Harold Lederman, the beloved unofficial boxing judge for HBO, died on Saturday following a long battle with cancer. He was 79. His daughter Julie, a well-respected boxing judge in her own right, confirmed his passing on Facebook. “Today, I lost my hero,” she wrote. “Love you dad.” Lederman, previously a prominent judge in the New York/New Jersey area, was a fixture at HBO Boxing since 1986 when he was added as a new component to its boxing coverage. Lederman offered viewers his round-by-round scoring and explained what he saw. He wasn’t shy about expressing his opinion of what boxers were doing right and what they were doing wrong. While boxers, trainers and promoters may have disagreed with his scorecards, they never questioned his integrity. “He loved boxing, he loved his family and he loved the boxing fans,” said Lou DiBella, a boxing promoter and former HBO executive. “The guy didn’t have an ounce of malice in him. Boxing can be a cutthroat business, but you never heard a bad word spoken about Harold.” Lederman was not only an attraction at all of HBO’s major bouts, but was often seen as club shows and just about every other boxing event that took place in New York. He also was an avid Jets fans often expressing his frustrations with the team’s fortunes, but proud to wear his green and white on Sundays. “Harold Lederman had a lifelong love affair with the sport of boxing,” said Peter Nelson, executive vice president for HBO Sports. “He always had time for you whether you were a heavyweight champion or just a spectator looking to say hello.” Funeral arrangements are pending.<doc-sep>Less than six months after working the final card on HBO to cap the premium cable network's 40-year run in boxing, longtime unofficial scorekeeper Harold Lederman lost his lengthy battle with cancer at 79. Lederman, a respected judge who was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016, died on Saturday morning. HBO confirmed Lederman's passing following a tweet from former network executive and veteran promoter Lou DiBella. Beloved for his honest analysis and jubilant personality, both inside and out of the ring, Lederman worked his first HBO card in 1986 as an analyst and evolved into his longtime role as unofficial scorekeeper long before he retired from judging in 1999. "Harold Lederman had a lifelong love affair with the sport of boxing," HBO Sports executive vice president Peter Nelson said in a statement. "Over the past 50 years, he was universally respected and celebrated by the many people who make the sport what it is. Harold was happiest when seated ringside, studying the action and scoring the fight. "When he joined HBO Sports in 1986, he added a new and critical component to live boxing coverage. Viewers embraced his unique style and his command of the rules while his broadcast colleagues relished his enthusiasm and boundless energy." Lederman's voice became as instantly identifiable as any in all of boxing throughout his career, thanks in part to his unique delivery which typically began with letting out an excited laugh before exclaiming some variation of, "OK Jim! I gotta tell you something," in the direction of blow-by-blow commentator Jim Lampley. A major reason for Lederman's sustained success as a broadcaster was how genuinely passionate he was for the sport. A native of the Bronx, New York, Lederman settled in nearby Rockland County and could be found most weekends as an approachable diehard fan attending boxing cards big and small all over the northeast. Lederman earned his judging license from the New York State Athletic Commission to judge title fights in 1967. A graduate of Columbia University, he went on to work over 100 title bouts all over the world while maintaining his full-time day job as a pharmacist in New York. "He was an historian and walking rulebook," Nelson said. "He always had time for you whether you were a heavyweight champion or just a spectator looking to say hello. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Eileen and daughters Julie and Iris. There isn't a person in the sport who won't miss our Harold Lederman." From the standpoint of bringing personality and charisma to the job of scorekeeper and rules official, Lederman may end up going down as the very best to do it in boxing. He played a big role during HBO's glory years in the 1990s working on legendary broadcast teams alongside the likes of Lampley, Jones, Larry Merchant George Foreman and Emanuel Steward. He also stayed working with the network until the very end as HBO made a shocking decision late last year to cease coverage of the sport. Lederman, who was awarded the "Good Guy Award" by the Boxing Writers Association of America in 2006, passed on his love of boxing to his daughter Julie who remains active today as one of the top judges in the sport.<doc-sep>UPDATE: Jim Lampley has released the following statement: “It was one of the greatest privileges of my broadcasting career to work with Harold Lederman, whose unique humanity and lifelong love of boxing brought joy to the hearts of millions of fans, show after show after show. They waited for his moments, they were thrilled by his insights, they gloried in imitating his voice. No one in the sport had more friends, because no one in the sport was more deserving of friends. As deeply saddened as I am by his passing, I am equally deeply joyful that he made it to the final bell on December 8. Nothing was more important to the legacy of HBO Boxing, so in that we can all take solace. Now his scorecard is complete.” When HBO left the live boxing game at the end of 2018, we lost the boxing programs that had given so many of us our start as fans of the sport, and the personalities that went along with those shows. One of those personalities was Harold Lederman, the exuberant boxing judge who joined the HBO World Championship Boxing team in 1986 and was there until the very end, a 32-year run on our airwaves, sharing his scores, breaking down what he saw, bantering with Jim Lampley and all the rest. Lederman passed away today at the age of 79 after a battle with cancer. Harold was just one of the good guys of boxing, a jovial, engaging personality who truly loved the sport. In the latter years of boxing on HBO, he hosted fight previews as a series called “Hey Harold!” that the company put on YouTube. They were just always fun, he had the same passion then that he’d had for decades. HBO released the following statement from executive vice president of HBO Sports Peter Nelson: “Harold Lederman had a lifelong love affair with the sport of boxing. Over the past fifty years he was universally respected and celebrated by the many people who make the sport what it is. Harold was happiest when seated ringside, studying the action and scoring the fight. “When he joined HBO Sports in 1986 he added a new and critical component to live boxing coverage. Viewers embraced his unique style and his command of the rules while his broadcast colleagues relished his enthusiasm and boundless energy. He was an historian and walking rulebook. He always had time for you whether you were a heavyweight champion or just a spectator looking to say hello. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Eileen and daughters Julie and Iris. There isn’t a person in the sport who won’t miss our Harold Lederman.” Friends, fans, and colleagues remember him on social media: Just learned that my friend of 30 years, Harold Lederman, has succumbed to the cancer he fought so hard. @shotfighter26 was one of a kind & there will never be another. He loved #boxing, fighters and his family unconditionally. He lived his life on his terms. Godspeed. #RIPHarold — Lou DiBella (@loudibella) May 11, 2019 Very sad news for the sport. There will never be another individual - fan, official, media member or broadcast personality - with as much genuine love for #boxing as Harold. https://t.co/pnypitZzk1 — Douglass Fischer (@dougiefischer) May 11, 2019 RIP Harold Lederman. @shotfighter26 A truly terrific man — Kevin Iole (@KevinI) May 11, 2019 In the press room, I was asking Harold about Michele Piccirillo (for some reason). In that same Harold Lederman voice he used on the broadcasts, he said, “OK, Josh” and led right into his explanation. What a legend. He’ll be missed. — Josh Katzowitz (@joshkatzowitz) May 11, 2019 You’ll see and hear this a lot but no one loved boxing more than Harold Lederman. If there was a fight — big or small — Harold was there, seated ringside. Always got a thrill talking to him at HBO shows as a kid, right into my professional career. RIP to a true one of a kind. — Dan Canobbio (@DanCanobbio) May 11, 2019 RIP Harold Lederman. One of the 1st guys that befriended me in this business and and I am forever grateful that. A tremendous boxing person and better guy. — Marc Abrams (@MAbramsboxing) May 11, 2019 RIP to the great Harold Lederman, who died this morning after a long illness. pic.twitter.com/28saxsos5M — JSantoliquito (@JSantoliquito) May 11, 2019 Immensely sad to hear of the passing of my old friend and colleague Harold Lederman. Harold was one of the good guys: always had time for everyone, and absolutely loved to talk boxing. A truly kind, gentle soul. RIP. — Kieran Mulvaney (@kieranmulvaney) May 11, 2019 Harold Lederman . Condolences to the Lederman family. — Andre S.O.G. Ward (@andreward) May 11, 2019 RIP Harold Letterman. @shotfighter26 was passionate about the sport he loved, enjoyed it as a fan when he was not working and was as nice a person as I have met in the TV business. Will miss talking boxing with you Harold. — Bernardo Osuna (@osunaespn) May 11, 2019 Those of us at Bad Left Hook send our best wishes to Mr. Lederman’s loved ones. “OK, Jim!”<doc-sep>
Tributes flood in as much-loved Hall of Famer Harold Lederman, 79, dies May 12th, 2019 📸 HBO Harold Lederman, HBO’s unofficial judge, has died following a battle with cancer at the age of 79. Lederman, who graced the sport with his insight and precious smile for four decades, caused an out-pour of emotion when the news broke he passed away. Several top boxing personnel rushed to send out their condolences to a man much-loved by those who knew him and enjoyed his infectious persona. Boasting his own segment, ‘Hey Harold!’ was a regular feature on HBO’s big fight coverage. In 2016, Lederman was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame before HBO stepped away after 45 years in 2018. Releasing a statement, HBO Sports’ Executive Vice President Peter Nelson said: “Harold Lederman had a lifelong love affair with the sport of boxing. “Over the past fifty years he was universally respected and celebrated by the many people who make the sport what it is. “Harold was happiest when seated ringside, studying the action and scoring the fight. “When he joined HBO Sports in 1986 he added a new and critical component to live boxing coverage. Viewers embraced his unique style and his command of the rules while his broadcast colleagues relished his enthusiasm and boundless energy. “He was an historian and walking rulebook. He always had time for you whether you were a heavyweight champion or just a spectator looking to say hello. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife Eileen and daughters Julie and Iris. There isn’t a person in the sport who won’t miss our Harold Lederman,” he added. On social media, Lederman began trending, which is a testament to just how revered he was. Here are just some of the comments made about a true boxing family member. Just learned that my friend of 30 years, Harold Lederman, has succumbed to the cancer he fought so hard. @shotfighter26 was one of a kind & there will never be another. He loved #boxing, fighters and his family unconditionally. He lived his life on his terms. On a truly sad day in boxing, I was able to share a laugh with #HaroldLederman’s beloved daughter and fellow judge, Julie. Harold is now trending on @Twitter. How frigging great is that! He woulda LOVED that. #Boxing loved Harold back. Nice to see. – Promoter Lou DiBella. Immensely sad to hear of the passing of my old friend and colleague Harold Lederman. Harold was one of the good guys: always had time for everyone, and absolutely loved to talk boxing. A truly kind, gentle soul. RIP. – HBO colleague Kieran Mulvaney. In all my years of announcing 10-counts, I have never heard that level of gasps from the audience like what I heard tonight when I announced the passing of Harold Lederman. So well loved! – Jimmy Lennon Jr. – Ring Announcer. ICON I am very sorry to learn of Harold Lederman passing away. A passionate boxing man, a boxing judge and unofficial judge for HBO for many years. Our prayers for Eileen and Julie in these moments. Let’s celebrate his life. – World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman. Heartbreaking to hear of the passing of Harold Lederman. His seemingly boundless energy and unmatched passion for the sport made him a boxing icon and one of the greatest ambassadors the sport has ever had. He will be missed by boxing fans worldwide. Rest in peace, Harold. – Showtime Boss Stephen Espinoza. Your insight and voice will be sorely missed. You brought joy to my life through your opinions and commentary. You are one of the reasons boxing is my favorite sport. #RestInPower – LL Cool J, rapper, actor and TV personality. World Boxing News would like to send our condolences to the Lederman family at this sad time.