Larry M:That's not the way GREAT champions do it...

[extracurRICular]

The man is not only ballzy.......but wise.......

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/story...ed-fans-booing

Larry Merchant on Mayweather flapEmailPrintComments3000+ESPNLosAngeles.com
LOS ANGELES -- HBO boxing announcer Larry Merchant said Monday that Floyd Mayweather's victory over Victor Ortiz on Saturday in Las Vegas was the result of a "legal sucker-punch."

Merchant, a guest on the Mason & Ireland Show on 710 ESPN Radio in Los Angeles, became part of the story line Saturday because of a verbal confrontation with Mayweather during a live televised interview in the ring immediately after the fight.

Merchant was asked what he thought set off Mayweather.


Mason & Ireland
HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant talks about the explosive exchange he had with a defiant Floyd Mayweather moments after Floyd's controversial win over Victor Ortiz.

More Podcasts »

"I'm in a long line of media people that he feels have not given him as much credit as he gives himself," Merchant said. "The fans saw what they saw: A sucker-punch ending a fight. Now, was Mayweather within his rights to throw it? Absolutely. Should he have? In my opinion, no. It was a legal blow, but that's not the way great champions do it. And the kid, Ortiz, has blame on him as well.

"But now I'm interviewing Mayweather, and I think he's absorbing the boos in the crowd, which are getting more explosive, more inflammatory, and he understands he's not going to get all the credit he deserves again. And that's what I think set him off, in my opinion."

During the brief post-fight interview, Mayweather called Merchant a name at one point and drew a pointed response from the 80-year-old broadcaster, who said he would thrash the boxer if he "was 50 years younger."

Asking about his own response, Merchant said he had no idea where it came from.

"It was spontaneous combustion," he said. "You're getting personally insulted as well as professionally insulted, and I was just trying my best to ask the questions that everybody wanted answered. And suddenly he assaults me that way, and I just, you know, went off.

"... I did say afterward that I don't think I could've kicked his butt 50 years ago, but I sure would've tried."

Merchant also said if he had a second chance at the interview, he wouldn't do anything differently.

"I have not second-guessed myself," he said. "I don't think that what I did was a sucker-punch. Put it (this) way: It was a counter-punch."

[Alibata]

It is not, but then again Floyd is not a great champion.

[-MAKAVELLI-]

see, here's my thing on it and i'm sure even most floyd f@gs would agree with me:



Ortiz was on his way to getting stopped...by the 3rd round, it was evident


i'm not gonna lie, before the fight, i didn't think Floyd would stop him but after the first few rounds, the writing was on the wall...Ortiz was dumbfounded by Floyd's defense and was even more shook by the offensive attack that he put on


Floyd fans and haters waited what? 16 months to see him perform?


the KO was there...THAT version of Floyd was ruthless and i didn't see him 'coasting' to a points win ala JMM and Mosely...in fact, that was the version of Floyd from the lower weight classes...the version that made me a fan a looooooong time ago


the brutal combo that he unleashed early in the 4th was scary...a few more of those for as long as Ortiz could take it would have been the dominant KO statement that his fans clamor for and the Floyd haters would have had NOTHING to say

had he continued to beat the living crap out of Ortiz for a few more rounds and THEN getting a non-controversial stoppage in dominating fashion would have really done more for him IMO

[Ray*]

Of course it isnt, but this is boxing not a tickling contest..

[Mayabang]

see, here's my thing on it and i'm sure even most floyd f@gs would agree with me:



Ortiz was on his way to getting stopped...by the 3rd round, it was evident


i'm not gonna lie, before the fight, i didn't think Floyd would stop him but after the first few rounds, the writing was on the wall...Ortiz was dumbfounded by Floyd's defense and was even more shook by the offensive attack that he put on


Floyd fans and haters waited what? 16 months to see him perform?


the KO was there...THAT version of Floyd was ruthless and i didn't see him 'coasting' to a points win ala JMM and Mosely...in fact, that was the version of Floyd from the lower weight classes...the version that made me a fan a looooooong time ago


the brutal combo that he unleashed early in the 4th was scary...a few more of those for as long as Ortiz could take it would have been the dominant KO statement that his fans clamor for and the Floyd haters would have had NOTHING to say

had he continued to beat the living crap out of Ortiz for a few more rounds and THEN getting a non-controversial stoppage in dominating fashion would have really done more for him IMO

Fuckin A man! I was gonna start a thread saying exactly this! Floyd HAD that fight, and he could've kept fighting the same way and show the fans and Ortiz what Floyd is REALLY made of skill-wise. He was taking Ortiz to school and hurting him BAD (just look at his face!). Floyd DID NOT NEED to end it the way he did, UNLESS he felt that Ortiz was starting to really put a hurt on him. But every round was a masterful performance by Floyd and did remind me of the old school Floyd. Imagine, we could've seen 8 more rounds of PURE boxing lesson and get this...IT WAS NOT THE BORING FLOYD!

You guys gotta atleast acknowledge the fact that it couldve been better.

[[ DUBBZZ ]]

Fuckin A man! I was gonna start a thread saying exactly this! Floyd HAD that fight, and he could've kept fighting the same way and show the fans and Ortiz what Floyd is REALLY made of skill-wise. He was taking Ortiz to school and hurting him BAD (just look at his face!). Floyd DID NOT NEED to end it the way he did, UNLESS he felt that Ortiz was starting to really put a hurt on him. But every round was a masterful performance by Floyd and did remind me of the old school Floyd. Imagine, we could've seen 8 more rounds of PURE boxing lesson and get this...IT WAS NOT THE BORING FLOYD!

You guys gotta atleast acknowledge the fact that it couldve been better.

Nope. Floyd fans are satisfied because Floyd won. Seriously, if Floyd pulled a chair out and clocked Ortiz while Cortez was not looking WWE style, they'd be ok with it.

[extracurRICular]

Fuckin A man! I was gonna start a thread saying exactly this! Floyd HAD that fight, and he could've kept fighting the same way and show the fans and Ortiz what Floyd is REALLY made of skill-wise. He was taking Ortiz to school and hurting him BAD (just look at his face!). Floyd DID NOT NEED to end it the way he did, UNLESS he felt that Ortiz was starting to really put a hurt on him. But every round was a masterful performance by Floyd and did remind me of the old school Floyd. Imagine, we could've seen 8 more rounds of PURE boxing lesson and get this...IT WAS NOT THE BORING FLOYD!

You guys gotta atleast acknowledge the fact that it couldve been better.

It actually wasn't.......if the fight would have gone on and he would of stopped Ortiz down the line with that style of fighting I might of become a *****!!!

hahhahaha.....nah I kidd I kidd.......but he did look like a better Floyd for 3.5 rounds IMO

[extracurRICular]

Of course it isnt, but this is boxing not a tickling contest..

so because it's boxing it exempts participants from being legit?
Ur ok with Victor going Rhyno on your boy? your ok with your Boy's Sucker punch?? you dig that in our your PROFESSIONAL sports??????? (no flame just sincerely curious)

[CubanGuyNYC]

the brutal combo that he unleashed early in the 4th was scary...a few more of those for as long as Ortiz could take it would have been the dominant KO statement that his fans clamor for and the Floyd haters would have had NOTHING to say

had he continued to beat the living crap out of Ortiz for a few more rounds and THEN getting a non-controversial stoppage in dominating fashion would have really done more for him IMO

All true. However, things turned out the way they did and we have what we've got now.

My two cents: Ortiz opened the door wide open and Mayweather walked right in. Floyd probably didn't think Victor would actually be KOed from his unexpected assault, especially since the hook should've woken Ortiz up. Ultimately, anything can happen in a fight and Mayweather chose to tilt the odds even more in his favor. Not pretty, but the guy exercised his legal right to punch. Tough to argue with that fact.

[Kagami Taiga]

so because it's boxing it exempts participants from being legit?
Ur ok with Victor going Rhyno on your boy? your ok with your Boy's Sucker punch?? you dig that in our your PROFESSIONAL sports??????? (no flame just sincerely curious)

if one fighter is dirty, if he intentionally opens that door, u will never hear me bellyache about another fighter retaliating in kind. the fight was ruined. why ppl even put most of the blame on floyd is beyond me. it was ortiz who headbutted. it was ortiz who kept his hands low and refused to guard himself while hugging a man who just headbutted him. as far as im concerned, theres no way u can complain about what floyd did with a straight face and ignore these facts.

like i said the fight was ruined. floyd takes part of the blame for that. but at the end of the day one fighter didnt belong in that ring, and it was ortiz. he was the most unprofessional fighter i have seen in a while. and u can check my post history, im an ortiz fan. but that **** was embarrassing for him. pretty much almost every fighter and almost every writer in the boxing world agrees.