By Ray Wheatley – World of Boxing
Hall of Fame broadcaster Colonel Bob Sheridan, who has called the biggest fights since 1970, including the Rumble in the Jungle, Muhammad Ali v George Foreman, has decided to hang up the microphone for health reasons.
“This is the last farewell,” Sheridan told Fightnews.com®. “I am retiring as of the 1st of October here in the United States of America. I have had a really rough year with disease and the passing of my wife, the late Annie Kelly, and I have made the decision along with my three sons to take a back seat for a while.
“Over the weekend while I was in hospital in Las Vegas, I was given the final rites – meaning I could have been close to death. I don’t think I am. You can’t kill a cockroach and they can’t kill the Colonel. With that in mind and taking everything into consideration, and the fact I have just recovered from a gunshot wound I have decided to semi-retire. My boys will take overall boxing issues. They will take over the farms and the trucking business.
“I also would like the thank Father McCabe – the Archbishop from Boston and Father Steven from the hospital in Las Vegas. I am not done. I just want to pick and choose what I want to do. My mind is still sharp and while my mind is still sharp – I will work. The man above is in charge. I learned that this week when I was given the last rites by Father Steven in hospital. I was shot over a month ago in California and was in the Cedar Sinai hospital and I have been under twelve physicians.
“My thanks to Fightnews.com® for your support over the years and thanks to the boxing fans around the world for your support for over fifty years. It has been fantastic to broadcast some of the greatest fights of all time.”
Note: The Colonel will continue to contribute to Fightnews.com®.
You will be missed the best commentator of all time , best of luck for the future Bob.
Thank you for the delicious chicken colonel sanders
ALWAYS LIKED THE WAY YOU CALLED THE FIGHTS… THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB… YOU WILL BE MISSED BOB AND THAT’S FOR SURE!!! HOPE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE IN THE FUTURE… YOU TAKE CARE
Now he was shot? since that wild June robbery attempt with motorcycle gun thugs while driving his 200k corvette in a 4 cop city of 300,000 people plus the open heart surgery story that followed a few weeks later. Yeah, good luck.
Good point!
A true boxing icon.
All the best Colonel!!!
– “I was given the final rites – meaning I could have been close to death.”
– “I have just recovered from a gunshot wound”
Not sure how much of the above (and some of his other wild stories) I actually believe.
You forgot he was chased thru Victorville by a drug cartel in his 300,000 dollar corvette and had a huge accident. Really was just a shell for Don King always saying his fighters were the best ever etc. Him once saying Tom Johnson was the greatest featherweight of all time did it for me
Lol I remember that and then Prince Hamed smashed him to bits
The Colonel lives his life in the fast lane. I wish he’d write a book.
Bob once dominated John Ruiz in a street fight
I enjoyed him calling fights. Better than Larry Merchant
All the best Bob
And on top of everything else he’s done, he’s probably a double-naught spy in his spare time.
— Best skip physician #13 and go straight to #14.
wish him good health but he was terrible, just awful calling fights and a shill for Don King. Worst ring side guy ever. And if you listen to his comments he did not know boxing. His calls of some of Ali’s fights, they may have been voice overs, or after the fight, were just a joke. I turn off the sound
You will be missed and Boxing will not be the same without you at the Mike. Be well my friend and God Bless You
Man, this guy is going out on a bang with all these stories he farted out…
Colonel, the fact you’re still alive and calling fights and yapping to fightnews.com after fifteen or twenty heart attacks is freaking miraculous. Cockroaches don’t have sh-t on you, dude.