Harold Lederman, 1940-2019

Jack Hirsch remembers one of boxing’s most loyal companions

- ​​​​​​​Jack Hirsch

WHAT is inescapable is that the longer we live the more departures we have to endure. Exits are never pleasant. There is no perfect way to say goodbye. The reward for getting older is offset by watching friends and colleagues leave us before we are ready to see them go.

The passing of Harold Lederman, who died on May 11 at the age 79, is particularly difficult. His legacy will be forever linked to HBO, for whom he was their unofficial boxing judge, a position he held from 1986 until they discontinued boxing in 2018. But it was as a goodwill ambassador that Lederman was truly special to me.

When HBO was in its heyday Lederman enjoyed celebrity status, yet there were no airs about him, no image he tried to portray. He simply enjoyed going to the fights and talking about boxing and, boy, was he good at talking about boxing. HBO knew how much he loved his gig and that worked against Harold during negotiations. He was forced to maintain his day job as a pharmacist to support his family.