Larry Merchant is unfair...

[shonuff247]

Hello All.
I have looked at a lot of fights as I am an avid fight fan. I have seen commentators and ex-boxers come on and give sometimes ridiculous claims statements about a match. Which is excusable I think. It is just their opinion after all.
But what I can no longer over-look is when commentators are obviously unfair and borderline RACIST!.
Larry merchant seems like he just asks harder questions and is offensive to the African-American fighters and is so lenient with the other fighters. I noticed in the DLH-Hopkins fight that he blatantly yelled at hopkins that he was losing the fight in the early rounds while when he got to oscar, tried to give him and excuse. Like his hand being cut. But oscar being the man he is declined to make excuses. He does it in other fights as well. I do not like him and will start writing to get him off or perhaps start a campaign to stop watching boxing shows that he commentates.

I was just wondering what other peoples opinion was...

[bubba1]

i dont think he is racist, just didnt like the fact that Hopkins did not press the fight early.

[vizcaya]

Larry does come across like a prick at times. But thats what he is there for. I have a hard time with the way Larry tries to find a higher meaning to a fight we just saw. But one thing Larry has always done is ask the tough questions, and is never afraid to correct a fighter when he is wrong. Hopkins thought he was winning the early Rounds, Larry called him on it. Larry wanted to see if Oscar would use the Cut as a excuse, he didnt. Larry is there to ask questions that may get a contraversal answer.

Larry Racist? Doubt it.

Vizcaya

http://fightsondvd.com

[Explosivo]

I like Larry and I too had DLH ahead in the fight at the time of the KO.

I know he told Bernard that he had him loosing the fight, and I dont thinks that a big deal, but I dont remember him trying to make excuses for Oscar. It could have happened, I just didnt hear it.

That being said, Larry Merchant often is very blunt with fighters in post fight interviews. If he is more blunt with black fighters than he is with others, I havent noticed.

[NichtGeflechten]

Larry Merchant probably shot the nose off the Sphinx and destroyed all ancient evidence of the gliders and mothership as well. Word 'em up on the level.....

[PRboxingfan]

I think that Oscar was winning the fight at the time of the KO and I was thinking many of the questions Larry asked both fighters. He's just a reporter and, as such, is there as our representation to the fighters. He asks the questions he believes most of us would ask given an opportunity to step in the ring with the fighters right after the match.

That being said, I do see some bias in his commentating sometimes. He tends to dislike Puerto Rican fighters while he adores Mexicans. Just look at any Trinidad fight and compare it to a DLH fight. Larry was always being corrected and his arguments disputed by Foreman when he was there. Larry always seems to put down PR fighters but George would always call Larry out on his comments.

[neils7147933]

Larry and Bernard have had beef in the past. Larry apparently still holds a grudge.

The race thing is ridiculous; after the Felix Sturm fight, Larry was just as hard on DLH. One of his first questions was "Was this decision a make up for the Mosley decision?"

And yes, I know Sturm was white, but I'm comparing DLH from one fight to the next and guessing that it's the fight, not the race of the two fighters, that matters.

How can HBO have a white racist under contract when the majority of the fighters on HBO are non-white?

People jump to conclusions too quickly sometimes. If you think he was hard on Hopkins after this one, go back and watch his interview with him after the fight vs. Morrade Hakkar. When he put down Hopkins' opponent and Hopkins said HBO paid him to fight this mandatory, Larry arrogantly said "Well it won't happen again."

The two looked like they might rumble (bad news for Merchant) a couple times there and in a taped interview segment prior to the fight when Larry told Hopkins his business sense was lacking and that he was not doing a good job promoting himself.

He and George Foreman did often have conflicting opinions, but that made the telecast fairly interesting, unlike when Oscar fights and all 3 commentators kiss his ass for 12 rounds.

I also find it strange that Foreman, and now Steward, are busy telling us how good the guy getting whipped is, like they can justify the match-up and convince you the fight is good even if it's not. Kelson Pinto and Orlando Salido got way too much praise from Steward.

[Dark Destroyer]

Larry merchant does say some awkward things sometimes to fighters. I noticed the difference in his interviewing persona when he was interviewing each fighter. He was all smiles for Oscar and when he interviewed Bernard he was more abrupt and straight to the point.

[MrUnstoppable]

Larry Merchant is annoying and he is an idiot, but it isn't the same watching boxing without him and Lampley.

[abdiel2k3]

he is
did u seehpw he handled the Lewis interview with klitschko
he seems to try to talk down to the black fighters
but most the times its when the fighter doesnt do what he was supose to
as inlewis with Vit and Mayweather with Castillo 1
but he does seem to have an alter ego reporter for the black guys
ive seen him be fair to all other tho
never seen him bad talk pr
he does love us mexicans tho