Robb Skyler: “The most infamous moment of all sports was when Roberto Duran just quits in the middle of a round”

The upcoming film, “Hands of Stone” is set for release August 26. The film is a biopic about the career of one of the most fierce boxers in history, Roberto Duran. The movie stars actor Robert De Niro, who will play trainer Ray Arcel, while Edgar Ramirez will play Roberto Duran. Another key role in the film is that of Howard Cosell, who was one of the most known broadcasters in sports history. Actor Robb Skyler will be taking on that iconic role and in Part 1 of this special interview from “On The Ropes” boxing radio he talks about playing Cosell and also speaks on why Cosell was such a important figure in sports broadcasting. Here is what Robb Skyer had to say.

Jenna J: You’re going to have a pivotal role in the upcoming film, Hands of Stone, the story of Roberto Duran, you’ll be playing Howard Cosell. Can you talk a little about taking on the role of such a legendary broadcaster?

Robb Skyler: Howard Cosell is probably widely known as the most iconic sports broadcaster in the history of possibly radio and television. He not only covered, you might say the voice of boxing for a few decades, but he was widely known as the corner stone of Monday night football. He did “Wide World of Sports,” he did the World Series, and he is very much iconically remembered as announcing to the world the tragedy of the death John Lennon.

Howard is entrenched in the sport world and transcends into the world of pop culture. With regards to Roberto Duran, he in a sense was witnessing and reporting to the world his ascent and in a certain sense his descent. He had an amazing life and career, and he was very colorful character, he wasn’t by any stretch of the imagination someone to blend into the wall, so to speak. You either loved him or hated him, that was the byline on Howard Cosell.

Jenna J: Can you talk about playing that role? How did it come to be that you got this role and how do you feel you did with it?

Robb Skyler: As an actor, you have strengths and you have a comfort zone and you have areas where you feel you can stretch. No matter what it is, when you approach a role or a character, you have to somewhat create a back story, particularly if it’s a fictional character. I didn’t have to do that being that Howard Cosell is such a public figure and iconic figure. I had known him as a someone growing up, and watching so much sports and such. I loved sports, and I am very enthusiastic with it, was very active with it, particularly in baseball.

The chance to play someone like Howard Cosell, and in the words of Jonathan Jakubowicz, the director, he told me when he cast me in the role that if I didn’t cast Howard Cosell precisely, he from his point of view — being the director-writer — didn’t feel that the movie would work. Well, I was honored to be able to facilitate that and bring that to life per say, so I am very proud of what I did, and I’m proud of this movie. It’s a wonderful movie and anybody that loves good film making I think is going to thoroughly enjoy it.

Jenna J: When you were growing up, what were your fondest memories of Howard Cosell’s boxing broadcast? What were your favorite moments?

Robb Skyler: He has iconic moments, he covered boxing in the 60’s 70’s and 80’s and there are some very iconic moments that he blurted it out, you might say. There were two Cosell’s, there was the Cosell that sets the stage, which is indicative in the way Jonathan wrote my role, which is very typical Howard Cosell.

Before the fight Cosell had a certain voice, he’s overstated, he’s bloviating, and he’s very magnanimous in the way that he sets the stage and describes it as to what the audience is going to see, what the audience is about to witness, and who the participants are, what the magnitude of it is, what it means and the grand of scheme of things. He sets all of that, but once the fight starts, his voice raises a notch, he becomes a fan so to speak. So there is a different inner voice for Cosell when he is broadcasting the fight and before and after commentating on a fight or the event.

Two of the most famous and iconic lines was when George Foreman literally lifted Joe Frazier off the canvas, “Down goes Frazier!” is very iconic line, people have heard it whether they know who Howard Cosell is or not, and particularly in that era which is the early 70’s. In 1980, the second of the Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard fights — which are both very important and prominent fights in Hands of Stone — the second and most infamous moment of all sports was when Roberto Duran just quits in the middle of a round, in the middle of a championship round, and Cosell several times utters, “No Mas.” “No Mas” and “Down Goes Frazier” are probably two of his most iconic singular lines.

STAY TUNED TO ONTHEROPESBOXING.COM FOR PART 2 OF MY INTERVIEW WITH ROBB SKYLER