Inducted on November 9, 2000
Dave Bontempo realizes a dream tonight as a New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame inductee.
The Florham Park native, who has resided in Egg Harbor Township outside of Atlantic City, since the mid-1980s, developed his career as a journalist before shifting to broadcasting. Bontempo won several awards while at the Press of Atlantic City before-leaving to pursue broadcasting full time in 1991. He brings a unique blend of broadcasting and writing expertise to his commentary.
Dave has been a regular on ESPN, HBO’s international division, Showtime, Madison Square Garden and other syndicated outlets throughout the years. Two years ago, he captured the Sam Taub award for excellence in broadcasting by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
After debuting in the color role alongside ESPN analyst Al Bernstein in 1985, Dave advanced not only through the ranks of ESPN, but the MSG Network, HBO, Showtime and syndicated networks. He grew to handle the play by play role
along with writing commentaries and documentaries for such pre-fight special shows involving Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield, Arturo Gatti and others. Though calling many marquee matchups like Holyfield-Bowe III, Dave really enjoys the unheralded nature of boxers like Gatti, Tracy Harris Patterson, Junior Jones and the fighters who hold less publicizeds titles, because they are more accessible and honest than some others who adorn the media spotlight. After approximately a quarter century covering the Sweet Science, Dave considers boxing’s selling points more pronounced than ever. The electricity of the crowd, propelling the boxers to advance their skills a notch or two, provides unforgettable moments. These selling points are crucial now more than ever, he believes, because of the pressure boxing has faced politically this past year. “When the people in boxing start fighting for the sport’s respect, rather than against each other, they will take the first big step in its reawakening,” he said.
Dave Bontempo
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