Review of Boxing Classics: Series 1 (Box Set)

Introduction

Last week, I watched the second half of Rocky II, which just about sums up my boxing knowledge. I still feel a little disappointed when boxers guard their faces, as that`s not the way they did it in the movies. So when a sample disc from the first Volume of Boxing Classics from ESPN came my way for review, I got that out of my depth feeling again. I`ll try and keep my personal opinions and facetious comments restrained for the rest of this review. This disc is something of a double header, with half the run time devoted to Alexis Arguello, showing two fights from his career. The rest of the disc is given over to a look at some of the classic Lightweight contests over the years. The bouts showcased on this disc are as follows.

Alexis Arguello section introduced by Henry Cooper.

23 Nov 1974 - Los Angeles - WBA Featherweight Title - Ruben Olivares vs. Alexis Arguello.

3 Aug 1977 - New York - Alexis Arguello vs. Jose Fernandez


Lightweights section introduced by Henry Cooper.

22 July 1922 - Jersey City - Benny Leonard vs. Lew Tendler

22 Aug 1939 - New York - World Lightweight Title - Henry Armstrong vs. Lou Ambers

12 July 1948 - Philadelphia - World Lightweight Title - Ike Williams vs. Beau Jack

17 Nov 1954 - San Francisco - World Lightweight Title - Paddy DeMarco vs. Jimmy Carter

16 Aug 1967 - New York - World Lightweight Title - Carlos Oriz vs. Ismael Laguna

16 Oct 1971 - Panama City - Roberto Duran vs. Hiroshi Kobayashi

The Alexis Arguello fights are shown in their entirety, although the between rounds period has been edited out. Only the highlights of the Lightweight fights are shown.

Video

The picture is presented in a 4:3 regular transfer of varying vintage. The contemporary footage of Henry Cooper as he introduces the sections is clear and sharp, but since the earliest footage is from 1922, don`t expect anything spectacular from the image. The main feature, the Alexis Arguello fight has a distinctly low-resolution image betraying its mid seventies NTSC roots, with the occasional tape artefact to boot.

Audio

In a similar vein, the sound is hardly spectacular, betraying the limits of sound quality down the ages. It turns out that commentators from the 1970s are tinny and easily drowned out by crowd noise, and incomprehensible when excited. It is archive footage after all. There are no subtitles on this release.

Features

For extras, Clearvision have provided `commentaries` from Henry Cooper. These aren`t audio commentaries for the feature, rather two small 5-minute featurettes with footage from the Alexis Arguello fight and the Lightweights bouts. Henry Cooper provides background into the fighters involved and adds some historical significance to the fights on the disc.

Conclusion

This is not how I spend most evenings, and I freely admit that I am in completely the wrong demographic for this disc. However, where I have to work to keep my attention on the screen for this disc`s 90 minute running time, there are countless aficionados of the noble art of boxing who would appreciate this disc. As a historical record it is of some value, especially as the Alexis Arguello fights are shown in full. Whether the highlights of the Lightweight fights are equally of interest would depend on the purchaser. After 83 years, it may be that the first bout doesn`t even exist in its entirety.

As a layman, I felt there was a lack of context with the fights. This disc goes directly for the action, and dispenses with the between rounds commentary, the pre-fight build up, and the post fight analysis. The commentaries in the extras with Henry Cooper make up for this slightly. I wonder however if any recorded interviews with the boxers exist, or if they are available for interview today. It would have given a little weight to the disc, as opposed to the singular emphasis on the fights.

I`m sure that if you have a passion for boxing then this disc could be of interest to you, and if the rest of the boxset maintains the quality of this disc, then it should be a treat. The fights on this disc are presented cleanly and without frills. The disc quality is dictated by the quality of the archive footage, but there are no technical problems.