SHOWTIME® SPORTS COLOR COMMENTATOR AL BERNSTEIN NOMINATED TO INTERNATIONAL BOXING HALL OF FAME BALLOT

Posted on | October 7, 2011 | No Comments

Ballots For The Annual Induction Ceremony
In Canastota, N.Y., Due Back By Oct. 31

NEW YORK (Oct. 7, 2011) –Al Bernstein, a SHOWTIME^® Sports color commentator and one of the most respected and recognized voices in boxing, has been nominated for the ballot of the 2011 International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.

This is the first time Bernstein has been nominated to the Hall. Other new nominees include former five-division world champion Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns, former two-division titleholders Mark “Too Sharp” Johnson and Dariusz Michalczewski, and five-time Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach.

Bernstein, who has called more than 2,500 fights and 68 pay-per-view telecasts, has been the voice of boxing for more than 30 years. From 1980 to 2003, Bernstein called boxing telecasts for ESPN as the analyst of the Top Rank Boxing series and served as the boxing expert on the network.

In 2003, Bernstein joined SHOWTIME to work on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING. In Bernstein’s network debut, former World Boxing Association (WBA) super lightweight champion Sharmba Mitchell won a 12-round unanimous decision over Ben Tackie and International Boxing Federation (IBF) Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy registered a second-round TKO over Anwar Oshana.

Bernstein was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009 having received the highest number of votes ever for a non-boxer inductee. In 1988, he won the prestigious Sam Taub Award for excellence in boxing broadcasting journalism from the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Bernstein, who has covered everything from Major League Baseball to the Olympic Games to the NFL Draft, is an accomplished writer and author. He wrote “Boxing For Beginners,” a historical and instructional book on boxing in 1980. Before that he was a featured writer for The RING Magazine and Boxing Illustrated. From 1974-79, Bernstein was managing editor of Lerner Newspapers in Chicago. During that time, he won the Chicago Newspaper Guild’s award for best news story – an investigation into illegal land deals by suburban officials.

Bernstein, who lives in Las Vegas, Nev., is an expert equestrian and has participated in a number of celebrity rodeos as both a participant and grand marshal. He serves on the board of directors and is a spokesman for Caring Place, a Las Vegas facility that was co-founded by his wife Connie, which provides free services to those whose lives have been touched by cancer.

Bernstein has recently expanded his reach and is now the executive producer and host of the Boxing Channel at www.boxingchannel.tv. Through his company Al Bernstein Live, Bernstein is also sought after as a speaker and spokesperson for corporate clients, casinos and organizations around the world.

About Showtime Networks Inc.
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation, owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, as well as the multiplex channels SHOWTIME 2™, SHOWTIME® SHOWCASE, SHOWTIME EXTREME®, SHOWTIME BEYOND®, SHOWTIME NEXT®, SHOWTIME WOMEN®, SHOWTIME FAMILY ZONE® and THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ XTRA. SNI also offers SHOWTIME HD™, SHOWTIME 2 HD™, THE MOVIE CHANNEL HD™, SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL ON DEMAND™ and FLIX ON DEMAND®. SNI also manages Smithsonian Channel™, a joint venture between SNI and the Smithsonian Institution. All SNI feeds provide enhanced sound using Dolby Digital 5.1. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®.