The life of an official can often be described as insulated. They go about their profession quietly and anonymously, except of course when a strike is argued, a line call questioned or a holding call missed. Anonymity, however, is not part of Harold Lederman’s vocabulary. Never one to shy away from controversy, Lederman has revolutionized the role of a boxing judge with his work as the “unofficial” judge for Home Box Office’s presentation of “World Championship Boxing” and HBO Pay-Per-View.
As the “unofficial boxing judge,” Lederman has been the credible HBO voice of scoring at prize-fight cablecasts since 1986, when executive producer Ross Greenburg brought the Bronx, New York native aboard to provide viewers with an expert opinion. Expert indeed. Since the late 1960’s, Lederman honed his craft as one of the country’s top boxing officials. In 33 years as a judge, Lederman scored more than 100 world championship prizefights on six continents (they’ve yet to hold a title fight on Antarctica.) He announced his retirement as an active judge on Dec. 23, 1999. At HBO, he has scored more than 560 fights in his twenty years on the air.
HBO Boxing judge Harold Lederman answers questions from the viewers.
To ask Harold a question click here