Lampley needs to go; Steward amazing as always

After getting home from work Saturday night, i tuned in to HBO to watch the replay of the classic welterweight title bout between Antonio Margarito and Miguel Cotto.

 

The fight, won by the challenger Margarito by TKO in the 11th round, was what makes good prize fighting one of the most thrilling events in sports.

 

Non-stop action, guys taking and giving for three minutes of every round. Can't beat it.

 

But the thing I remember most from the broadcast was the incredibly one-sided commentating by HBO boxing host Jim Lampley.

 

If you just listened to the fight, you would have thought Cotto was winning by a landslide. Margarito threw way more punches and landed as much while chasing Cotto around the ring for 32 minutes.

 

But all you heard from Lampley was how Cotto was getting the better of the action.

 

It was nauseating. This isn't the first time i've noticed this, but this time he almost ruined a classic fight.

 

When the action is this intense, sometimes less can be more, and Lampley just doesn't get it.

 

Someone who does get it is Lampley's partner, Emanuel Steward, a trainer who does analysis for HBO.

 

Steward is the best analyst in boxing and maybe the best ever. After the first round or two, he always makes a remark that 90 percent of the time ends up happening.

 

During the second round of this fight, Steward said that while Cotto was winning, he didn't think he would be able to withstand Margarito's pressure for a full 12 rounds.

 

He does this almost every fight, and he makes watching boxing a learning experience.

 

I'm also impressed with Max Kellerman, who knows the sport inside and out and is a very good post-fight interviewer.