Hull, Las Vegas' longtime voice of boxing, dies at 75

Chuck Hull was the voice of Las Vegas boxing in an era when Las Vegas was the center of boxing's universe.

If there was a fight in Las Vegas in the 1970s and '80s -- whether it was a Palookaville slugfest at the old Silver Slipper or a major promotion at Caesars Palace -- Hull, with his neatly coiffed silver hair and fashionable tuxedo, often was the ring announcer.

"He was very much a gentleman and a part of everything we did in boxing at that time," said Las Vegas political adviser Sig Rogich, who in the 1970s and '80s was chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, the state's governing body of boxing.

Charles Robert Hull, the first sports director at KLAS Channel 8 when it opened in 1953 and a longtime sportscaster for the CBS affiliate, died of apparent heart failure at his Las Vegas home Tuesday morning. He was 75.

Services for the Southern Nevada resident of 48 years will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Palm Mortuary-Cheyenne. Visitation will be noon-2 p.m. Burial will be private.

In addition to working nearly 20 years in local television, Hull was a pit boss at the old MGM Grand and Bally's from 1972 to 1993 and at Arizona Charlie's for the last six years.

"My husband did not sell himself like some announcers do, but rather he sold the product -- and that was the fighters, whom he admired because they trained so hard," Mary Hull said.

In the late 1980s Hull was forced out of boxing when national promoters demanded more flamboyant announcers to hype their events. Hull refused to jazz up his act. Mary said Chuck told her: "I will not prostitute my craft."

"In my opinion there was no finer announcer than Chuck Hull," longtime local boxing judge Lou Tabat said. "He knew how to put words into action."

"You couldn't help but love his lyrical voice," said former ringside physician Dr. Donald Romeo. "He was a matter-of-fact, get-to-the-point kind of guy."

"Chuck always remembered where he came from, so his community came first," longtime local boxing judge Art Lurie said. "That's why he worked not only the big fights, but also the Golden Gloves amateurs. He often did those jobs for no pay."

Marc Ratner, executive director of the athletic commission, said Hull announced every major local fight of his time, including Larry Holmes' heavyweight title bouts and Sugar Ray Leonard's welterweight championship matches.

"He had such a wonderful voice -- so resonant and distinctive," Ratner said. "Chuck had such an elegant way about him."

Former Las Vegas Mayor Ron Lurie, vice president and general manager at Arizona Charlie's, said his longtime friend became ill Sunday and went home from work early. Lurie, Art's son, called Hull "an excellent worker who was admired by the employees and many of our regular customers."

Born March 1, 1924, in Jacksonville, Ill., Hull grew up in orphanages in Springfield after his parents, Edmond Hull and the former Hettie Roberts, died before he was 12.

On Dec. 8, 1941, a day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, Hull, then 17, joined the Navy and served in the South Pacific throughout World War II. He later earned his general education diploma while in the military and attended broadcasting school.

After the war Hull traveled from Texas to Southern California, working as a disc jockey. In 1950, while working at KVEN in Ventura, Calif., Hull met his second wife, Mary Murr, whom he married in 1953, a year after moving to Las Vegas.

In 1952 Hull worked as a DJ at KLAS radio. The next year, late Sun Publisher Hank Greenspun chose Hull to serve as the first sports director and sportscaster at his new television station, KLAS Channel 8. Hull left Channel 8 in the early 1970s to work for a brief period for KTNV Channel 13, also as a sportscaster.

In the 1960s Hull started ring announcing for the Strip Fight of the Week at the Silver Slipper. Eventually, his face and voice became known worldwide via broadcast television, closed-circuit and pay-per-view coverage of major world title bouts.

In 1986 the Las Vegas Boxing Hall of Fame named Hull its Man of the Year, and he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles on Oct. 19, 1996.

In addition to his wife, Hull is survived by two daughters, Susan Robertson of Thousand Oaks, Calif., and Linda Chapman of Las Vegas; five granddaughters, Laurie Robertson, Linda Robertson and Becky Weber, all of Thousand Oaks, Lisa Cameron of Lake Elsinore, Calif., and Joey Chapman of Las Vegas; and seven great grandchildren.

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