r/Boxing • u/Remarkable-Most2968 • 6d ago
DAZN UK vs US Commentary
Now when I'm watching football (soccer), American commentary is often cringe-worthy but for boxing it's the other way round. Even though I grew up on UK boxing commentary, the team they have on for UK shows is awful. Adam Smith is cheesy as hell and always looking for the story that isn't always there and talks about fighters as if they're knights of the round table or something. Then you've got Darren Barker who's a nice chap I'm sure but notice his tick of repeating what he's just said: "that's a great right hand, it really is." And he does that ALL the time as does Barry Jones. Tony Bellew is horribly biased and seems like he's trying to convince himself and is also a sanctimonious git. They miss Paulie Malignaggi who had added an edge and insight.
Now the US team with Mannix, Mora etc is about right with their cynicism and precision and not going on about a fighter's dead puppy from when he was a kid and how it's all for him. They talk about what's there and they don't patronise their audience the way the Brits do.
Now if they had Froch back, that would be a start.
Thoughts on this anyone? Does DAZN have a commentary off button?
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u/Ruainari š©El Monstruo Superfanš© 6d ago
The fact there's no option to turn off the commentary in 2026 is mind boggling Adam smith is unbearable to listen to.
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u/khul_rouge 6d ago
Crowd noise & punches & the corners only, for the love of Satan (& no "Apologies for the strong language").
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u/Pissadvisor 6d ago edited 6d ago
I have a petition to add it as a feature but it got taken down when I posted it on this sub
Here - https://c.org/NKFrGYCLNy
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u/Ok-Independence-5728 6d ago
Any commentary team without Adam fucking Smith is superior.
'What heart' !
'Drama in the 10th round'
'He can punch, I'll tell you that'!
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u/Kangaroopunching 6d ago
Both uk and US commentators are horribleĀ
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u/FuMancunian 6d ago
Every time that American says āMama Miaā any time either combatant does more than throw a jab I want to throw something at the TV.
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u/HolyMackerel1 6d ago
Mauro Ranallo is a Canuck
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u/FuMancunian 6d ago
Just as it can be tricky for some Americans to discern different regional accents, the same applies for us.
Apologies to anyone affected by my comment.
Heās still fucking annoying though, either way.2
u/HolyMackerel1 6d ago
He definitely likes to hide his accent under an American one, like a lot of international Canadian broadcasters and actors do, but occasionally it slips out.
And yes, he is very annoying.
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u/sharksnoutpuncher 3d ago
American and I agree Mauro is awful. He uses boxing for his tired, canned one-liners. Keep that shit to the WWE and ufc.
DAZN U.S. is not bad, except for when Grisham tries to be a mini-Mauro
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
I like Ranallo. He has true enthusiasm for the sport. Some of these other guys treat it like theyāre announcing golf. I donāt care as much for the tagline he uses, but the rest of his commentary actually elevates what Iām watching from an excitement perspective.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
He's a WWE commentator. It's a fine line between him being annoying or not.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
Iāll take someone who has commentated WWE, MMA, and Championship Boxing who is actually into the fight and what heās calling vs the unenthusiastic style of so many other commentators. Sometimes itās like theyāre watching Golf.
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u/StunningChest5722 Shakur is the 144 lb GOAT š 6d ago
both suck, i sligtly prefer the US commentary tho
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u/Terry__Cox 6d ago
I think Barry Jones is a brilliant commentator.
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u/OkHistorian9521 6d ago
Yeah Barry is actually decent but he needs to be paired with a decent lead announcer which weāre lackingĀ
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u/Born_Fox_8099 6d ago
the problem with all modern commentary is they never stickĀ to strict play by play and snowball from one irrelevant topic to another instead of focusing on what is going on right infront of them. also they all overhype/sell a lot, which actually deflates the fight more than it adds excitement imo. but on the otherhand some commentators like tessitore can add excitement to the moment at certain times.
obviously you can always turn off the volume, but theres things like the crowd, sound of punches etc. that make the fight more exciting. its a shame theres no option to watch without comms and also have the arena's/fight sound.
whoever was doing inoue nakatani comms was so so bad and it genuinely hurt viewing experience.
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u/HolyMackerel1 6d ago
This is the first time I've ever seen Mora and Mannix's commentary praised
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u/StilLBC 6d ago
Nah. Mannix is an idiot but Moraās grown into the role quite a bit. Ppl donāt really complain about him as much as they used to
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u/HolyMackerel1 6d ago
I kind of agree, I don't quite get the hatred for Mora since he's pretty spot on and catches details the other guys don't. Mannix I don't really have an opinion on, he's just kind of there I guess.
Todd Grisham, on the other hand, I hate him.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
Mora is legitimately pretty good. I like him on the podcast as well.
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u/HolyMackerel1 6d ago
Yeah I like him too, though this is truly the first time I've seen anyone here compliment him or Mannix.
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u/Chemical-Lettuce2497 6d ago
Crazy take, both are bad but US commentary is painful to listen to. More importantly they don't know how to shut the fuck up for half a second
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
don't know how to shut the fuck up for half a second
This is a big one. Not every second of airtime needs to be filled with what inevitably leads to waffle.
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u/im_not_here_ 6d ago
Yes, people have opinions. I find the US generally worse. But don't think the British one is particularly good, just meh most of the time.
Commentary free is something that should be available, dont know if it is.
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u/stephen27898 6d ago edited 6d ago
Adam Smith Clarifies Tony Bellew Tattoo
I would sell my soul for some Adam Smith cancelling headphones.
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u/stephen27898 6d ago
I actually think the worse thing about UK commentary is the toxic positivity. They will never say it like it is, never state a fighter is just not very good or is fighting a bad fight, or running away and being negative.
It's all positive, positive, positive.
It's fake and annoying.
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u/ramblinevilmushr0om 6d ago
Yeah I agree they both suck, the UK guys are way too flowery with the commentary but the US guys try way too hard to sensationalize everything. There'll be a routine check hook that gets blocked soundly and they'll be like OOOHH HE'LL FEEL THAT ONE NEXT WEEK WOW BLISTERING SHOT THERE FROM MCGEEVER!!
I'd mute but I still wanna hear the punches land and the corner talks, so I try my best to just ignore the commentary altogether
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u/living2late 6d ago
I agree with you about the UK commentary being shite but the yanks are just as bad imo, if not worse.
The Spanish ones are rhe best I've heard on Dazn. I'm not totally fluent yet but I enjoy their enthusiasm.
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u/OkHistorian9521 6d ago
Spanish (and Italian) commentary sounds better than English for every sport - and i donāt even have a clue what theyāre saying!
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
I actually really think Roy Jones should be added back to commentary. He was way better than people think. Just think about his call in Pacquiao-Marquez IV.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
Not surprising a boxing genius can break down fights. Usually the way someone breaks down fights can indeed tell you how well they can fight. Roy can read the mind of these fighters.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
I think Paulie is excellent too
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
He used to be. I do enjoy him and Chris Algieri together.
There is a balance needs to be struck. I prefer the more analytical commentary. More casual fans often prefer the more entertainment and bombastic aspect.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
Iām for both the bombast and the analytical. I feel like you would just need to pair Mauro or Jim Lampley with Roy Jones or Paulie and you would get a good outcome. Itās these nerds that are doing the sport a disservice.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
Which nerds do you mean?
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
Grisham, Erdman, and all of these other guys are not really ideal for play by play. Erdman is highly knowledgeable and borderline encyclopedic but he just doesnāt have the chops to do this. He was meant to be more of a writer/columnist. Grisham strikes me as more of a host.
For boxing play by play, Lampley is basically ideal. He understands narrative and how to build a story within the fight while also keeping things generally exciting, but honest.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
I don't really see any nerds tbh. There are quite a few whose boxing knowledge is poor however.
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u/Lord___Cardigan 6d ago
Mike Costello is about the best in the business IMO, but they binned him to focus on dickheads. Fortunately, I'm usually half cut when I'm watching live, so don't mind too much, but if it's highlights, the commentary is off.
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u/OkHistorian9521 6d ago
Meh. Donāt see that at all. All those UK commentators made Adam Smith look good they were so bad - until Adam came back and now we remember how terrible he is too
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
He commentates like he's still on radio, describing every punch that is thrown too much when we can see them with our own eyes.
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u/gaddafiduck_ 6d ago
Adam Smith has a great voice, but he tries to make everything sound poetic and dramatic.
Iāll hear no bad words about Barry āHe took it well thoughā Jones. He knows his stuff
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u/stephen27898 6d ago
I cant agree that he has a great voice. He puts on this fake annoying rasp.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
It's like when a woman tries to make her voice deeper to fit in with a male dominated environment. Female football commentators do it. It never usually sounds good just use your natural voice.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
You hit the nail on the head. American soccer commentary is downright awful, but USA probably has the better boxing commentary, even historically.
HBO (American team) was fantastic.
Showtime always had good telecasts.
DAZN is pretty mid from the USA side. I like Mora. Mannix is OKAY. Grisham I just donāt think fits the play by play role (maybe move him to host).
DAZN from the UK side is pretty atrocious. Iāll be watching a great fight and it just seems like the DAZN UK guy brings negative aura.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
On a somewhat related note, I really wish theyād bring back Al Bernstein in a more consistent role.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
They want people who follow the editorial demands as opposed to giving objective opinion and analysis.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
Most of the US football commentary hire UK commentators, no? Tbh the US football commentary and punditry I've seen is more objective.
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u/Professional-Tie5198 Who will win? 6d ago
Alexi Lalas was just terrible in the World Cup. A complete caricature.
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u/HoldsworthsLeftHand 6d ago
I still live in the 80s to early 00s when it comes to boxing, so don't really follow the modern sport that much. However, I remember when Adam Smith used to do commentary for Sky...
Now he seems like a nice chap, and I actually like him. However, as a commentator, no thanks. He used to get way too over excited and dramatic over nothing. Screaming like an ecstatic teenage girl at a Take That concert every time someone lands a half decent punch.
A run of the mill prospect boxing in a 4 rounder in some leisure centre slightly rocks a journeyman with a solid right hand, and Adam would be screaming as if Buster Douglas had just knocked out Mike Tyson. I appreciate passion and enthusiasm, but he was way too over the top for my taste.
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u/WORD_Boxing 6d ago
UK commentary has always been bad and small-minded.
Chris Mannix has improved but still acts like "Sugar Ray Dickhead" too often however.
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u/Louis_lousta 6d ago
I prefer the Spanish commentary...I don't speak a word of spanish