Harry Carpenter
Harry Carpenter Sports commentator (boxing) |
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Harry Leonard Carpenter,
Early life and early career
Carpenter was the son of a wholesale fish merchant at
Career
He joined the BBC in 1949 and was the corporation's full-time boxing correspondent from 1962 until his retirement in 1994, when Jim Neilly replaced him in that capacity. He served as a boxing columnist for the Sporting Record from 1950 to 1954. He then worked for the Daily Mail as a boxing writer and sports columnist from 1954 to 1962.
While writing for the national papers, Carpenter broadcast regularly on radio and television, covering thousands of professional and amateur fights including all Olympic Games from 1956 until 1992. He wrote three books about boxing, produced the documentary, The Richest Prize in Sport, and served as the voice of the Hall of Fame series, Sports Archive and Great Moments in Sport.
Carpenter described the end of the historic boxing fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Zaire, in 1974, a fight which became known as "The Rumble in the Jungle", as "the most extraordinary few seconds that I have ever seen in a boxing ring".[4]
And suddenly Ali looks very tired indeed. In fact, Ali at times now looks as though he can hardly lift his arms up ... Oh, he's got him with a right hand! He's got him! Oh, you can't believe it – and he's doing his shuffle! And I don't think Foreman's going to get up ... he's trying to beat the count ... and he's out! Oh my God, he's won the title back at 32!
While occasionally given to raising his voice, as he did when Ali knocked out Foreman or when
Carpenter's rapport with former WBC World Heavyweight Champion Frank Bruno was well known. Carpenter often conducted post-match interviews with Bruno, whose catchphrase was "know what I mean, 'Arry?". Bruno's agent later stated that Bruno saw Carpenter as a "real friend."[2]
Over the course of his career, Carpenter was recognised as "The Voice of Boxing."
His connection with greyhound racing began when he was a journalist for a national publication called the Greyhound Owner. He later commentated on the annual BBC Television Trophy shown on Sportsnight.[5]
Honours and recognition
Carpenter was appointed OBE in the 1991 New Year Honours.[1]
He was the subject of
Death
Carpenter died in his sleep at King's College Hospital in South London in the early hours of Saturday morning, 20 March 2010, aged 84. He had been unwell since the summer of 2009 when he had a minor heart attack.[6][7]
References
- ^ a b c Obituary in The Times 23 March 2010
- ^ a b c Frank Keating (22 March 2010). "Harry Carpenter obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ "Harry Carpenter: Sports commentator known as 'The Voice of Boxing'". The Independent. 23 March 2010. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Harry Carpenter". The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 March 2010.
- ^ "Monthly Greyhound Star (Remember When) October edition". Greyhound Star. 2014.
- ^ "Harry Carpenter, the BBC's 'voice of boxing', dies". BBC News. 22 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- STV. 22 March 2010. Archived from the originalon 24 March 2010. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
External links
- Harry Carpenter at IMDb
- Harry Carpenter on the BBC website
- Harry Carpenter at American Sportscasters Online
- Harry Carpenter - Daily Telegraph obituary