Why did Larry Merchant pick his shots when it came to interviews?

[-Kev-]

He is getting on Bernard Hopkins here for fighting a mandatory vs Morrade Hakkar.

I thought B-Hop sounded very professional in this interview, considering how ignorant Merchant was.

Merchant appeared to pick favorites and turn a blind eye to most mandatories except when it came to some boxers.

Merchant also told Hopkins that this would be the last paycheck he gets. This was 2003, Hopkins went on to collect paychecks from boxing fights for another 13 years after that interview.

[Mike_b]

Like Mayweather said Larry you don't know ish about boxing. His deprecating attitude came from years of watching great fighters in the old days turned into less than gladiators in the new days. still stuck in that mode where his mindset was that every fight was supposed to be a brawl but unfortunately for him he grew old and bitter but the fighters became more skilled and defensive savvy there are moments where Larry merchant shows his boxing IQ and it is up there with the greats but there are just sometimes where he is plain simple saying oh those mariachis sound like crap when oscar walked in also if he was sipping on some juice some nights they would rather call him Marry lerchant. Hate him or love him he's the best interviewer in the game.

[GhostofDempsey]

Brutal stuff, but that’s another reason to love boxing. In any other sport they kiss the athlete’s ass no matter how poorly they play.

Merchant could be an ass, but he also had moments where he asked the questions fans would like to know answers to or questions that also put pressure on networks and sanctioning bodies to stop signing mismatches.

[tritium_arma]

He wasn’t wrong though. Noone wanted to watch that boring ass fight.

[-Kev-]

Brutal stuff, but that’s another reason to love boxing. In any other sport they kiss the athlete’s ass no matter how poorly they play.

Merchant could be an ass, but he also had moments where he asked the questions fans would like to know answers to or questions that also put pressure on networks and sanctioning bodies to stop signing mismatches.

Why did he pick and choose who to ask these questions to?

Other boxers did the same thing, fought mandatories, but he chose who to try to humiliate.

[TheBoxGod]

He is getting on Bernard Hopkins here for fighting a mandatory vs Morrade Hakkar.

I thought B-Hop sounded very professional in this interview, considering how ignorant Merchant was.

Merchant appeared to pick favorites and turn a blind eye to most mandatories except when it came to some boxers.

Merchant also told Hopkins that this would be the last paycheck he gets. This was 2003, Hopkins went on to collect paychecks from boxing fights for another 13 years after that interview.

Yeah kinda classless of Merchant, I think he had a bone to pick with anybody in not really competitive fights.

But Hopkins shutdown Merchant and made him look silly and ignorant just like Bernard Hopkins said.

[GhostofDempsey]

Why did he pick and choose who to ask these questions to?

Other boxers did the same thing, fought mandatories, but he chose who to try to humiliate.

I suspect something else was going on behind the scenes. Maybe Larry and Bernard had some bad blood or maybe Larry was salty with HBO for some reason. Larry was wrong for going at him for fighting a mandatory.

Early in his career he made a name for himself bashing Sonny Liston every chance he could.

[just the facts]

Why did he pick and choose who to ask these questions to?

Other boxers did the same thing, fought mandatories, but he chose who to try to humiliate.

Maybe, just maybe, Merchant is a racist piece of shyte?

[just the facts]

Brutal stuff, but that’s another reason to love boxing. In any other sport they kiss the athlete’s ass no matter how poorly they play.

Merchant could be an ass, but he also had moments where he asked the questions fans would like to know answers to or questions that also put pressure on networks and sanctioning bodies to stop signing mismatches.

Okay but why attack the fighter for fighting a mandatory?

[Shadoww702]

Maybe, just maybe, Merchant is a racist piece of shyte?

And he was a DRUNK!!! I never liked the old B@stard! I thought he was completely disrespectful to certain boxers. And after the guy usually just went 12 rounds...