Interesting story about Larry Merchant on racism.

[Eff Pandas]

His best work came interviewing Naz and Floyd and both deserved to be asked some tough questions.

Why is this a goal of a post-event sports interviewer? Like the ideal commentator is a cross between Cosell & Oprah. I don't get it. Just go out there & hype the f#cking product. Thats a commentators job. Trying to trash a fighter or put a fighter your channel promotes into some awkward position is one of those dumb things boxing continues to do. Makes no sense.

Also PLEASE f#cking quit asking "who's next" to these nice guy boxers who aren't sh^t talkers & always say "whoever my team decides is best for me" like 60%+ of boxers do these days. Its a wasted, hack question for most boxers who don't like to sh^t talk & probably just in general. The guys who wanna say a name will usually say a name without you asking if you let them.

[soul_survivor]

Why is this a goal of a post-event sports interviewer? Like the ideal commentator is a cross between Cosell & Oprah. I don't get it. Just go out there & hype the f#cking product. Thats a commentators job. Trying to trash a fighter or put a fighter your channel promotes into some awkward position is one of those dumb things boxing continues to do. Makes no sense.

Also PLEASE f#cking quit asking "who's next" to these nice guy boxers who aren't sh^t talkers & always say "whoever my team decides is best for me" like 60%+ of boxers do these days. Its a wasted, hack question for most boxers who don't like to sh^t talk & probably just in general. The guys who wanna say a name will usually say a name without you asking if you let them.

If you have to ask why its important for an interviewer to ask questions and not just wank the fighter off then there really is no point in me replying to you.

[Floyd is TBE]

That's a long winded way of saying "He has black friends".

[SweetPbfAli]

I think merchant has issues with certain styles of fighters more than anything. There's not enough evidence to call the man an outright racist and I'm not a fan of his by any means.

[SweetPbfAli]

If you have to ask why its important for an interviewer to ask questions and not just wank the fighter off then there really is no point in me replying to you.

I think the issue is why are you even asking boxers questions after they were literally in combat with someone trying to take their head off and vice versa. I think the post fight interview on boxing is pretty dumb and insensitive to the combatants at a humane level.

[soul_survivor]

I think the issue is why are you even asking boxers questions after they were literally in combat with someone trying to take their head off and vice versa. I think the post fight interview on boxing is pretty dumb and insensitive to the combatants at a humane level.

oh ok so you dont think there should be any interviews, thats great, lets give them candies, cakes and cookies and kiss their boo boos better

[elfag]

Larry secretly likes big black ****. It goes against his hatred for blacks, thats why he struggles so hard with it.

[SweetPbfAli]

oh ok so you dont think there should be any interviews, thats great, lets give them candies, cakes and cookies and kiss their boo boos better

Simplistic diversion.

No, i'm saying give them a second to get their **** together, especially the loser. Maybe in the locker room or something where they are more composed.

[Eff Pandas]

If you have to ask why its important for an interviewer to ask questions and not just wank the fighter off then there really is no point in me replying to you.

LOL I'm not saying ask questions. Quit being dense man I know you're not that ******.

I'm saying what is the point of asking these guys aggressive questions that can make them look bad or like a ***** in the minds of simple minded boxing fans who don't understand the business angle of the sport these guys are at largely? Thats like asking Justin Bieber how he'd fix the stealing of music in his industry.

Just hype the goddamn product which is the fighters. Don't ask them f#cked up more convoluted than a fighter is likely interested in or likely to wanna get into after being hit in the head for the past 36 minutes. Its the dumbest f#cking thing. Talk to the mfer about the fight, how he won, hype him to the crowd & keep it f#cking moving. 75% of the questions just about any post fight interviewer asks is f#cking ****** & not the right time.

You don't ask a woman who just gave birth when she's planning on having her next kid just like you don't ask a boxer who necks right after a fight. If they wanna talk about it fair play, but if not its a waste of time to ask for the boxed response of "my team & I will decide". Its like post fight interviewers don't see anything thats happening in the past with these dumb f#cking questions or these questions at the wrong time.

Do some more side programming or something & ask these questions. Right after a fight is maybe the worst time to ask anyone any f#cking thing. Its too hyped, dramatic, extreme of an environment to get good responses that make the product, the fighter, look good. And ultimately thats what all these networks are trying to sell more than the fights themselves. And thats a whole other thing as boxing should sell boxing not boxers.

[soul_survivor]

LOL I'm not saying ask questions. Quit being dense man I know you're not that ******.

I'm saying what is the point of asking these guys aggressive questions that can make them look bad or like a ***** in the minds of simple minded boxing fans who don't understand the business angle of the sport these guys are at largely? Thats like asking Justin Bieber how he'd fix the stealing of music in his industry.

I know what you mean and disregarding your nonsense comparison, I'm going to answer your question seriously:

The point of a commentator is to commentate on the fight, not to hype anything. The point of an interviewer is to ask questions, if that occurs after a fight, those questions will be based on the fight, the fighter himself, the opponent and the future.

This has nothing to do with making someone look bad and in all honesty, if a fighter has the ability to handle himself well, he can look great in post fight interviews. Consider the two fighters I mentioned: Naz and May.

Naz was a sharp guy who had a way with words and Larry asked him some important questions during that storied career (as did the likes of MacGuigan and co in England). Naz was able to handle it, answer, be entertaining and up his stock in the minds of many.

I guess your problem is Mayweather looking bad and yes, he did, simply because he could not compete on an intellectual level or ultimately, on a career level. Mayweather avoided too many guys at too many important points, Merchant asked him if he would fight them (same as he did with Naz and MAB/Morales). May could not respond adequately and that made him look bad. nOt Merchant.

Remember, Merchant is the same guy that provided May with a massive platform on HBO, gave him credit in the rumours of a potential Naz fight and made him seem a million dollars. No one likes to bring that up. Merchant was, as far as I could tell, a straight shooter. He saw a guy do good, fight who he should and beat them, he said so. If he saw the opposite, he said so too. That's the job of an impartial interviewer.

I can't stand modern day guys like Kellerman who are nothing but company weasels.