Comments Thread For: Merchant: Media Has To Pressure Ward, Stevenson

[MDPopescu]

Pardon me for not picking up on it, but what is the inference you're making?

The inference (which is a logical operation, of course) is also included in the post at #83...

The inference is that HBO doesn't seem willing to pay anymore those fighters who don't sell according to their "celebrity" rankings...

(HBO paid a purse of $3.5 million for the Ward-Rodriguez fight -- while that fight sold 4,158 tickets, and pulled a gate of $277,374.00)

[toff]

He's drinking again.

[rasdun]

He's drinking again.

obviously you're joking, but he is 100% accurate. Although HBO is to blame too. They're the ones buying the fights. they should tel Ward and others they're not getting millions unless it's a fight where the opponent isn't a 10-1 dog

[Frank Ducketts]

Call out GG too, and don't let him or his fans use the "duck" excuse either.

[soul_survivor]

I often agree with Merchant but not here...on the Stev part anyway, the guys fought a lineal champ, a former titlist and a number one contender all in one year and managed to avenge a loss.

Ward on the other hand is turning into a bit of a joke. GGG and Ward both need to step up in 2014 or get the *** off the money train

[ThatDude44]

Why is Ward even receiving criticism he is the #2 fighter P4P, and how much is he making a fight? (Can you blame him for waiting for the Chavez fight). As soon as these guys take a loss they will make a lot less money. And if they get hurt in a fight you think HBO gives a damn what happens to them? There only obligation is to themselves and there families.

Merchant is such a hypocrite
remember why Floyd was calling out Oscar and Mosley when he was at lightweight, and he was just acting like Floyd wasn't a big enough draw to fight those guys.

Yep, he was saying Floyd wasn't worth the risk basically giving those guys a pass. Yet he wants to open his mouth about forcing fights.

[sbbigmike]

Larry Merchant doesn't have Mayweather on HBO to be mad at anymore so he's turning his attention on Ward and threw Stevenson in there for good measure. Maybe Ward and Stevenson should have just said they'll leave it up their promoters and Larry Merchant to decide who they'll fight next.

Merchant grilled Manny for his lack luster performance after Rios, then questioned to his face whether Manny could beat a fighter his size in his division, in the Chinese broadcast, then looked at Manny in disgust when he hide behind Arum again as far as his next opponenent.....


Merchant has been very cranky lately, he loves boxing and understand that he's most likely near the end of his road, he wants to see the best fight the best, boxing experts like Sugar and Stewart have died watching these so called greats facing easy touch after easy touch, completely disregarding the fights fans want to see. Now that HBO has a lesser leash on Merchant expect for him to let his voice be heard

[ShoulderRoll]

Larry was criticising Ward for targeting fights with Chavez and Froch instead of moving up to the fight Stevenson and Kovalev.

Merchant clearly said that Ward "won another easy fight" when he beat Edwin Rodriguez. Read the article.

So now I want to hear Larry say that Kovalev won an easy fight against Sillakh. Since Sillakh lost to Grachev who got bombed out by Edwin Rodriguez.

If Merchant doesn't criticize Kovalev then he is showing double standards.

Understand?

[big_james10]

i personally think we need more mayweather-baldomir's. that will save boxing.

A fight between Mayweather and the linear champion will do more for boxing than Pacquaio/Rios or Pacquaio/Bradley II.

[big_james10]

baldomir was a bum. margarito was the real #1 and had been for years. it would be like hopkins fighting zsolt erdei instead of tarver. hopkins didn't do that because he's not a bi-tch. also floyd turned down 8 mill to fight margarito because it wasn't enough then 3 months later accepted 8 mill to fight baldomir because baldomir is a bum. also the fight was terrible. he was afraid to throw against a bum.

how about this if a random journeyman beat stevenson, then ward moved up and beat that bum, then he never fought kovalev, that would be a great win? ward would be a great fighter for doing that? it's called cherry picking.

You sound just like Larry Merchant with this nonsensical rant. Margarito was not the number 1 guy at 147 until Mayweather retired and then only briefly. Margarito lost to Daniel Santos, Paul Williams, Mosley and Pacquaio and Cotto. The only decent welterweight/junior welterweights he ever beat were Cotto (with questionable wraps) and Kermit Cintron twice. So, out of eight quality welterweight/junior welterweight opponents, Margarito lost to five of them. But in your mind, 3 out of 8 makes him a beast and the best welterweight/junior welterweight to ever lace up the gloves.