IIRC Cosell became pretty anti-boxing by the end of his career.
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I wonder if that had anything to do with Scott LeDoux knocking Howards toupee off on live TV? I saw that happen live when I was about 12. So funny!
I’ve always loved boxing but I was upset with the early disabilities and deaths of so many of the 1970s greats. Jerry Quarry, Jimmy Young, and so many others suffered from “boxing dementia” and other disorders and both those fellas died way too young.
Still, I think boxing is a great sport but boxers should be told that they become decidedly less resilient every year in the ring after age 30. And even teenage amateur boxing has risks which the athlete must weigh against the risks associated with not boxing.
Yup, Larry Holmes was using Tex Cobb as a punching bag for 15 rounds, and Howie was so perturbed that the ref wouldn't stop the fight that he announced that he would never call another professional bout.
Cobb, when told about it in the locker room quipped, "Tell him I'll go another 15 rounds if he'll quit Monday Night Football too." One of the best impromptu lines ever....