Is the HBO Booth better without Roy Jones?

[joe strong]

I like boxnation when it's a neutral fight. they are pretty hard to please but for the most part they are unbias. sometimes they too can be clowns like last night when they didn't give takam any credit for a solid second half. they had bute winning by a point(I had it a draw). HBO has gotten worse since merchant & emmauel left. I prefer showtime. I still like listening to teddy atlas for some reason...

[Mooshashi]

HBO crew isn't that good. There is no more flow or connection there like before Steward and Merchant left.

Showtime has a crew, whether you like them or not that flows, and they all connect right up to Brian Kenny in the post fight. It makes watching Showtime much more enjoyable for me.

Mauro Ranallo is impossible to listen to...I mute the Showtime telecast because of his UFC/WWE type screaming, and that's saying a lot as I've never done that to anyone else. Not Gus Johnson, not Max, not Antonio Tarver not ANYONE else.

[DeadLikeMe]

I feel like my being a fan of Roy as a fighter skews how I judge him as a commentator. Roy can be repetitive. I'd say Paulie Malignaggi on Showtime is better at the role than Roy, as was George Foreman and Emmanuel Steward. Lennox Lewis was awful at times. Andre Ward says insightful things, but he is just not much of a personality. It takes a bit of flair to be good and Andre Ward is pretty much the Tim Duncan of boxing. Tarver was better than I thought he would be.

If you're rating the analysts on Sho/HBO over the years, I'd put Roy somewhere right in the middle. Not the worst, but there have been better.

[Master Splinter]

way better. roy sucks as a commentator.

[I Love Jesus!]

Mauro Ranallo is impossible to listen to...I mute the Showtime telecast because of his UFC/WWE type screaming, and that's saying a lot as I've never done that to anyone else. Not Gus Johnson, not Max, not Antonio Tarver not ANYONE else.

yeah I hate that guy

[Tay Roc]

max kellerman is the worst. Remember when he thought he was a tough guy wig*a? Now hes an intellectual.... I'm tired of looking at his herpes and dull commentary. People try to say he french kissed a light socket. Yeah right some weeks that thing gets so big I'm afraid its going to reach out from the tv and grab one of the children. plus he comes off like such a spoiled little baby who gets everything handed to him.

...and the truth comes out.

[Tay Roc]

I feel like my being a fan of Roy as a fighter skews how I judge him as a commentator. Roy can be repetitive. I'd say Paulie Malignaggi on Showtime is better at the role than Roy, as was George Foreman and Emmanuel Steward. Lennox Lewis was awful at times. Andre Ward says insightful things, but he is just not much of a personality. It takes a bit of flair to be good and Andre Ward is pretty much the Tim Duncan of boxing. Tarver was better than I thought he would be.

If you're rating the analysts on Sho/HBO over the years, I'd put Roy somewhere right in the middle. Not the worst, but there have been better.

Excellent post.

I agree with your post, especially re: Ward. I think he's actually pretty good w/ his insight, he just doesn't speak enough and doesn't have personality/charisma.

[Weebler I]

Most definitely NOT.

I enjoy Roy Jones 's commentary, and it gives some relief to the agenda-driven garbage that comes out of Max Kellerman's mouth.

I think Jones & Lampley would be better without Kellerman.

Kellerman is too beta for boxing commentary, he just wants to hug nuts. He's not interested in calling what's in front of him. He's all right in the face-offs these days and that's about it.

Showtime have the better commentary team now, HBO have lost their mystique with the loss of Merchant and Steward.

[Motofan]

Roy is terrible and some if his commentary makes it hard to go back and watch otherwise amazing fights. Take Bradley vs Provo for instance. The bias and inaccuracy was incredible. As a rule ex boxers are garbage in the booth. As much I loved big George as a fighter he did nothing but cheerlead and constantly contradict himself. You could set your watch to George saying one thing and then saying the exact opposite later. Maybe even the same round. Roy just says "Not at all Jim" or "He hurt bad!!! He hurt bad!" The rest is just him trying to sound like as much of an interrupting ****head as possible. It sure does beat the days when he didn't bother to learn both fighters names and just talked about God the whole time. That **** got him sent away and deservedly so.

[BlueBettle]

I still don't understand why they got rid of Larry Merchant.