To Larry Merchant:

[scap]

Lampley and Jones are there for two different reasons.

Jones is there to give insight on what happens in the ring. Lampley is there for punch by punch commentary.
Merchant is there to give his "expert opinion" on the fight.
Letterman is the scorecard man.

Roy's insight is useless he is just as bad as Foreman...at least Foreman was never hung on hismelf...can you recall a fight where Merchant chose one fighter and rode him?

[BadMagick]

Lampley says a guy landed a punch even if there was no punch thrown at all. Maybe they'll have to replace the whole team. Who wants to be the new commentators?

Everyone makes mistakes from time to time, and normally he goes back to correct things.

Everyone knows Merchant is an *******, though. He needs to be gotten rid of.

[BadMagick]

Roy's insight is useless he is just as bad as Foreman...at least Foreman was never hung on hismelf...can you recall a fight where Merchant chose one fighter and rode him?

Oscar vs Bernard. He had Oscar winning that fight, and said he had outboxed Bernard.

[Tarver is my dad]

Merchant is very knowledgable but damn that guy talks so slow. He does say stuff that sometimes is totally irrelevant to what he's viewing, and sometimes he does sound like he doesn't know where he is. He needs rehab.

[scap]

Oscar vs Bernard. He had Oscar winning that fight, and said he had outboxed Bernard.

I fthat is as bad as Merchant has gotten than he is getting a bad rap...I will check the fight tape Im not sure he had Oscar ahead on points...not so sure...

Check out an all time great commentating performance by Roy...

Vince Phillips vs. Kostya Tszyu...you would have thought Vince was Roy's brother.

[Kid Achilles]

Merchant is without a doubt the best commentator in boxing right now. The guy has forgotten more about boxing than most people on this forum know or will ever learn.

Everything and I mean EVERYTHING he said about Tyson was spot on and I think it's about time Tyson received that kind of lashing.

I don't hate Tyson and I view him as a more pleasant person than most, but as a boxer he was always lacking. He will be remembered as a Sonny Liston figure, though he did not accomplish as much as Liston did coming up. Beating the **** out of Cleveland Williams and Zora Folley, and decisioning Machen forces me to rank him higher than Tyson, as these guys were all around better than anyone Tyson beat.

You can build up Biggs, Tyrell, Ruddock etc. all you want but the truth is those guys were no better than the Roland LaStarza, Rex Layne, and Harry Matthews that some of you criticise Marciano for fighting. Tyson's best win was over a light heavyweight who was obviously intimidated from the moment he left his dressing room. Marciano beat everyone they put in front of him in a limited era and he is criticized. Tyson manages to lose in an equally weak era and is still championed as a boxing idol.

To place Tyson in the top ten ranking of heavyweight champions reveals a glaring ignorance of boxing history. Liston must be ranked above him, as well as about a dozen other guys. He is top fifteen material for sure, but only on the merit of his athletic talent and great potential. Unfortunately for him, boxing is at least 80% mental and Tyson receives a failing grade in that aspect. Mike just didn't have the mentality to hang with the best. He really nailed that other 20% though...

[BadMagick]

I fthat is as bad as Merchant has gotten than he is getting a bad rap...I will check the fight tape Im not sure he had Oscar ahead on points...not so sure...

Check out an all time great commentating performance by Roy...

Vince Phillips vs. Kostya Tszyu...you would have thought Vince was Roy's brother.

I don't think Roy is a very good commentator. I like him for his boxing skill, and the ability he has to say what's going on inside the ring. Outside of that, he's not very good. He should probably be dropped, too, but he brings star power, too. Foreman ****** as well, so did Leonard. I don't know who they should have fill that spot, or any other spot though. Also, Bernard said he thought he had outboxed De la Hoya, and Merchant told him that he had De la Hoya ahead on the cards.

Lampley is okay, because, while he makes mistakes, he normally just asks questions. Generally speaking, he doesn't open his yapper when he's not needed, or in really ****** situations.

Letterman is okay, too.

It doesn't matter how much Larry has forgotten, because he's forgotten too much.

The only reason he's kept around is for drama, because 90% of the people who watch him can't stand him.

[chavezjr]

I don't think the reason is just that it's Tyson. I think Merchant hates all Don King fighters. At least he doesn't give Chavez any respect either. I don't know, I just prefer to hear more positive things about the fighters. I think the fighters deserve it even if they aren't as good as the guy's they're fighting. It would be great to hear a commentator point out the good things that an underdog is doing in the ring. The one thing I like about Lampley is he does do that from time to time, but I have never heard Merchant do that. I'm still waiting.

[Kid Achilles]

You guys have to understand that boxing commentary is partially there for entertainment. To enhance the drama even more. Who can forget "Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!" or "His hands no longer busy, his feet no longer swift..." by a presumably teary eyed Howard Cossell. The best commentators are always the ones who can inject a bit of their personality into what they say. Roy Jones will always be a capable but never outstanding commentator for this reason. He is too dry. He explains, but does not entertain.

Give me Merchant anyday. He and Jim Lampley are perfect together. I do miss Foreman. You never knew what bizarre nonsequitar he would come up with.

Ask yourself this. Do you really need the commentator? You've watched boxing enough to know what's going on. Those guys are there to help the novice boxing fan along but for people like you and I they are there to entertain.

[xKillingJokex]

As someone said earlier...Merchant has forgotten more about boxing than some of us know..but thats the point..hes FORGOTTEN it..sometimes..he's very incoherent..and rambles on..and please..could he talk any slower? I know hes there partly for his "knowledge" and for the entertaintment factor. But this guys' time has passed. Time to let it go.