Larry Merchant Vs. Joe Rogan...

I think Larry Merchant is part of the problem with Boxings' popularity these days compared to the UFC... Don't get me wrong now, I know Boxing still has the edge on all MMA by a wide margin, and I've seen the De La Hoya Vs Mayweather numbers, and I'm a fan of both sports, but boxing is the creme de la creme for me personally. But there's no doubting that the free UFC card on the same night as Mayweather Vs Hatton had to hurt the PPV numbers a bit here in North America at the very least... For me, I'm looking at the big picture here, literally, the T.V. HBO's Larry Merchant is like Mr. Burns on The Simpsons, he's old, slow, un-knowledgeable and antiquated, and no one would watch the Mr Burns Show. Merchant is always arguing with the professionals as well, and he's very self-indulged for a guy like George Foreman said, that hasn't ever even been in the ring himself, not even as an Am or as a bloody sparring partner. Joe Rogan on the flip side offers some familiarity as he was the host of the exciting and very successful Fear Factor, and Rogan actually has knowledge of the sport he is talking about, even training in the famous Miletich Camp. Now when you consider what is going to keep the New younger fans excited and entertained, who makes more sense (or cents even) to be on that T.V.???

Comments (20)

jdubb863

Hell, I'd prefer to see George Foreman in place of Merchant and Lennox Lewis and Manny Steward all sitting at Ringside. Keep Kellerman or Lampley in the booth with the special guests and also have those 2 guys do the interviews... There problem solved? But seriously, George Foreman or someone else in a 3rd spot at Ringside with Steward and Lewis, that's what I'd do... And if Steward happens to be busy with a fighter on the card, just call up Roy Jones jr. Yeah problem definitely solved... "there problem solved?".... They dont have a problem... You got the problem, Damn i never heard some one bitch more about a little thing like commentators then your dumbass! quit crying HOMO and lay off my fuckin NUTS BITCH!

18y ago

RaneEx54

Max Kellerman is the problem with Boxing, Joe Rogan is meatball. Merchant is the man!

18y ago

dansapien

if you think merchant knows nothing about boxing, then you know nothing about anything. Merchant is to the point, which is his appeal and what makes him stand out above the rest. He knows the sport perfectly, and i'd rather see someone tell it the way it is, even if it means disagreeing with people, rather than just brown nosing important names.

18y ago

CH0ZEN

Well it looks like no votes for Rogan either LMAO... I guess no one dislikes Merchant as much as I do, or is as annoyed by him at least, but just about everyone said, Merchant is the man, BUT... so I guess that also speaks for itself.. Goodnight and God Bless

18y ago

CH0ZEN

18y ago

CH0ZEN

That movie wasn't great, and I can see why the Film Festival people liked it... lmao... But the movie didn't quite suck as bad as Larry Merchant 'cause Danny Glover was good in it... again lmao. Seriously though, look at Michael Buffer, he makes a lot of excitement happen before a Big Main Event, I mean there's a guy who's not Boxing and is still part of the Show, and Michael Buffer can definitely wake up a crowd... There's room for fresh blood on the boxing scene IMO, and Promoters and Networks don't have to sell-out to increase their over-all viewing audience either... I'm not talking about keeping the Old School True Boxing Fans watching, because we all know, come hell or high water we will watch... I'm talking about adding a new audience from the tons of new fight fans that have and are being generated by the hype that already exists. And not only by the UFC, or The Contende,r but by the fact that Boxing and MMA really is a common topic as of late, and they both can actually be found all over cable TV definitely much more now then in years past...

18y ago

hello2007

merchante is the man. He tells it like it is. If you don't like merchante then waw. The only thing I don't like about him is that he is a bit too rude to boxers that have a defensive style.

18y ago

eazy_mas

Larry Merchant is a boxing genious... U sure u know who Larry Merchant is...??? The guy wrote for the newspaper on boxing for years, he's been doing this longer then me or you has been alive, combined age... I was going to say the same thing. He is very experinced in the sport so he knows it

18y ago

CH0ZEN

Well that's enough outta me, i'm gonna watch Poor Boys Game, I hear it's a good Boxing Movie and I think I made my point here. Whether you agree or disagree about Merchant the fact still remains, the UFC definitely effected the numbers for Hatton Vs Mayweather, which many say was the fight of the year, (but that's a whole new thread in and of itself), and we'll only know if a fresh face in Boxing can lift ratings when we actually get to see one, so really at this point in time, who knows???

18y ago

946etamax

They shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath. Here's a brief comparison of their qualifications courtesy for wikipedia: Merchant: "In 1978, Merchant joined HBO Sports as an analyst. Prior to joining HBO Sports, Merchant was a well-regarded sports columnist with the The Philadelphia Daily News and a general reporter for the The New York Post." Rogan: "is an American comedian and actor best known for his role as Joe Garrelli in NewsRadio and as host on the TV game/reality program Fear Factor." This is one reason why I can't stand MMA. They'd rather hire guys to that appeal "cool" to 18-30 year olds instead of real professionals. It's giving up integrity for ratings. Maybe boxing needs Adam Corrolla! http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/images/070427_corolla.jpg

18y ago

CH0ZEN

I wonder what Teddy Atlas will say about David Banks' chances in giving us a Fight of the Year in that one? We'll probably see Atlas and his little buddy there more than we'll see David Banks in that one...

18y ago

CH0ZEN

I've been a part of many Pro and Amateur Shows here in Canada, as a guest commenator, support to the promoter and my favourite Ring Announcer... Boxing was huge last year and it grew massively here in Canada... But sometimes cards change, and the fights can also be, shall I say, less exciting... Perfect example last FNF's from B.C. And to keep the people who buy the tickets interested in coming back after a less than stellar show, you better have made the rest of the nigh fun if you want the fans who aren't only their to support a fighter buying tickets or PPV's in the future. I think the FNF's with Jean Pascal, and Edison Miranda will be a throw-back to when we saw Roy Jones jr. make moves on Friday Night Fights before he became the P4P Legend we all know today (and no I'm not necessarily comparing the talents of Miranda and Pascal to Jones). What would make be buy the PPV would simply be the next fight when Pascal and Miranda eventaully face each other, but when David Banks is on the Main Event, other than the obvious KO us fight fans are expecting, the Show behind the Show may actually get more air time than the actual fight itself...

18y ago

CH0ZEN

Exactly...

18y ago

trips420

Larry Merchant = Old school commentator and historian = The truth Joe Rogan = Reality tv host and hype artist for ufc = Sales man Example Larry Merchant = Hammers the best fighter in the world after his fight while media is saying boxings on its last leg because Floyd didnt fight a exciting fight or get a ko like he said he would do while trying to sale ppv's even though he won every round. Joe Rogan= After a fighter spends a whole round riding around the ring on another guys back and getting a win Rogan goes out to interview him and says great fight and the crowd is silent and boos and he looks at them and says whaaaat it was and the ufc was at its height of popularity.

18y ago

Njord777

Initially I guess you were saying you feel a little more polish and jazzing up in presentation and marketing, a la UFC, would help the sport of boxing. So you were referencing a Joe Rogan like young, psuedo celebrity as opposed to a grizzled sport journalist like Merchant to help boost revenue. Problem is, health of a sport is based on money generated, and in 2007 boxing whooped the fuck out of UFC. It was a very, very healthy year. So I think that it'll be fine. Good fights will draw fans in.

18y ago

CH0ZEN

And I hear ya, Valuev has no business being in the same paragraph as the Brockton Blockbuster... That would make me ill too...

18y ago

Njord777

FYI, they don't make my kind in Fruit Loop man, I lived for many years in downtown TDot where the fruit loops have their own village, so I'm not homophobic, I just can't stand them. Just like JBubb here, they are leaches, and they even invented their own accent, I mean Jamaicans or Brits, or fellow Micks, we have accents sometimes but where did the lisp come from??? I bet JDubb speaks with a fake lisp LMAO... Mandeville, Jamaica - represent!

18y ago

CH0ZEN

18y ago

Njord777

To compare, I remember when Valuev was undefeated and commentators were talking about him fighting a few more years and going out as an undefeated heavyweight champion like Rocky Marciano. Wait..WHAT?! Did you just mention Valuev and Marciano in some sort of comparison? That deserves a bitch slap. I felt similarly about the Merchant-Rogan thing.

18y ago

Njord777

LMAO @ Fear Factor excitement, now that kinda stung, but I like it, substance stings. I actually meant for the kids. I mean I see re-runs of that show everywhere so they must have done well. And I hear ya, it was an insult when I compared the two commentators, but hey, at least someone in here has some street savy... I guess you weren't directing it at me then. Alright. We coo. Sorry. I type fast.

18y ago