160 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:07.720 to mention in that is that when that person at ABC decided to quote unquote 161 00:13:07.720 --> 00:13:11.320 punish you by putting you on boxing, they didn't realize that you were a 162 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:13.600 lifelong boxing fan and that you loved the fact that they put John boxing. 163 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:18.120 My father died when I was five years old, And I know you know 164 00:13:18.240 --> 00:13:22.360 this story. Sure, father died when I was five years old. The 165 00:13:22.440 --> 00:13:26.320 very first time my mother ever sat me down in front of a television step 166 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:28.960 to watch a sports event, she took me to a neighborous cocktail party. 167 00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:35.240 She marched me down the hall and put me in front of a tiny miniature 168 00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:41.600 television set was on a TV dinner train and she pointed to it and said, 169 00:13:41.600 --> 00:13:46.399 watched this screen. You're going to be watching Gillette Friday Night Fights at 170 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:50.919 Sugar Ray Robinson versus Bobo Olson for the middleweight Championship of the World. This 171 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:54.600 will be their second fight. And the reason you're doing this I was six. 172 00:13:54.960 --> 00:13:58.000 And the reason you're doing this is because if your father were still alive, 173 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:03.120 this is what he would be doing with you. So I watched that 174 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:09.679 fight, I inculcated the voice of Don Dunfie into my consciousness. I became 175 00:14:09.799 --> 00:14:16.440 a constant fan of Gillette Friday Night Fights over the years. I was still 176 00:14:16.440 --> 00:14:24.440 watching Gillette Friday Night Fights on the Unforgettable night when Amiel Griffiths fought Benny Kidd 177 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:28.360 Perette. By that time, we had moved to Miami, and eventually I 178 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:33.600 wound up saving lawnmowing and car washing money to buy a ticket to the very 179 00:14:33.639 --> 00:14:39.279 first live prize fight I ever attended, which was February twenty five, nineteen 180 00:14:39.360 --> 00:14:45.960 sixty four, Miami Beach Convention Center, Sonny Liston versus Cassius Clay. Three 181 00:14:46.039 --> 00:14:50.799 days later, Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali and and so that was the first 182 00:14:50.799 --> 00:14:56.120 time I ever saw a live prize fight, and you know, it's just 183 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:01.639 a kind of poetic arc that you eventually go forward to ringside at Tokyo in 184 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:05.639 February of nineteen ninety when I'm sitting there in the eighth and ninth rounds of 185 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:09.799 what has become an obvious Douglas win, and I'm thinking, oh, my 186 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:13.240 gosh, the first time I ever went to a live prize fight, that 187 00:15:13.480 --> 00:15:18.360 was the biggest upset in the history of boxing, and now here's the fight 188 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:22.799 that will succeed it as the biggest upset in the history of boxing. And 189 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:28.639 I'm describing it for the entire American audience. When something like that happens in 190 00:15:28.679 --> 00:15:31.559 your life, it's inescapable that you're going to think, oh my gosh, 191 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:35.720 I was this is destiny. I was meant to be here. So there 192 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:43.360 has always been a strange and almost severe, surreal element of destiny surrounding my 193 00:15:43.480 --> 00:15:46.919 connection to boxing. And yes, there was no way in the world that 194 00:15:48.039 --> 00:15:52.120 Dennis Wanson could have known any of that. As far as he was concerned. 195 00:15:52.519 --> 00:15:58.840 I was a preppy Eastern kid who probably didn't have any background or connection 196 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:03.000 to boxing, and this was his way of beheading me, was to send 197 00:16:03.000 --> 00:16:08.240 me up to Glens Falls, New York for Mike Tyson versus Jesse Ferguson in 198 00:16:08.519 --> 00:16:11.399 early nineteen eighty seven, and I listen, I grew up not too far 199 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:14.919 from Glens Falls in New York, and I remember watching it. I covered 200 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:18.360 some of my first sports events at the Glens Falls Civic Center, not boxing, 201 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:21.440 but high school sports. And by the way, the fact that your 202 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:26.879 first live fight was the first fight between then Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali winning 203 00:16:26.879 --> 00:16:30.639 the title against Sonny Listen, it trump's my first ever live fight of Buddy 204 00:16:30.679 --> 00:16:36.759 mcgart against George Heckley. But that's a different story. Yes, yes, 205 00:16:36.919 --> 00:16:41.799 do you remember do you remember the post fight interview at Tyson versus Jesse Ferguson, 206 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:45.799 Alex Wallow went into the ring to talk to Mike after that. Do 207 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:48.639 you remember what was said in that interview? I believe there was something to 208 00:16:48.639 --> 00:16:52.960 the effect of that he wanted he punched. Was it when he he was 209 00:16:52.960 --> 00:16:56.919 going to punch his nose into his brain? That's exactly right, That's what 210 00:16:56.960 --> 00:17:02.440 I think. Yes, Uh, Alex Tyson a question about the uppercut that 211 00:17:02.519 --> 00:17:07.119 had splattered Jesse's nose and created blood flow all over the ring in the fourth 212 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:11.880 round before it was stopped in the fifth, and Mike said, Customato taught 213 00:17:11.920 --> 00:17:15.640 me that the purpose of the uppercut was to drive the opponent's nose bone into 214 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:18.200 his brain. And I was trying to drive his nose bone into his brain. 215 00:17:18.720 --> 00:17:22.880 When I was sitting at ringside, thinking, oh my god, this 216 00:17:22.960 --> 00:17:26.440 guy's not only going to be the greatest quote machine in boxing, he's going 217 00:17:26.480 --> 00:17:30.319 to be the greatest quote machine in sports. Look at what I've stumbled into 218 00:17:30.400 --> 00:17:33.200 here, Because by now it was clear I was going to be installed as 219 00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:38.559 the ringside boxing guy. So within the next few weeks, they all came 220 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:42.519 tumbling out. Boxing is a hurt business. Everybody's got a plan until you 221 00:17:42.599 --> 00:17:48.920 hit him. All the things that made Tyson Tyson were visible from the start, 222 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:52.240 and I was suddenly the narrator of all that. I mean, I 223 00:17:52.279 --> 00:17:56.160 wasn't a narrator that but because I grew up in that area, we all 224 00:17:56.200 --> 00:17:59.480 you know, and I was a teenager, Like a young teenager at that 225 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:03.480 time. We all knew Tyson in school. Not because he was the heavyweight 226 00:18:03.559 --> 00:18:06.279 champion at that point. He wasn't, but he had fought all of those 227 00:18:06.319 --> 00:18:08.599 early fights in our capital region of New York where we grew up. So 228 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:12.279 we saw him on the local TV news. We've read about him in the 229 00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:15.960 newspapers. You know, it was like he was they talked about him on 230 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:18.039 the radio. It was like kind of a he was like a local celebrity 231 00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:22.279 before he became a world figure like you know, as your chronicling of his 232 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:29.480 fights helped him become over those years well all over the country because his very 233 00:18:29.559 --> 00:18:34.440 skilled manager slash promoters Bill Kayton and Jimmy Jacobs knew how to build a personality. 234 00:18:34.759 --> 00:18:38.839 And at that moment, this is before the cable television era, so 235 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:44.559 every local television station in the country has a sports director, and the sports 236 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:49.720 director has to somehow fill three three and a half minutes every night between the 237 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:56.119 weather and the end of the newscast, and sometimes if there's nothing going on 238 00:18:56.200 --> 00:18:59.359 locally, it's not easy to fill those three three and a half minutes. 239 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:04.759 Soon and Jacob's put together a videotape of my first seventeen knockouts, and you 240 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:08.799 can remember seeing the tape. It was comical. Guys are flying through the 241 00:19:08.839 --> 00:19:12.519 air, Guys are doing summersaults as they land on the canvas. You know, 242 00:19:12.599 --> 00:19:18.440 it was all. Every one of those knockouts was a spectacular mismatch type 243 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:25.640 knockout, and that's how Mike's image was built before he ever chose to try 244 00:19:25.640 --> 00:19:30.480 to drive Jesse Perkinson's nosebone into his brain. Now, I wonder, so 245 00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:34.319 that's back obviously, back in the day, but and now you're coming back 246 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:37.559 to do this project with PPV dot com. You're living in North Carolina, 247 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:41.200 working as a as a professor at your alma mater at North Carolina. So 248 00:19:41.240 --> 00:19:45.559 I wonder how much since the end of the HBO days, at the end 249 00:19:45.559 --> 00:19:48.000 of twenty eighteen, how much are you still or how closely are you still 250 00:19:48.000 --> 00:19:56.079 following professional boxing these days? What do you think? I mean, I 251 00:19:56.279 --> 00:19:59.480 probably I think pretty close. I know you're reading my Fight freaking Night newsletter. 252 00:20:00.359 --> 00:20:03.880 I'm sitting here every week stupidly thinking that somebody's going to call me up. 253 00:20:03.920 --> 00:20:10.160 I'm offer a blow by blow gate so intelligently trying to stay abreast of 254 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:12.960 the curve. I'm watching all the fights so that I will have opinions on 255 00:20:14.000 --> 00:20:18.000 them. Not all, but you know, everything meaningful and important, such 256 00:20:18.039 --> 00:20:22.160 as, for instance, can Hello Alvarez versus Dmitri b Bull too? You 257 00:20:22.160 --> 00:20:26.119 know two fighters I had covered extensively on HBO. I'm watching all of these 258 00:20:26.160 --> 00:20:33.519 things as they go along. I got some kudos from our mutual friend Tom 259 00:20:33.559 --> 00:20:38.119 Howser a couple of weeks ago, because Howser called me to ask, you 260 00:20:38.119 --> 00:20:41.200 know, what do you think is going to happen in Crawford Spence? And 261 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:44.799 I, you know, went out on a limb and said, I, 262 00:20:44.920 --> 00:20:48.000 not only do I think Crawford's gonna win, but I think Spence might be 263 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:52.519 to rescue in the late rounds. And so you know, I've picked up 264 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:56.480 as much as I can. I can't say that I am as knowledgeable and 265 00:20:56.559 --> 00:21:03.359 ascute as as I was when it all stopped back in December of twenty eighteen. 266 00:21:03.519 --> 00:21:08.400 But I still pay attention and I feel fairly confident that I'll be able 267 00:21:08.440 --> 00:21:14.680 to offer some opinions with regard to Canelo and Charlo on September thirty. All 268 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:17.640 right, so you've called obviously tons of Canelo fights because he had many many 269 00:21:17.680 --> 00:21:19.599 fights on HBO and on HBO pay per view, you know, some of 270 00:21:19.599 --> 00:21:25.160 his biggest fights he's ever had. Charlo never appeared on HBO, even though 271 00:21:25.319 --> 00:21:29.359 he was fighting when you were still doing back in HBO, but you never, 272 00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:32.480 to my recollection, never had an opportunity to call one of his fights. 273 00:21:32.759 --> 00:21:36.160 So I'm curious. Since you are following the sport, it means you're 274 00:21:36.200 --> 00:21:38.960 probably familiar with the fact that Charlo became the undisputed champion in his weight class 275 00:21:38.960 --> 00:21:44.079 at junior middleweight and clearly still following what Canelo was. What's going on with 276 00:21:44.200 --> 00:21:47.759 him? Can you just give me your initial thoughts on Canelo versus Charlo. 277 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:51.640 He is moving up to weight classes the challenge Canelo, but it doesn't seem 278 00:21:51.640 --> 00:21:52.799 to be that big of a size difference when I've seen them together at the 279 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:56.200 news conferences and and uh, you know, having been in their presence in 280 00:21:56.240 --> 00:22:00.200 person. Also, just what are your thoughts on the general matchup that you're 281 00:22:00.200 --> 00:22:07.400 going to be chronically Well, you know, it's it's natural two favorite Canelo 282 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:15.119 because of his vastly more high profile resume. It's natural to favorite Canelo even 283 00:22:15.119 --> 00:22:21.400 with regard to the weight equation because he's basically the larger man, and one 284 00:22:21.599 --> 00:22:26.319 sixty eight would seem to be at this point Canelo's natural weight and Charlo's going 285 00:22:26.400 --> 00:22:30.000 up fourteen pounds from one hundred and fifty four, So there are all sorts 286 00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:37.720 of reasons to assume that Charlo is an underdog to Canelo Aldrest. But on 287 00:22:37.759 --> 00:22:42.119 the other hand, Canelo is older, Canelo has had many more fights, 288 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:48.279 Canelo has made tons of money at One of the things I've always said about 289 00:22:48.279 --> 00:22:55.559 boxing is if you go into the gym and you are one percent less every 290 00:22:55.640 --> 00:23:00.640 day during training than you used to be because unconsciou your motivation has slipped, 291 00:23:00.680 --> 00:23:06.039 your dedication has slipped. You take a little short cut here and there, 292 00:23:06.640 --> 00:23:10.480 scoop of ice cream at night, stuff like that that you don't think he's 293 00:23:10.559 --> 00:23:15.039 going to affect you. And the margins of competition are so fine that ultimately 294 00:23:15.079 --> 00:23:21.720 those kinds of things can and do affect you. So at what point has 295 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:27.000 Canelo made too much money to continue to be the hungry competitor that he used 296 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:33.359 to be. At what point is Charlo biting off more than he can shoot 297 00:23:33.480 --> 00:23:37.839 by going up and wait? What happened when Canelo took another bite of the 298 00:23:37.839 --> 00:23:45.799 apple at light heavyweight after having easily beaten Sergei Kovilev and found out that Dmitri 299 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.839 Vigol was an entirely different thing. This is a sport A lot of people 300 00:23:49.880 --> 00:23:53.880 think these are wide margins of competition because you see people getting knocked out. 301 00:23:55.119 --> 00:24:00.640 That's not the case. Knockouts proceed from fine margins of petition, just as 302 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:06.720 decisions too, and so at the end of the day, there are fine 303 00:24:06.759 --> 00:24:11.759 margins. There are unpredictable factors. You want to say, Oh, Canell 304 00:24:11.880 --> 00:24:15.720 is an obvious favorite, he's bigger, he has more, big fight experience, 305 00:24:15.759 --> 00:24:19.920 et cetera, et cetera. Not necessarily the case until until I get 306 00:24:19.920 --> 00:24:25.279 a chance to look at them and maybe talk to them face to face in 307 00:24:25.400 --> 00:24:30.559 Las Vegas, the way I used to do in a private room in intimate 308 00:24:30.599 --> 00:24:34.839 circumstances the day before the fight. It probably won't be exactly that kind of 309 00:24:34.839 --> 00:24:38.240 thing. But until I see them and talk to them, I'm not ready 310 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:42.440 to tell you what I think happens in the fight. It's always the product 311 00:24:42.519 --> 00:24:48.839 of very personal factors and equations that you really can't fully evaluate until you get 312 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:52.440 to the site and see the fighters. Listen, I agree with you, 313 00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:53.480 And I get asked that all the time while you're picking who A you're picking, 314 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.519 then you know you have an idea. But I tell people all the 315 00:24:56.559 --> 00:24:59.880 time, when at least when there are fights, I attend Spence. Crawford's 316 00:24:59.880 --> 00:25:00.960 a prime example. I kind of knew who I was gonna pick, but 317 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:04.279 I really didn't know for sure until I was face to face with Crawford and 318 00:25:04.279 --> 00:25:08.079 Spence on Thursday and talk to them after the Press converts, where then I 319 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:11.759 really kind of at that point you assess body language and that sort of thing, 320 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:15.799 and you make your pick. So I'm sure that it'll be the same 321 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:21.680 when we get the Vegas for Cannello versus Charlotte. I did pick Crawford. 322 00:25:21.680 --> 00:25:23.000 I didn't pick him by by a knockout the way you did, and I 323 00:25:23.039 --> 00:25:26.640 didn't think he would totally dominate, but I definitely had the opinion that Crawford 324 00:25:26.680 --> 00:25:30.960 would be and I kind of always had the opinion that Crawford would probably win, 325 00:25:30.279 --> 00:25:33.440 But I was really much more firmative when we got to the you know, 326 00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:37.559 the couple of days prior to the bout. And so when you see 327 00:25:37.599 --> 00:25:41.000 those guys, I'm sure it's you know, like I said, you covered 328 00:25:41.039 --> 00:25:45.839 a lot of the Canello fights for HBO, will be your first experience with 329 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:48.160 with Charlo. I mean, I guess for you. I mean, even 330 00:25:48.200 --> 00:25:51.720 though you're not calling the fight, it's kind of like like riding a bike, 331 00:25:51.759 --> 00:25:52.720 you kind of don't forget, like when you get the fight week is 332 00:25:52.720 --> 00:25:56.240 you know, just gonna feel back at home in one sense, even though 333 00:25:56.240 --> 00:26:02.279 it's been a while, I look so and you know, I'm doing something 334 00:26:02.279 --> 00:26:07.599 different than I've done before. I'm communicating via chat on a computer rather than 335 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:11.480 talking into a microphone. I hope I can remember during the fight that I'm 336 00:26:11.480 --> 00:26:17.240 supposed to write it down. I guess Lamp gonna elbow me or wave his 337 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:21.200 hand in front of me or something if I make a mistake. But the 338 00:26:21.240 --> 00:26:26.079 bottom line is it'll be an introductory experience. Will be the first time that 339 00:26:26.119 --> 00:26:30.400 I'm doing chat, would be the first time I'm working for PPB dot com, 340 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:33.920 and I don't expect to be perfect. I expect to give it a 341 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:38.920 good try and see if I can provide some interesting material and follow Lance's lead 342 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:45.319 because he's the veteran now he's he's done this before, and then we'll see 343 00:26:45.319 --> 00:26:48.079 where it goes from there. Well, it sounds good to me. I'll 344 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:51.519 tell you one thing. I'm sure a lot of boxing fans who've missed having 345 00:26:51.519 --> 00:26:53.599 you around. At the very least, we'll be excited to see your involvement 346 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:56.079 with this event, and I'll tell you I'm looking forward to singing Las Vegas 347 00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:02.160 in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to see you Dan. We'll have 348 00:27:02.279 --> 00:27:06.880 to find a moment to get together, whether it's for a deal or just 349 00:27:06.920 --> 00:27:10.480 to sit down, diet coke or whatever. Absolutely, but the bottom line 350 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:14.240 is yes, there are many, many dear friends I am really looking forward 351 00:27:14.240 --> 00:27:18.039 to seeing in Las Vegas, and you are very much at the top of 352 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:19.599 the listen. I appreciate that. Jim. Thank you very much for doing 353 00:27:19.599 --> 00:27:22.160 this today. I'm glad we're about to get together. Like I said, 354 00:27:22.319 --> 00:27:25.960 I'm glad you'll be doing some work with PBV dot Com. Oh. By 355 00:27:25.960 --> 00:27:27.559 the way, I'd be remiss if I did not say has been an outstanding 356 00:27:27.599 --> 00:27:32.039 sponsor of this podcast at times, as well as my Fight for Each Night 357 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:33.759 newsletter, which I appreciate. And I will look forward to seeing you in 358 00:27:33.759 --> 00:27:37.599 a couple of weeks or a few weeks. Thank you so much. Talk 359 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:38.200 to you later, Dan, Thank you, Jim. Take care