L. Merchant: "Today's breed of boxing fans put more emphasis on UNDEFEATED records"

[EDOMITESLAYER]

MEET LARRY "THE TOOL" MERCHANT


This dude seriously hates floyd, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts swinging on MAYWEATHER AFTER MAYWEATHER BEATS SHANE. (MY OPINION)

on a side note I will say this.

IF HE THINKS CASUAL FANS PUT TOO MUCH ON UNDEFEATED RECORDS, WHO HERE right now things SAUL ALVAREZ IS A BEAST??? WHO THINKS HES OVERRATED? NOW HE'S BEEN FIGHTING SOME CANS IMO.

BUT LARRY'S TRICK ASS NEEDS TO REALLY TALK ABOUT THAT GODDAMN COMPANY THAT HE IS DOING THE INTERVIEW FOR, BECAUSE THE P4P TITLE IS WHAT IS MORE OVERRATED, BECAUSE IT'S A WHAT IF TITLE. "IF MAYWEATHER WAS 220 POUNDS HE WOULD BEAT KLITSKCHO, THATS BASICALLY WHAT THE TITLE STANDS FOR, POUND FOR POUND.

I dont think mayweather would beat klitskcho, neither do I think manny would, because moving up they would lose speed. alot of it. Still have short arms, and be fat and stubby lol.

oh and blame the company you work for as well MERCHANT, AS HBO THROWS GUYS AWAY WHEN THEY ARE BEATEN.

RING AND HBO PUTS MORE ON FIGHTERS THAN ANYONE AS THATS HOW THEY MAKE FIGHTS. YOU GOTTA HYPE IT UP! CANT HAVE 2 CANS FIGHTING FOR $50.00 A POP. LOL.

[Dick Buffman]

Excerpts from a recent Ring Magazine article...

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Merchant, who has followed the sport since the 1940s, says there is little doubt that unbeaten records mean more to fans now than in decades past.

“In the old days, if a fighter was unbeaten the response from fans was ‘Who has he fought?’ and ‘Is he being protected?’” Merchant said. “Fighters were not judged by their records. They were judged on who they fought and how they fought them.

“In the modern era, records are used as marketing tool or as a means of attracting the attention of casual fans who may not follow the sport very closely. There’s a young fighter from Mexico, Saul Alvarez, on the undercard of Saturday’s fight. He’s 19 years old and 31-0. The record makes you curious. Fans see that record and wonder how good he really is. That’s a natural thing.”

If Alvarez continues his winning ways don’t be surprised if fan curiosity gives way to blind adulation and the young welterweight starts drawing comparisons to Mexican greats of the past.

Undefeated fighters gaining premature greatness has almost become a tradition in recent decades.

Mike Tyson, the sport’s biggest star when he was its undisputed, undefeated heavyweight champ, was put in the company of Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali before Buster Douglas shocked him and the rest of the world.

Boxing’s next star, Oscar De La Hoya, was compared to Sugar Ray Leonard until he lost his “O” to Felix Trinidad.

Between his decapitation of William Joppy and his humiliation at the hands of Bernard Hopkins, many fans wondered how Trinidad, 40-0 at the time, would have fared against the likes of Robinson and Carlos Monzon.

Marco Antonio Barrera was compared to Julio Cesar Chavez as he rolled to a magnificent 43-0 record. Then he rolled into the right hands of Junior Jones.

Many called Naseem Hamed, 35-0 with 31 knockouts going into his showdown with Barrera, the hardest punching featherweight in history before he was undressed by the Mexican boxer.

There are a dozen other examples but the story is the same. Undefeated fighters seem unbeatable and on par with the great ones of the sport, then they lose a fight and suddenly the all-time great comparisons cease.

http://www.ringtv.com/blog/1870/mayw...feated_record/

Gee Larry, it wouldn't have anything to do with your company promoting and pushing that would it?

Cuz' I firmly remember HBO always dumping fighters off their air after they get a loss and marginalizing them in their broadcasts.

I for one don't give a **** about it, but I find it odd to see Larry Merchant, Mr. ****ing HBO of all people musing so stupidly about this.

As if its some sort of accident.

Look in the mirror you old goat.

[PittyPat]

I enjoy seeing guys lose their "0". I'd even be happy if my favourite fighters lose theirs, because it makes them more human and potentially less likely to be stigmatised by this undefeated silliness.

I like Dawson, Gamboa, Lopez, Ward, Mayweather, Bradley and plenty of others with an "0", but wouldn't be at all surprised or upset if they lose. Sometimes I even think they have it coming...

[southcentralcar]

larry, you did it again you old bastard

[Sutekh uvdabrix]

Actually that wasn't his point.

His point was that Mosley will look across the ring at Mayweather and not be intimated by the guy....that he fought Winky, Vernon, and Cotto, who (in his opinion) are all better fighters than anyone Mayweather has ever fought.

That would make sense if Mosley actually beat any of these guys. Didn't happen though.

yeah but he was competitive and didnt get made to look like some c level bum.

and went the distance.

Floyd will look like a baby lamb in a slaughterhouse to shane come saturday.

[johncods]

Soo true.. You look at all Undefeateds today and look at their resume and compare them to De la hoya's, or Mosley's. and there's a giant gap in competition.

[Sweet Jesus]

So what's Larry Merchant's point? That most boxers lose their undefeated records? There's a shocking a revelation.

[SmoothMon]

yes, only casual fans think an undefeated record is something great.

to real boxing fans, an undefeated fighter means that said boxing has been fighting bums or mismatches!!!!

Why do your letters have to be the biggest in the forums lol? Your a funny dude.

[V.WEBB]

Soo true.. You look at all Undefeateds today and look at their resume and compare them to De la hoya's, or Mosley's. and there's a giant gap in competition.

All of them?

[SmoothMon]

Soo true.. You look at all Undefeateds today and look at their resume and compare them to De la hoya's, or Mosley's. and there's a giant gap in competition.

Alot of fighters in my opinion get over looked, thats why i dont put any current fighter on these pedastals you guys do. Im spoild from other eras. This current era is kind of weak