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Al Bernstein Nominated To
International Boxing Hall Of Fame Ballot
Al Bernstein, a SHOWTIME® Sports color commentator and one
of the most respected and recognized voices in boxing, has
been nominated for the ballot of the 2011 International
Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.
This is the first time Bernstein has been nominated to the
Hall. Other new nominees include former five-division world
champion Thomas "Hit Man" Hearns, former two-division
titleholders Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson and Dariusz
Michalczewski, and five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie
Roach.
Bernstein, who has called more than 2,500 fights and 68
pay-per-view telecasts, has been the voice of boxing for
more than 30 years. From 1980 to 2003, Bernstein called
boxing telecasts for ESPN as the analyst of the Top Rank
Boxing series and served as the boxing expert on the
network.
In 2003, Bernstein joined SHOWTIME to work on SHOWTIME
CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. In Bernstein’s network debut, former
World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight champion
Sharmba Mitchell won a 12-round unanimous decision over Ben
Tackie and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super
Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy registered a second-round
TKO over Anwar Oshana.
Bernstein was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in
2009 having received the highest number of votes ever for a
non-boxer inductee. In 1988, he won the prestigious Sam Taub
Award for excellence in boxing broadcasting journalism from
the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Bernstein, who has covered everything from Major League
Baseball to the Olympic Games to the NFL Draft, is an
accomplished writer and author. He wrote “Boxing For
Beginners,” a historical and instructional book on boxing in
1980. Before that he was a featured writer for The RING
Magazine and Boxing Illustrated. From 1974-79, Bernstein was
managing editor of Lerner Newspapers in Chicago. During that
time, he won the Chicago Newspaper Guild’s award for best
news story – an investigation into illegal land deals by
suburban officials.
Bernstein, who lives in Las Vegas, Nev., is an expert
equestrian and has participated in a number of celebrity
rodeos as both a participant and grand marshal. He serves on
the board of directors and is a spokesman for Caring Place,
a Las Vegas facility that was co-founded by his wife Connie,
which provides free services to those whose lives have been
touched by cancer.
Bernstein has recently expanded his reach and is now the
executive producer and host of the Boxing Channel at
www.boxingchannel.tv. Through his company Al Bernstein
Live, Bernstein is also sought after as a speaker and
spokesperson for corporate clients, casinos and
organizations around the world.
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