Interesting story about Larry Merchant on racism.

[Vegemil]

Read Jim Lampley's old AMA on reddit and was amazed at how many people can call Larry a racist with a story like his.

Well, first of all, let me deal with the subject of whether Larry Merchant is in any way even remotely racist. His first newspaper sports editing job when he came back from being in the Army was as the sports editor of the Wilmington Star News in North Carolina. Early on in his tenure, he placed on the first page a picture of a black man who had broken a world record for catching a marlin off the coast of Cape Hatteras. There was a picture of this fisherman with his giant fish, and Larry put it in a prominent place in the sports section. .The following day his editor called him and said, I don't care if a black man goes to the moon with a sports uniform on, you won't put him on the front page. And Larry said, you're absolutely correct, because I'm no longer the sports editor. So that's what I say when anyone suggests he's racist

[Japanese Badass]

Larry hated Floyd because he saw Floyd as the selfish fake weasel that he was, not because Floyd was black. He simply called him out on it.

Any intelligent and honest man can see this.

Larry was a good man.

[Pigeons]

Interesting thing is Larry Merchant was a catalyst in HBO losing both Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather to Showtime.

They forgave him for Tyson, but after Mayweather left they canned him.

[Redd Foxx]

Why do people call him a racist? Because of the Floyd thing?
I think he was great at antagonizing him. Floyd was trying to play the heel and Larry treated him like one by speaking for the fans who don't like an arrogant, brash fighter. It was a very WWF kinda thing they had going.

Simply calling everyone we don't like "racist" is ignorant and damaging because it wrecks your own integrity, as well as the credibility of your cause.

Nice thread tag BTW.

[Motorcity Cobra]

Larry hated Floyd because he saw Floyd as the selfish fake weasel that he was, not because Floyd was black. He simply called him out on it.

Any intelligent and honest man can see this.

Larry was a good man.

Why did he hate Hopkins?

Why did he say Forest deserved to get KO'd for coming out rapping during his ringwalk?

[daggum]

next thing you know people are going to be saying trump is racist when he clearly said he was the least racist person on earth so how could he be?

[Mammoth]

I heard him say the n word once

[brettWall]

I would probably call Merchant racist if I hadn't heard George Foreman say, "ran around like a headless chicken" to Floyd when he fought Dela Hoya.
Which was exactly the same issue Merchant was bringing up when he confronts Mayweather.

[Pigeons]

Why did he hate Hopkins?

Why did he say Forest deserved to get KO'd for coming out rapping during his ringwalk?

Why was he in love with Shane Mosley?

[yngwie]

Why did he hate Hopkins?

Why did he say Forest deserved to get KO'd for coming out rapping during his ringwalk?

1-Because Hopkins had a history of being dirty, putting lackluster performances and forcing dq's.
2-Because it was a cringy af.
Or he needed to be praisin all the black boxers all the time to avoid hurting the feelings of a bunch of victimized puss ies?
Watch Judah vs Mayweather so you can see Merchant praising Mayweather, watch Forrest vs Mosley to see him praising Forrest and watch Hopkins vs Tito or Pavlik to see him praising B-Hop.