Boxing judge Harold Lederman dead at 79

Published May. 14, 2019 8:42 p.m. ET

Harold Lederman, who judged fights for more than a half century and was a mainstay of HBO's boxing telecasts, has died at the age of 79.

Lederman, a pharmacist by trade, became widely known as the unofficial scorer for HBO on some of the biggest fights of the times. He was a member of the broadcast team for HBO from 1986 until recently when the cable network stopped showing the sport.

Before joining HBO, Lederman was a ringside judge in the New York and New Jersey area, scoring major fights like Muhammad Ali-Ken Norton and Michael Spinks-Gerry Cooney. He was later known on HBO for explaining his scoring to viewers as fights progressed, as well as his signature voice in responding "OK, Jim" to play-by-play announcer Jim Lampley.

Lederman, who died Saturday, was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016. His daughter, Julie, is also a boxing judge.