By George Willis

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.

Article courtesy of George Willis & New York Post