Judging the Best: Harold Lederman Speaks of the State of Boxing

“I tell you, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao would be pretty close (laughter) to a perfect fight. That’s for sure. You have one terrific fighter and another terrific fighter who is a lot more active.” — Harold Lederman

Harold Lederman is known as the “unofficial” judge for HBO’s World Championship Boxing and HBO’s PPV. He is also a registered pharmacist. Lederman started judging Professional Boxing in 1967 and has judged 235 professional bouts. Here is a small list of notable names under his judging career: George Foreman, Roberto Duran, Larry Holmes, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Wilfred Benitez, Hector Camacho, Ray Mancini, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Michael Spinks, Evander Holyfield, Thomas Hearns, Julio Cesar Chavez, James Toney, Marco Antonio Barrera, and Vitali Klitschko.

Some awards along the way that Harold has won are as follows: BWAA’s 2009 “Excellence in Broadcast Journalism”, 1997 he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, inductee, Rockland County, New York Sports HOF, Marvin Goldberg Award, Bna’i Br’ith Max Kase Sports Lodge (outstanding contribution to boxing), and the 2006: “Good Guy Award”, Boxing Writers Association of America.

When you talk to Harold, all the bad things about boxing that you hear from some people seem to disappear and you get a reminder on why we started to watch the sweet science: for the joy of watching two athletes in a center stage doing artwork right before our eyes. A time before we become “experts” when all fights were fresh and fascinating and that is one of the many gifts he is able to give us. Thank you so much Harold for reminding us why we watch.

MA: Is Mrs. Lederman your biggest fan or what does she think about all the boxing stuff?

My wife Eileen likes boxing. I would say she is my biggest fan (laughter).

MA: Least likely person you have met that was a boxing fan?

Least likely? Well I never figured Eileen to be a boxing fan but she is.

MA: Boxing has gone through many ups and downs; how do you feel the boxing community has changed because of the internet?

Well, a lot of new fans have been developed by the internet that’s for sure. But a lot of newsletters were in effect in the 70’s. Now you don’t get everybody coming out with a newsletter. You get everybody coming out with a website.

So things have changed considerably. Boxing news has gotten a lot quicker, when it was in the print media, you would get it days and weeks later, but with the internet you get the news the same day. So, I think things have improved a lot in that. It’s much easier to stay up to date then in the old days. In the old days you depended on newsletters that you would get through the mail.

By the time they printed the newsletters and by the time they mailed it out, it was old news already. But now, everything is current. A whole other ball game, things have gotten a lot quicker.

MA: In a 2006 interview, you said “Khan is going to be a fighter that has the talent to become the second coming of Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, any of the greats.” What part of Khan’s game impresses you the most?

Amir Khan. He is a tall lanky guy with a good punch, good moves, good speed, and good power. And he is very young. Every time he seems to get a little bit better. I think he learned a lot with Freddie Roach when he trained in California. He has the right people around him and certainly the right technical skills: Real good natural ability, awful good speed and power.

MA: In your opinion what would be the perfect fight?

I tell you, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao would be pretty close (laughter) to a perfect fight. That’s for sure. You have one terrific fighter and another terrific fighter who is a lot more active.

MA: How do you see that fight happening?

How do I see Mayweather vs. Pacquiao happening? One of these days, Mayweather is going to decide that 35 or 40 million dollars is a lot of money to make in one night and he is going to sign to fight Manny Pacquiao. And I guess that’s how it’s going happen. As soon as Floyd feels that he can use another 40 million dollars or so (laughter) he will sign the contract.

Let’s face reality it’s going to generate an awful lot of money. It’s going be sensational! The whole world wants to see it, everybody is talking about it. It’s got to happen.

MA: There is a saying that the champion is already going with a scoring edge scoring? If not, where did the idea come from: that the champion already has a scoring edge?

No, I don’t think it’s true at all. Because the truth of the matter is most judges are awfully good. I think they are very impartial. When you score a fight you look at it like both guys are equal. You don’t look at it like one guy is the champion and one guy is a challenger. I really don’t think they give the champion the edge. It’s really not true. It’s more a myth than anything else.

A lot times he is the champion because he is a good fighter. He is a little bit better going in. He should go in as the favorite but it’s not always true but in many cases. You have to figure the champion will win more often than the challenger will, at least I think so. Therefore, people got the impression that the judges were giving a scoring edge to the champion. But I really don’t think that is true. When you judge a fight both guys are going in with an equal chance to win. No doubt about that.

MA: Judging seminars are held how often and what goes on in those?

The States have them. A good boxing State like New York, Nevada, California or Texas they will hold a least two or three boxing seminars a year. Pennsylvania is very good for boxing seminars. It should be at least two or three times a year for the judges. What they do is that now with the enhancement of technology you can watch tapes of fights and score difficult rounds that were really close and compare thoughts with the other judges. Therefore formulate ideas on what is right and what is wrong. It’s really a lot more advanced than it was in the old days when all you can do is talk about scoring. Now you can watch tape and score fights off of a video tape, the seminars are a lot more interesting.

MA: If someone wanted to become a judge what would be the process?

The best way is the way that I did it. You start in the amateurs. Amateur judging does not pay a heck of a lot of money but you learn an awful lot judging amateur boxing. You really do. Since the fights are only three rounds and at the most five rounds, these guys are going all out. They are not worrying about pacing themselves; therefore you get very fast fights and very competitive fights. These guys try to win every second of every round. You learn an awful lot as a judge in the amateur fights. You don’t see fighters taking off a round or dogging it or resting around: no such thing in the amateurs, in the amateur’s you got to go out and fight every single round because it’s a shorter fight. You have to really concentrate on what you are looking at, you have to understand why you are scoring the round the way you are.

I started in the amateurs and I learned a ton: judging amateur boxing. Really that is the best way to get started. No doubt about it. It was very difficult to find judges and they were willing to teach you

MA: You still watch club fights?

Oh, all the time. If there is a club fight and I don’t have to work that night I will definitely be there. I go to tons of club fights, as many as I can. I go at least once a week.

MA: Do you have a ritual before you go to the fights?

No, not really, if it’s a fight I will be there. If it’s anywhere in New York, Pennsylvania Connecticut or anywhere in a local area and I can get there I will go. I make it my business to get to all the club fights. I am a regular on the small shows it’s a routine in New York. You’re in California?

MA: Yes

When we do a fight in California it’s always on Saturday night. If there is a show at the Nokia Theater on Friday night I will be there. If there is a show in Ontario I will be there. I try to get around I will go to club fights wherever I am.

MA: When you are not judging do you get nervous or emotionally involved?

I get emotionally involved but I don’t get nervous. I try to watch the fight…I am keeping score in my head and sometimes I even keep score on a scorecard. Just to see how I got it compared to how the judges have it and things like that. I like to sit there and keep score.

MA: Thank you very much and God Bless you for entertaining us during HBO Broadcasts!

No problem I was looking forward to it, I like “Bad” Brad a lot. You guys have a terrific newsletter.

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