Merchant to stay till 2011
Merchant to Stay till 2011 by Steve Kim
August 29, 2009
Larry Merchant has been a part of HBO Sports since 1978, where he has called some of boxing's most historic and memorable events. But a couple of years ago it looked like he would be jettisoned by the network in favor of the youthful Max Kellerman, who was anointed his heir apparent by HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. After a loud, public outcry, Merchant was brought back by the network.
He continued his duties ringside, splitting assignments with Kellerman, with his own trademark, unique style. And he'll continue to do so for the next few years.
"A year-and-a-half ago, I signed a contract for two years with a two year option on both of our parts and HBO has informed me that they're picking up my option, so I'll be with HBO at least until the middle of 2011," Merchant would tell Maxboxing earlier in the week.
Merchant admits that at age 77, he is much closer to the end of the fourth quarter than halftime ("A lot closer, I may be in overtime," he quips) but he still has the same zeal for the job as he had in the past. "I'm a freak," he says in describing himself. "I love it. I still love it. I love every fight, I love the stories of the fighters. I just love it and it amazes me. I was a columnist for 20 years and at the end of 20 years, I could tell that, y'know, I wasn't as eager to go to the ballpark as I once had been. But in prizefights, I never get tired of it. There are always good stories, all of the hustlers and rustlers around ringside, the fighters and their personalities and their character and what it all means in the big picture. I can't get enough of it."
"I still consider myself a writer - have always loved boxing because of the stories, because of the characters"
Before his days in front of the camera, Merchant was a distinguished scribe, plying his trade for the Philadelphia Daily News and New York Post before heading west and working for the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner. Through it all, a pair of sports captivated him the most.
"The two things that I had a real passion for are baseball and boxing. I covered the Olympics and just about everything, but writers in particular - and I still consider myself a writer - have always loved boxing because of the stories, because of the characters and because when two fighters are in the ring, they're virtually naked as to who they are. They can't conceal themselves and as a stage to observe human behavior, it can't be beaten."
And nights like the one he was a part of last weekend at Staples Center, where Shane Mosley knocked out Antonio Margarito in front of a packed house, are the ones he lives for.
"There are small nights that I love and big nights that I love and when you get one like that and given the circumstances of boxing today, yeah, it was a buzz to see 20,000 people in there and two outstanding fighters and have to deal with all the stories that led up to the fight and seeing the passion of the fans," explained Merchant, who was the recipient of the Sam Taub Memorial Award for Excellence in Boxing Broadcast Journalism in 1985. "That was a big one and there are special moments like that. I mean, to go to a Ricky Hatton fight is not like anything I've ever experienced before with his fans. There's always something a little bit different about it.
"I love boxing people and I love being one of them."
"No, because my contract would've expired at the end of May, early June. So I knew I was still doing that. But I hadn't given it much thought because they had been indications from them over the last period of time that they were going to renew it. But there was no official recognition or agreement until recently. So I felt it would be renewed," said Merchant.
HBO publicist Ray Stallone would release this quote from HBO Sports’ executive producer, Rick Bernstein, "As a broadcaster, mentor and friend, we are happy that Larry will continue his association with HBO Sports, as well as providing his unique and engaging perspective to our boxing telecasts."
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