Harold Lederman, legendary boxing judge, dies at 79
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hall of Fame boxing judge Harold Lederman, who was the sport’s unofficial scorer for more than 30 years, died Saturday after a losing battle with cancer, his family confirmed. He was 79.
“Today, I lost my hero,” read a Facebook post from Lederman’s daughter Julie. “Love you dad.”
HBO Boxing commentator and ex-judge Harold Lederman attends a screening of the HBO Original Series of "On Freddie Roach" at HBO Theater. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for HBO)
Lederman began his career as a boxing judge in 1967. In 1986, joined HBO Boxing as a judge and commentator and quickly gained a reputation for his no holds barred approach to expressing his opinion.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“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.”
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Those who knew him spoke of his fondness for the sport and amiable personality, Yahoo Sports reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Harold Lederman had a lifelong love affair with the sport of boxing,” said executive vice president for HBO Sports Peter Nelson. “He always had time for you whether you were a heavyweight champion or just a spectator looking to say hello.”
Lederman was well-known in the New Jersey/New York area, making appearances at nearly every boxing event in the area. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Funeral arrangements for Lederman are still pending.