Versatile sports broadcaster Kenny Albert will work as the blow-by-blow announcer for select Premier Boxing Champions shows on NBC Sports Network, and will be teamed with analyst Sugar Ray Leonard.
Kenny Albert will call the blow-by-blow for select PBC fights on NBC Sports Network.
Albert, the only national play-by-play broadcaster who calls football, basketball, baseball and hockey, is not the only member of his family who will be calling PBC fights.
His father, Marv Albert, will call the blow-by-blow for 11 fights on NBC this year.
“I am extremely fortunate to call games in the four major professional sports, and look forward to adding boxing to my lineup,” Albert said. “I'm thrilled to share a ringside seat with one of the greatest boxers of all time.”
Additional announcers for the PBC on NBC series will be named in the coming weeks.
Kenny Albert calls NHL games for NBC Sports, and has also done Olympic hockey play-by-play for the network.
He is in his 19th season as the radio play-by-play voice of the New York Rangers.
Albert has called NFL games on FOX since 1994, and Major League Baseball games on the network since 2001.
He also does play-by-play on occasion for the New York Knicks on MSG Network.
Albert discussed his involvement with NBC’s coverage of the Premier Boxing Champions series, as well as his famous broadcasting family.
What is it going to be like working the PBC shows on NBCSN with your father doing the broadcast on NBC?
I am excited to be very involved with the PBC series. Technically, we won't be calling bouts together, but it will be a lot of fun to both be a part of PBC.
What was your first experience at a boxing match?
I attended several boxing matches in Atlantic City when my father called the fights for NBC with "The Fight Doctor" Ferdie Pacheco.
One of the more memorable bouts I attended was a heavyweight title fight between Larry Holmes and Scott Frank in 1983.
I also worked as a runner/researcher for NBC at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, and had a ringside seat for matches involving Roy Jones, Riddick Bowe, Ray Mercer, etc.
What was your reaction when you were asked to do the boxing broadcast?
I have been a part of the NBC family for the past five years doing NHL broadcasts (and have also worked the last four Winter Olympics for NBC). It is certainly an honor to add boxing to my repertoire.
Has your father or your uncle [Steve Albert, who is also an announcer] given you any tips on working a boxing broadcast?
They haven't given me any specific tips, but I watched many of the fights they have called through the years, as well as my Uncle Al for USA Network.
Is it true that you were given a tape recorder on your fifth birthday to practice your broadcasting?
Yes, it is true! I called hundreds and hundreds of sporting events into a tape recorder in my bedroom as a youngster, including Larry Holmes vs. Renaldo Snipes in 1981.
How is calling boxing different than working the broadcast for other sports?
I am fortunate to call all four major professional team sports (NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA). Boxing is completely different. There is no ball or puck!
What do you like about the sport of boxing?
I enjoy the passion, strategy and athleticism, in addition to the "big event" feel of most of the bouts I have attended.
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