Lederman On Kovalev vs Pascal 2
For boxing fans around the world, long-time judge Harold Lederman is a household name. He began working as a boxing judge way back in 1967 and has officiated hundreds of bouts, including such memorable confrontations as Roberto Duran vs Carlos Palomino, Muhammad Ali vs Ken Norton III, and Wilfredo Gomez vs Lupe Pintor, which Lederman, in an interview with Boxing Insider, called the greatest fight he has ever seen:
“It was absolutely beyond belief. It was the semifinal to Wilfred Benitez vs Tommy Hearns and to be frank, after Gomez-Pintor everybody was drained, nobody could even watch Hearns and Benitez. It took everything out of you. I’m virtually positive I had Gomez ahead at the time of the knockout. In the 14th round, after going back and forth and back and forth, Lupe Pintor went down and Arthur Mercante Sr. counted him out. Any of the great fights you’ve ever seen, Gomez and Pintor was just better.”
In 1986 Lederman began working with HBO as an unofficial ringside scorer, and in 1999 he retired from active judging, but continued to work for television. Sitting ringside with long-time commentators Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant, his standard exclamation, “Okay, Jim!” which is shouted before he gives his take on a match, has become his unofficial trademark.
The Fight City’s Manny Montreal regards Harold Lederman as a personal idol for the simple fact that the man gets to sit ringside for the best and biggest fights and is actually paid for the privilege. For Manny, there is no higher calling. Thus, he was thrilled to meet Lederman at the press conference in downtown Montreal for Saturday’s undercard, and get the famed expert’s insight on the big Sergey Kovalev vs Jean Pascal rematch. Check it out:
