Gillette Cavalcade of Sports The " Gillette Cavalcade of Sports " is an American network radio program and later television program that included broadcasts of a variety of sport s , although it is primarily remembered by many for its focus on boxing . Overview and background . The " Cavalcade of Sports " officially began on radio in 1942 as the Gillette Company grouped various existing sports sponsorships under one banner . The sponsorships had begun three years earlier , according to an article on the Gillette Company in Vol 68 of the " International Directory of Company Histories " . In 1939 , Gillette President Joseph Spang purchased rights to the World Series on behalf of Gillette for $ 100 , 000 . A special promotion of Gillette razors and blueblades sold four times better than company estimates and Gillette sought additional sports sponsorships . The Gillette stable of radio sports programs spanned several different networks ( including NBC , CBS , and Mutual ) and grew to include not only ongoing sponsorship of the World Series and All - Star Game in baseball , but the annual Kentucky Derby in horseracing and football ’ s Cotton Bowl Classic and Orange Bowl . " Most males in the 1940s and 1950s did not have to be told that the " Cavalcade of Sports " meant Gillette was sponsoring another ball game or horse race , " wrote Gordon McKibben in his Gillette history , " Cutting Edge " . The diversified field of sporting events continued onto television , reportedly including at least two golfing tournaments as well ( beginning in 1958 ) football ' s Rose Bowl . As late as 1988 the " Cavalcade of Sports " banner was used in connection with Gillette ’ s sponsorship of the NHL ' s Stanley Cup playoffs . Internationally , the " Gilette World Sports " program continues the concept to the present day in many countries from Ireland to Africa to Asia . With all of this , however , the " Cavalcade of Sports " was best known for Friday night boxing on NBC from 1946 through 1960 , and ( after NBC decided against featuring boxing due to sensitivity over criminal allegations in the sport ) then for several more years on ABC . As " Cavalcade of Sports " . Its earlier incarnation , " Cavalcade of Sports " , likewise a boxing show , ran on NBC ' s New York City station WNBT ( now WNBC ) intermittently since 1943 and was picked up by the NBC network three years later . The twice - weekly 1946 shows began on Monday , November 8 at 9 p . m . and Friday , November 12 at 9 : 30 p . m . Both were open - ended programs — when the last bout ended , the station signed off the air ( in the early days of TV , most stations did not have late - night news ) . St . Nicholas Arena in New York City was the site of the earliest bouts and continued to host the Monday night fights until the show ' s cancellation in May 1949 . As " Gillette Cavalcade of Sports " . The Friday night show , broadcast from Madison Square Garden lasted until June 24 , 1960 , a 14 - year period which is , by far , the longest continuous run of any boxing program in television history . The Gillette sponsorship began at the start of TV ' s first full - programming season , 1948 - 49 . On September 4 , the program was renamed " The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports " , a name that remained until the end . Every great boxer of the time — Rocky Marciano , Sugar Ray Robinson , Archie Moore , Rocky Graziano , Willie Pep and many others appeared on one or more of its broadcasts . In TV ' s early years , there was a saturation of boxing programs , as many as six prime - time network shows in one week , not even counting the myriad local shows . With so much boxing on the air , all weight divisions had a chance at stardom , not just the glamorous heavyweights . Commentators . Bob Haymes ( billed as " Bob Stanton " ) was the original announcer , and he was joined by Ray Forrest in 1948 . Jimmy Powers took over the role in 1949 and remained NBC ' s main boxing announcer until the network gave up on prime - time pugilism in 1960 . Theme music . The show ' s theme song was the " Look Sharp / Be Sharp March " by Mahlon Merrick , an upbeat tune which got the listener ' s attention . The song was recorded , published ( and sheet music printed ) sometime between 1953 - 1956 . It received quite a bit of play on US radio shows and was used in the repertoire of many high school and college bands of the day . There is a rendition of the song on YouTube . The music can be heard in the 1980 boxing related film " Raging Bull " during the scene where Jake LaMotta ( played by Robert De Niro ) unveils his new nightclub . The music is also used in the " Punch - Out ! ! " series of video games published by Nintendo and the 1993 argentine film " Gatica , el mono " . The band Glassjaw from Long Island , New York has a song named " The Gillette Cavalcade of Sports " on the album " Worship and Tribute " . United Kingdom . The imitatively - titled , but otherwise unrelated , series " Cavalcade of Sport " aired on ITV in the United Kingdom in 1956 , early in the British commercial network ' s life .