Hall of Fame boxing broadcaster Al Bernstein says the highlight of the December 16 SHOWTIME Championship Boxing finale could well be the lightweight rematch between Jose Valenzuela and Chris Colbert.
Al will be ringside calling the action on SHOWTIME when the two will meet on a tripleheader with the 168 pound main event featuring David Morrell vs Sena
Agbeko. The telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on SHOWTIME.
Colbert beat Valenzuela in a disputed, narrow 10 round decision on March 25. Valenzuela scored a knockdown in round one and had Colbert in trouble on several occasions, but Colbert boxed well enough in between to gain a 95-94 edge on all three judges scorecards. Bernstein said, “Both men came into the fight off losses and each were anxious to get a fresh beginning.
The power of Valenzuela was a major theme in this fight and almost was the undoing of Colbert, but Colbert is a very clever boxer and he showed his guile and his grit by surviving and doing enough to gain a close decision—albeit a disputed one. A rematch was definitely in order and I think this one will be just as exciting as the first one. Colbert did better in the last half of the first fight.
Will this be a continuation of that or will Valenzuela be able to summon up just a little extra power to end the fight this time? Valenzuela says he doesn’t want to let it go to the judges. Both men are potential major players in the lightweight division and the winner vaults himself into possible title contention.”
This show ends the 37 year run of SHOWTIME Championship Boxing and Showtime Sports. Bernstein has been with SHOWTIME since 2003. He has served as analyst on the Championship Boxing Series and often appeared as both play by play announcer and analyst on the SHOBOX series. Bernstein calls his 20 years at SHOWTIME “a wonderful experience.”
He added, “The memories of the last 20 years are special to me. I’ve been able to announce great boxing matches and work with a terrific team of people both behind and in front of the camera. This chapter of my career has been so enjoyable. And, now, I’m looking forward to the next chapter.”
In Other News:
Al will be appearing in his musical capacity as guest singer on the Rita Lim show Saturday, December 30th at the Maxan Jazz Club in Las Vegas. The shows will run from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. He said, “Rita is one of Las Vegas’ finest entertainers. She is great at every genre of music and here she will focus on jazz at this intimate and elegant club.
“I am so honored and delighted to be able to share the stage with her and her very talented band led by Dave Siegel. A night of exploring the Great American Songbook seems like the perfect way to end 2023 and bring in the New Year.”
For more information on this log on to maxanjazz.com.,
