Ring Observer Boxing by Scoop Malinowski
By Scoop Malinowski
Boxing is an unpredictable sport where anything can happen, double knockouts, paragliders falling into a ring, or even a champion singing to the crowd moments after a win.
Another strange but true boxing tale is the time promoter Bob Arum alertly spotted a boxer wearing unauthorized advertising patches on his trunks. So what did Arum do? He ran into the ring and personally pulled the patches off!
Tim Ryan, the American network TV broadcaster of the Mate Parlov vs John Conteh 1978 WBC Light Heavyweight title fight in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, recalls the episode which he mentioned on live television: “It was a funy memory describing Top Rank’s Bob Arum tearing off unpaid-for ad-patches from the trunks on British boxer John Conteh as he was starting round-one in a title fight in Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The products were not among Top Rank’s sponsors for the telecast. My recollection is that Bob was seen for a few seconds grabbing at the ads on Conteh’s trunks as Conteh moved to the center of ring to start round one. It was in the corner right above our broadcast position, and Arum was sitting ringside nearby.”
Tim Ryan mentioned the incident in his memoir “On Someone Else’s Nickel”: “He leapt out of his seat and climbed up the steps to Conteh’s corner and reached through the ropes—tearing off the advertising patches just as Conteh was about to go to the center of the ring for the referee’s instructions……..It was all captured on worldwide television, with me providing play-by-play of Bob’s impressive speed afoot, and manual dexterity in tearing off the patches…..”
“But despite the incident, Conteh (a character) came with his wife to the post-fight party on a yacht up the Danube. Parlov went to the hospital.”
You can read the full Tim Ryan Biofile interview here…
