The Larry Merchant apreciation thread

Larry Merchant (b. February 11, 1931 ) is a former sportswriter and longtime commentator for HBO Sports presentations of HBO World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark and HBO pay-per-view telecasts. 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. A seasoned sommelier and wine aficionado, Merchant owns a vacation home in France. The current HBO Boxing team consists of Merchant, Jim Lampley, and Emanuel Steward for championship and pay-per-view fights. Previous lineups have included George Foreman and Roy Jones Jr., both of whom at times clashed with Merchant. Merchant has also clashed with the unofficial judge Harold Lederman. Among the fighters who have clashed with Merchant include Mike Tyson, Oscar de la Hoya and, more recently, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The de la Hoya incident came during his fight with Pernell Whitaker. When De la Hoya entered to the ring to Mariachi music, Merchant stated that while he loved Mariachi music, he felt that it "stunk" in this particular situation. Merchant would later apologize on the air after De La Hoya tried to have him removed from HBO. Merchant is well known for his post fight interviews which feature his hard hitting, blunt questions and confrontational interview style. These have drawn both praise and ire in the past. Fans have claimed them to be candid and honest while detractors consider them to be purposely agitational and insensitive at times. An example of this occurred when Vernon Forrest won a controversial decision in 2006 over Ike Quartey. When Forrest thanked those close to him, Merchant quipped, "Would you also like to thank the judges?". In 1985, Merchant received the Sam Taub Memorial Award for Boxing Broadcast Journalism presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America. He is also the author of three books. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma. In October 2002, he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. On June 8, 2007, Merchant and HBO agreed on a two-year contract extension. Under the new agreement, Merchant's heir apparent, Max Kellerman, will have a more expanded role and will do some HBO World Championship Boxing and pay-per-view broadcasts, in place of Merchant.