Larry Merchant Gone After This Weekend, Thoughts?

He's stepping down as commentator and post-fight interviewer with Max Kellerman taking full duties.

I think the time is more than right as Merchant is simply too old for it now. He does ask the questions needed but is painfully slow at delivering them.

He's one lucky guy, he's had ringside seats for most of the biggest fights of the last 35 years!

Merchant has his share of critics but I have never particularly been one of them, his only crime is not being put out to grass perhaps as early as he should, but for me his HBO paymasters are more to blame than him for this. Whilst his considered and slow style can grate I admire his willingness to ask tough questions and his knowledge or passion for the sport should never be overlooked. Hope he enjoys his retirement.

Loved his interview technique hahaha, me and friends used to laugh endlessly while he lamented over a question...could almost see his brain working!

He brought a special flavour to fight analysis, much like Bert Sugar. Both will be missed by the sport.

It's the end of an era!

It's the sensible thing, I guess. Larry's been slowing down for years already and, if his commentary is anything to go by, his eyes are playing some bad tricks on him these days, too (I remember rewatching Ward-Dawson and hearing Larry, after Ward had dropped Chad with what wasincredibly obviously and very clearly a cross to the jaw, stepping in with his classic, "It, it...Looked like, a body...Shot, Jim."

But in fairness, Merchant oozes charisma, does a pretty good line in humour and has given us all some great broadcasting moments over the years. I'll miss him, purely because his name has always been synonymous with those big, Stateside fights as I've grown up, and you always miss the stuff which reminds you of a misspent youth!

Particularly sad for me as I can't stand Kellerman, mind you.

88Chris05 wrote:It's the end of an era!

It's the sensible thing, I guess. Larry's been slowing down for years already and, if his commentary is anything to go by, his eyes are playing some bad tricks on him these days, too (I remember rewatching Ward-Dawson and hearing Larry, after Ward had dropped Chad with what wasincredibly obviously and very clearly a cross to the jaw, stepping in with his classic, "It, it...Looked like, a body...Shot, Jim."

But in fairness, Merchant oozes charisma, does a pretty good line in humour and has given us all some great broadcasting moments over the years. I'll miss him, purely because his name has always been synonymous with those big, Stateside fights as I've grown up, and you always miss the stuff which reminds you of a misspent youth!

Particularly sad for me as I can't stand Kellerman, mind you.

Double props for the Larry Merchant bit and triple for the Kellerman bit. Merchant had some daft moments but he was good.

I like him, part of the fabric of the sport after all these years but it is clearly time for him to step down. Shame that we will have to put up with Kellerman though who i think is an utter tool.

problem with merchant was, he got a reputation for asking the top fighters tough questions nobody wanted to ask but everybody wanted to know the answers to, straight after a fight. but in order to live up to that reputation he started to insult fighters just for the sake of it and turned into a bit of a gimmick in recent years

Be sad to see Larry go, think Jeff mentioned it Larry isn't hesitant to ask tough questions and find out what us fans would like to know, the countless interviews his butted in and tried to get to the nitty grit whilst Mayweather thanks everyone from his Mother to the cat across the road for his victory.

Need more like him, if you ask me.(who gets a move on a bit quicker)

Cheers Rodders

Favourite Larry lines, everyone? (Aside from the "I wish I was fifty years younger..." business, which takes the gold medal at a canter!).

"Fernando Vargas put a sixpack on his stomach...But, he could not put a sixpack on his chin."

Deliberate, utterly nonsensical and yet, somehow, amusing and memorable - Larry at his best!

Favourite line for me has to be the "if I was 30 years younger I'd kick your ass".

Just found this Merchant quote and this sums up his whole style haha! He will be missed!!

Lampley: "will the seething undercurrent of the buildup now be reflected in what we see in the ring?"

Merchant: "probably. sure. because mayorga is a rude, crude dude in the ring as well as outside. in a sense, what we have here is class warfare with boxing gloves....mayorga looks at him as a hated slumlord, and oscar is coming to collect the rent"

Bartley Gorman wrote:Just found this Merchant quote and this sums up his whole style haha! He will be missed!!

Lampley: "will the seething undercurrent of the buildup now be reflected in what we see in the ring?"

Merchant: "probably. sure. because mayorga is a rude, crude dude in the ring as well as outside. in a sense, what we have here is class warfare with boxing gloves....mayorga looks at him as a hated slumlord, and oscar is coming to collect the rent"

Hahahaha I love that. My favourite is "The myth of george Foremans power has been exposed in this fight" End of round 9 Foreman Moorer.

Im not really one for cutting and pasting quotes but this one hahahahahahahah. I just had to share!!!

"Chris Byrd has two punches - pitty and pat."