Years ago, it was must-see TV.
During my initial period of intoxication with boxing – ages 10 to 18, or thereabout – I can vividly remember turning down all manner of social interaction to make sure I wouldn’t miss the weekly fight cards broadcast on a then-novel cable entity called ESPN.
Family going to a late dinner? Sorry, can’t make it.
Friends assembling a street hockey game? No can do, guys, find another goalie.
Pressing homework assignments past due? Oh well, guess I’ll take the zero.
The 40th anniversary of the inaugural “Top Rank Boxing” show – headlined by Frank “The Animal” Fletcher and Ben Serrano – came and went over the weekend, reminding a now-51-year-old just how riveted he used to be by anonymous fighters on a fledgling network.
“I can’t believe it’s been 40 years,” promoter Bob Arum said.
I’ve covered ever major fighter in the game these days and traveled internationally to do it.
But it’d be a stretch to suggest it’s been a lot more fun than those nights used to be.
Back then, my devotion to house fighters like Dio Colome, Robin Blake and Freddie Roach – yes, that Freddie Roach – and voices named Al Bernstein, Randy Gordon and Sal Marchiano was far stronger than anything short of breathing, eating and, well… you know.
It was new. It was cool.
And when those fighters graduated to a network show and picked up a broader fan base, we knew we’d be on the ground floor.
Bottom line, if it was Thursday and there was a fight show, I was watching.
“At that point, networks like ABC and CBS were airing fights in the afternoons, but because they paid so much, they aired many of the top championship fights,” Arum said. “Top Rank Boxing on ESPN was an invaluable outlet for up-and-coming fighters.
“Any great fighter that started to emerge in the mid-1980s and 1990s all appeared, without exception, on ESPN. They all got their start on ESPN, and that’s something we are very proud of. Live boxing content was instrumental in helping ESPN become the powerhouse it is today.”
My infatuation eventually gave way to the weight of jobs, girlfriends and college entrance exams, prompting a subsequent period of three decades since I’d consider myself a “regular” viewer of the four-letter network’s late-week offerings.
Oh sure, I’d catch the occasional Top Rank Boxing special or have an occasional living-room drive-by with its eventual progenies – Friday Night Fights (1998-2015) and the modern show with the original’s name (2017-present) – but it never got to a point where familiarity with Messrs. Tessitore, Atlas and Kenny was anything close to what it had been a generation before.
And when it comes to Mark Kriegel’s self-aggrandizing monotony, I’d sooner take a punch myself.
So, no matter who’s fighting, I watch and still long for days gone by.
While the announce teams remain strong and the top-to-bottom packages are certainly more complete production-wise, the sentimentalist in me simply recalls a more palpable anticipation and intrigue leading into the shows of the 1980s.
In reality it may be no different and perhaps it’s because I was a kid, but it somehow felt back then as if a big upset or a surprisingly competitive fight happened with more regularity than the scripted, this house fighter will beat that imported “opponent” on the way to bigger shows – on premium cable or PPV – down the road.
Instead of an ESPN date being a sign a fighter had made the big time as it was back then, a weekly appearance now too often reeks of a carefully arranged, drama-free steppingstone.
And because they were fighting for more with each show, identifiable past characters like Mario “Bucket of Blood” Chavez, Kenny “Bang Bang” Bogner and Eric “The Prince” Martin seem far more romantic and interesting than the Shakur Stevenson, Jamel Herring ilk of 2020.
The former left it all in the ring. The latter often want to expend little and save more for later.
Another sure favorite of the good, old days was the annual ESPN tournament, in which the network would arrange a handful of bouts leading to the crowning of weight-class champions – who then would occasionally defend the belts in subsequent title bouts.
Some of my fondest memories revolve around those fights and those titles, and even the gimmicky sudden-death 13th round that would occur when a close 12-round bout ended – prompting the referee to tell the corners not to cut gloves off – and was ultimately decided after three more minutes.
Imagine such a scenario today. No promoter in his right mind would suggest it. No manager in his right mind would consider it. No fighter in his right mind would agree to it.
Given the insulated nature of today, it’s awfully difficult to imagine that sort of fun coming back.
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This week’s title-fight schedule:
No title fights scheduled.
Last week's picks: None
2020 picks record: 14-3 (82.3 percent)
Overall picks record: 1,130-368 (75.4 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.