General Chat

The BBC's former voice of boxing, Harry Carpenter, has died at the age of 84.

Carpenter worked at the BBC for 45 years, presenting Grandstand, Sportsnight and the BBC's coverage of the Wimbledon tennis championships. But it was boxing for which he will be best remembered, becoming one half of an unlikely partnership with the former world champion Frank Bruno.

His lawyer David Wills said: "He had been unwell since last summer when he had a minor heart attack. The funeral has not been arranged but will be a family funeral, to be followed by a memorial service in London."

Carpenter died at King's College hospital, London, on Saturday. He leaves a widow and one son.

Carpenter joined the BBC in 1949 and did not retire until 1994. He began his career in Fleet Street and had his first break as a boxing writer with the weekly Sporting Record. He went on to work for the Daily Express and was boxing columnist for the Daily Mail.

He was on air for the Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire in 1974. He described the end of the contest as "the most extraordinary few seconds that I have ever seen in a boxing ring".

Carpenter also presented the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year show, and covered a wide range of other sports including rowing and golf.

He often interviewed Bruno at the end of the one-time world champion's fights, which led to the boxer's catchphrase,

Bruno has yet to release a statement but is said to be "very upset and shocked" by the death of his friend.

A spokesman for the former WBC world champion said: "Frank was not aware of it. He is very upset and at the moment he does not want to give a statement, but has asked me to put some words out to say it was a real shock to him.

"He was obviously part of Frank's up and coming career from the early days when Harry used to commentate, particularly at the Royal Albert Hall, on Frank's boxing.

"Then they became a bit of a double act with the 'Know what I mean, 'Arry' thing. From there they went on to do appearances together almost like a little cabaret act.

"The most exciting time was probably the Tyson fight when even Harry Carpenter, who was quite a cool man, sort of lost his cool. Frank says he will be giving a statement but at the moment he is very upset and shocked by it."

The boxing promoter Frank Maloney described Carpenter as "probably one of the greatest commentators of all time".

He added: "His voice was so distinctive and I remember all those Ali fights and Bruno fights he commentated on. It's like a piece of boxing history has been taken away."

RIP Harry x

R.I.P Harry

A man who knew WHAT he was talking about,

Ray

It just an't cricket

R.I.P. Harry...............xxx

How sad......another familiar radio voice bites the dust ...... bless him.....