HBO's Commentary - Biased?

I've gone off HBO's commentary a tad lately.

I watched the Martinez fight on Sky Sports so heard their commentary but I hear HBO were quite negative towards Martinez which doesn't surprise me.

HBO seem to incapable to commentate fights impartially.

Did anyone hear the Martinez fight through HBO and is this comment fair?

A perfect example is the Mayweather vs Marquez fight. Yes Mayweather won comfortably but they ignored any good things Marquez done i.e Mayweather would hit him with a clean shot and HBO would praise it, Marquez does the same and they ignore the punch was even thrown or landed, Mayweather punches Marquez and they're back to praising!

What do others make of HBO's commentary

They had Manny miles ahead against JMM in their last fight

They are the Pacquiao and Chevez Jnr Channel.

They didn't give Macklin any credit either instead they just went on about how Martinez isnt that good.

Then in the post fight interview that zombie Larry Merchant tries to dismiss Martinez for calling out Chavez Jnr by asking why he isnt willing to move up to 168!!??

Only Emmanuel Stewart provides a decent outlook. The rest are so biased it isnt even funny. Merchant, Kellerman & old Harold need to be given their P45's

agreed, its all about one fighter in 99% of their fights.

Its mostly Larry Merchant, he is in love with JCC jr and Pacquaio and anyone who challenges them gets abuse. Emmanuel Steward was top class as usual and when Merchant could shut his mouth we could actually hear someone talk some sense. Steward made the point that Martinez managed to figure out Macklin and adapt the way he threw the straight left and thats why it started landing with frequency. It was really only Merchant that was being a plank.

HBO are getting worse with their bias, and i think it is because of a lack of "big money" fighters for them to flog. V harsh on Martinez and this talk about him going up to 168 is ridiculous, he barely make 157 for a 160 fight. Showtime, far superior team at the mo

Larry Merchant needs to go! He's simply too old and out of touch. Mayweather was right, maybe not in the manner he said it to Larry but right LOL!

It's cringing when people are biased and the fact they mentioned Martinez moving up to SMW when EVERYONE knows the saga about Chavez Jr is a joke!

I agree with the Showtime comment, i've seen far less Showtime fights but have preferred their coverage everytime.

Martinez is way too small for Super Middleweight, he barley makes Middleweight. Ward has said he will meet at a catchweight of 164, but.... thats still quite a push..

I like the HBO team. Martinez wants to be talked about on the same level as Mayweather and Pacquiao. Then he needs to take the same sort of stick they would get if they put in performances like he did against average fighters like Barker and Macklin.

WBC have reported that Chavez will be stripped of his title if he doesn't face Martinez next.

..................and surprise surprise apparantly Martin Murray is up next

How can fans of Chavez Jnr stomach such blatent ducking. I hate to use that term but jeezus, its the worst I've seen in years

Are they really that average though? A lot of people in America thought Macklin was robbed against Sturm and Barker was an undefeated contender. Sergio still won by KO, I think we are so used to Pacquiao dominating fighters, because he fights people everyone knows he is going to beat easily. I bet when Marquez gave him a schooling they weren't calling it a robbery. Floyd knocked out Ortiz after he blatantly headbutted him and HBO were criticising him for that...

Barker doesn't have the dig of a top middleweight and he isn't that good technically that he can get away with it.

Macklin shot his bolt against Sturm after 6 rounds and basically lost a close fight to a guy who hasn't beat anyone of note in years and is probably past it.

Manny got stick for his performance against Moslye and Marquez and Floyd got stick like you said for doing nothing wrong against Berto. That's my point they have set high standards and when they drop below that they get stick. That's what has happened to Martinez in his last 2 fights.

HBO are simply terrible these days. They'll tip their hat over and over again to whoever the 'money' fighter is and give the absolute bare minimum of recognition and credit to whoever they're facing. Merchant, as ever, was absolutely pathetic in his post-fight interview - time for his P45 and a few summers of fishing in Oregon, I reckon. If anyone so much as dare give one of his sacred lambs a decent fight or show a little more ambition or personality than them, he just can't wait to piddle all over their bonfire.

I don't particularly rate Steward as a commentator, but compared to the rest of the HBO team he's like a beacon of shining light in the valley of eternal darkness. Can't stand Kellerman either, though I (for some reason which I'll never understand) seem to be in the minority there. Seems to enjoy making everything all about him a little too much for my liking.

Who's the one with the grey hair and shiny toothed saccarine grin. Is that Leederman. if so he really gets on my nerves. Awful.

They are all too old.

Showtime is way better now with Tarver etc.

HBO's production is always first class, its just the ancient clowns that are dragging it downhill now.

Steward is good, Lederman can't score to save his life anymore and Merchant is out of touch. Lampley, i never really liked that much.

Kellerman is better, but he holds back to suit the HBO star, which is annoying.

Never liked Merchant, can't stand him at times. Lampleys alright so too is Kellerman at times, for me Steward is fantastic, almost always is right on the button in my opinion. Merchant annoys the hell out of me, didn't he once ask Floyd in a post interview why he was so boring? The way he speaks drives me up the wall, he takes longer than Glenn McRory to say a sentence.

Kellerman is hit and miss. I loved how he openly abused Margarito about the whole loaded gloves thing.

I actually felt sorry for Merchant after the whole Floyd thing when they had a barney in the ring. But for him to give an interview to a fighter who 2 weeks prior got done for drink driving and NOT even question him about it is a disgrace.

Imagine if Mayweather was caught drink driving 2 weeks before a fight. Merchant would be climbing into the ring frothing at the mouth like a rabied filled mut in heat to get at him to quiz him.

Wish they would show him the door

I think my ire might be directed at Jim Lampley I don't know.

Is Lampley the one with grey hair and shiny toothed saccarine grin? If so, he makes me want to put my fist through the screen he's so America biased it's vomit inducing. Would like to summon all my might and punch that man full force in the face!

Actually come to think of it, I think it's one of the Showtime boxers that does my head in.

Who is the one with grey hair and shiny toothed saccarine grin?

Super D Boon wrote:I think my ire might be directed at Jim Lampley I don't know.

Is Lampley the one with grey hair and shiny toothed saccarine grin? If so, he makes me want to put my fist through the screen he's so America biased it's vomit inducing. Would like to summon all my might and punch that man full force in the face!

Actually come to think of it, I think it's one of the Showtime boxers that does my head in.

Who is the one with grey hair and shiny toothed saccarine grin?

You're either talking about Jim Lampley or Larry Merchant, Google image search both and see which one.

Jim Grey for Showtime does my head in, how he has a job, I don't know.

No I think LArry Merchant is the one that sounds like he's just been woken up from his afternoon nap at an old person's home.

I think it's one of the Showtime ones come to think of it. He always shouts "wow!" during commentary and seems to have his tongue firmly wedged between Andre Ward's butt cheeks.

Al Bernstein it is Super.

I suppose it's easy to be critical of them...

I can't stand Jim Watt personally as the guy is so damned negative, but it comes a day when his scorecards are more accurate than HBO's.

I remember once the HBO team were comparing Manny Pacquiao to Henry Armstrong. They were comparing them because Manny had beaten Diaz, De La Hoya and Hatton and were trying to make it seem as if this was comparable to Armstrong holding three titles at once. It didn't seem to bother them that Diaz wasn't rated the best at lightweight or that De La Hoya wasn't the best in any division at the time. They'll come out with any crap to hype their fighters.

One more thing I've grown to dislike about HBO are their fighters. There used to be a time when HBO would say something like "The best fighters fight on HBO". Now, that's no longer the case. I don't think that they have the best fighters anymore. Chris Arreola gets to fight on HBO, the Klitschko brothers don't???

HBO will show the same old fighters again and again even if they are passed their bests.

Larry Merchant is a WUM.

Thats his job now.

I've actually always liked Bernstein, as it goes. Enthusiastic but not to the point of apparently trying too hard, more of a telegenic personality than the others who've been mentioned, and is, for the most part, very balanced and fair in his views.

A bit of a moot point criticising HBO too much though, I suppose, as the title of 'worst boxing commentator / pundit of all time' rests solely and squarely with Duke McKenzie.

88Chris05 wrote:I've actually always liked Bernstein, as it goes. Enthusiastic but not to the point of apparently trying too hard, more of a telegenic personality than the others who've been mentioned, and is, for the most part, very balanced and fair in his views.

A bit of a moot point criticising HBO too much though, I suppose, as the title of 'worst boxing commentator / pundit of all time' rests solely and squarely with Duke McKenzie.

I agree I think Al Bernstein is pretty good. I won't have a bad word said about Duke!!

AlexHuckerby wrote:

88Chris05 wrote:I've actually always liked Bernstein, as it goes. Enthusiastic but not to the point of apparently trying too hard, more of a telegenic personality than the others who've been mentioned, and is, for the most part, very balanced and fair in his views.

A bit of a moot point criticising HBO too much though, I suppose, as the title of 'worst boxing commentator / pundit of all time' rests solely and squarely with Duke McKenzie.

I agree I think Al Bernstein is pretty good. I won't have a bad word said about Duke!!

Why not - he probably wont understand it "if a bean is a bean but the bean is a bean how many beans in a tin of beans?" and thats why Manny will knock out floyd. *farts loudly* *awkward silence* heh heh heh. Old age catching up with you jim"