It's Time to Take Larry Merchant Out Behind the Shed
by ColtJouvet on Jul 2, 2011 7:08 PM EDT
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After witnessing the bombastic glamor booming from Wladimir Klitschko and David Haye's entrances, boxing fans in the United States were subjected to twelve rounds of incessant pissing and moaning by HBO's terribly stale announce crew. The air was tainted even before the bell as Larry Merchant and Jim Lampley continually mocked the German production and the passion of the rollicking crowd. Look, we've all chastised Larry and Jim for putting down past cards, fights, crowds and venues that they are paid to talk about, and I do appreciate some honesty in the broadcast booth. However, I do not tune into HBO to listen to a bitter, seemingly senile and likely sloshed harpy haunt the telecast like some vengeful lobotomized spirit. Larry Merchant embarrassed himself and HBO today.
Also, Jim Lampley shouldn't be let off the hook after tonight. Once Roy Jones Jr. gave up on offering resistance to Larry's bemoaning in the middle rounds, Lampley began to encourage his partner and follow the same, tired narrative. "You're in rare form tonight," Lampley said at one point to Larry with a smug laugh. No Jim, it was the same old trash from Larry and yourself, and I'm tired of it.
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Definitely agree, I mean, I like honesty and objectivity, but the job of the announcer is to keep us interested, not to bash the fight that’s going on. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would’ve preferred some combination of Gus Johnson, Max Kellerman, and Roy Jones, than Lampley or Merchant today.
I actually like Kellerman’s work, but Gus can kick rocks. I’ll take Smugboy Jim over the howling weasel(Gus looks like a weasel to me im sorry) any day of the week. Roy’s there for the spectatacle.
by The Twillness on Jul 2, 2011 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions
i agree
i’ve heard merchant complain one too many times about how bad the fight we are watching is. While I appreciate honesty … I don’t appreciate him pissing on the parade I paid to watch as a regular habit. If every fight stinks in his opinion, maybe he’s getting paid to watch a sport he doesn’t enjoy anymore. And if that’s the case, I certainly don’t want my PPV dollars going to a guy who dislikes his job and makes me feel like I just wasted my goddamn money.
I am getting real tired of hearing about how bad the state of boxing is. As a relative newcomer to the sport (I was a super casual fan until about 3-4 years ago) … I don’t see what is SO bad. I remember watching Pacquiao dismantle De La Hoya and thought it was absolutely incredible …like witnessing a modern day David vs Goliath. Recently watched Morales sit in the pocket against Maidana and marveled at his ability to dodge, roll, block, and counter. I thought to myself … if I were ever to be a boxer, THAT is the way I would want to fight.
Boxing is only hurting itself when commentators, reporters, and columnists are constantly bemoaning the “bad” state of the sport. Honestly even our own Scott Christ is a bit guilty of this imo … he keeps saying how bad the heavyweights are and I for one couldn’t disagree with him more. 10+ years is too long to say it’s the personel. All the heavyweights in the world just suddenly forgot how to fight for over a decade? Maybe just maybe the Klitschko’s are so damn good that they make everybody else in the world look bad.
Just so no one misunderstands, badlefthook has become my favorite boxing site so I’m not hating on our staff. Just pointing out that too much complaining can probably lead fans AWAY from this terrific sport … newcomers will take the “bad” state of boxing at face value and move on to a different sport that doesn’t self-disparage as a regular habit.
Honestly even our own Scott Christ is a bit guilty of this imo … he keeps saying how bad the heavyweights are and I for one couldn’t disagree with him more. 10+ years is too long to say it’s the personel. All the heavyweights in the world just suddenly forgot how to fight for over a decade? Maybe just maybe the Klitschko’s are so damn good that they make everybody else in the world look bad.
Most of the fights in the division suck, including the ones that have nothing to do with the Klitschkos. It’s a lousy division with lousy fights. What’s the last truly good heavyweight fight? this is a legitimate question, because if it’s Adamek vs Arreola, that wasn’t even one of the 25 best fights of that year.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jul 3, 2011 4:02 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
But I will, in fact, openly admit that I purely hate the heavyweight division. I really do. I don’t like watching bad fights and there’s almost never a good one in that division. Either neither guy is good, nobody’s willing to engage, or someone all but gives up trying to fight when he realizes the other guy isn’t so bad as the fat guys he used to fight in the clubs of Tennessee or what have you. Or take something that isn’t like that — the Tony Thompson vs Maurice Harris fight on FNF a while back. That was an awful fight, and Thompson is supposedly top 10 in the division. What was impressive about the way he fought? What was attractive about that?
In all sincerity, if we could find someone enthusiastic to write for free about the heavyweight division, someone who really loves it, follows it closely, and could do a good job with that role, I’d love to have them to balance out my cynicism and help me largely ignore having to talk about it, because I know some people are excited about, say, Robert Helenius, but to me he’s just another awkward tall guy who’s big enough to eventually punch hard enough to knock out washed-up Sam Peter. And that’s my true bias — I just don’t think the division has very many legit good fighters, and at this point the Klitschkos are the only guys who make for “events” in the division, and i’m always up for a big fight atmosphere, but now they’ve basically taken a fire hose to everyone out there, so now what?
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
Eddie Chambers against the Drago guy was the last decent one I saw. plus some of Arreola's.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
You know when I do like the heavies pretty well? Prizefighter tournaments, as we’ve discussed many times now. The three-round tournament format seems to bring out the best in a lot of them.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
I also like Arreola a lot more all of a sudden.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
well if i were to try and spin the HW division differently
I’d gush about the fact that Klitschko is so absolutely dominant. He’s had a longest reign since who? Maybe Joe Louis? He’s whack-a-moling every contender that comes along. Nobody has even managed to provide a stiff challenge to him in a long time. He fights everyone ..doesn’t dodge any fights at all.
All of this is even more impressive because he’s doing it in an era where the bar has been raised. Professional sports has become big business. There’s so much money in it now, everyone has an entourage helping a fighter perform …managers, trainers, nutritionists, sport psychologists …on and on. In other words, there are more resources and knowledge being devoted to the fighters … and between that and the video-tape analysis … a fighter’s weaknesses are exposed far quicker than anytime in the past.
To make a golf analogy, when Tiger Woods was absolutely dominant, people weren’t harping on the fact that technology, both in the clubs and the ball, were allowing him to do things that were absolutely unprecedented. Everyone else had access to the same equipment. His reign was appreciated for what it was … a positively historic run.
I think we should do the same for boxing. People are so quick to dismiss Pacquiao’s incredible run …but he’s been doing it against bigger stronger guys who have championship pedigrees. I don’t care what Teddy Atlas has to say about Henry Armstrong, if you took a time machine and transported prime Henry Armstrong into the ring with Pacquiao, Armstrong would get destroyed. The game has evolved too far. If you took prime Joe Frazier and transported him into the ring with Klitschko, Frazier would get destroyed. If you took olympic gold medalists from 50-60 years ago, they wouldn’t even make it on their country’s squads, let alone win a medal.
Yes I realize it could be a different story if competitors from the past had access to modern training and knowledge. But it’s really time to stop placing fighters from the “golden” age on a pedestal. There are two sports in the world where the oldtimers give far too much credit to the distant past … boxing and baseball. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that both sports are in decline. What casual fan wants to watch a sport where you’re constantly being told how inferior the current stars are in comparison to the glory days of the past?
Good post. Very thoughtful. I may steal it..
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
arrrgggg..... how clear can it get than this? +1...well written and sound argument.
stone and eggs - no business!
I’ve never disrespected what Wladimir and Vitali do. They are good. They’re also the exception to the rule in today’s division, IMO.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on Jul 5, 2011 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Just curious ... but who is "dismissing Pacquiao's incredible run"??
I read an awful lot of boxing news/magazines, and I rarely, if ever, read anything that disparages Pacquiao in any way. He is easily one of the all-time greats, and nobody disputes that.
Also, it is possible to give the Klitschko’s credit without over-hyping the level of their competition. Yes, they have beaten/run through the current crop of “contenders” quite nicely. But let’s not assume this means the contenders are very good. They’re not. Is this the Klitschko’s fault? No. But that doesn’t change the fact that there are very few good fighters in the heavyweight division to speak of.
Just curious, but how do you figure Klitschko would “destroy” Joe Frazier?? You’re talking about a guy who crumbled at the hands of Lamon Brewster and Corrie Sanders … but he would destroy Frazier? Ludicrous. You’ve allowed your frustration with your perceived disrespect of the current heavyweight division to influence your opinion. The heavyweight division is a joke. Period. It’s unfortunate, and it doesn’t mean the Klitschko brothers ought to be criticized for it, but it is true, nonetheless.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
I think you answered your first line question in the second one.
stone and eggs - no business!
by noy on Jul 8, 2011 5:20 AM EDT up reply actions
So you're saying people think Pacquiao's competition has been weak?
Wow. I don’t see that at all. Nor would I agree with it, if I did see it.
Comparing Pacquiao’s opponents to the Klitschko brothers’ is like comparing the Grand Canyon to a drainage ditch.
I needed a team so I wouldn’t turn into one of the eighty million pink hat-wearing Bud Light-drinking mulleted idiots at Fenway.
NOPE! but you did.
you asked who is dismissing PACs incredible run (?) and proceeded that of the awful papers that you read you rarely, if ever, read anything that disparages Pacquiao in any way" – that’s your statement not mine.
stone and eggs - no business!
you're contradicting yourself
you’re not giving Klitschko credit because you’re disparaging his competition. it’s the “nothing but bums” line of thought. I disagree with this line of thought. I feel if someone is consistently beating the #2-5 ranked boxers in the world over a period of 10 years, they are NOT fighting bums. They’re fighting the best heavyweights in the world. Why are the current heavyweights so routinely dismissed? What makes them such bums? Only one thing …the fact that they can’t beat the Klitschkos and American boxing writers just can’t stand the fact that a couple of European boxers are dominating. It’s sour grapes.
Ludicrous to think Klitschko would destroy Joe Frazier? Why? He got wrecked by George Foreman, who is far smaller and possesses far less technique than Klitschko. It’s no secret that athletes of today bury their past competitors in fields where there are measurable indicators. Running, swimming, weightlifting, skating … in every category, the athletes of today are so far superior that they make yesterday’s heroes look like varsity kids. I am so so tired of boxing placing the oldtimers on an unreachably high pedestal. I’ve seen the footage of those old fights ….and those guys look really really slow compared to today’s fighters.
I’ll bring up the NBA analogy again … oldtime NBA players had sweet-looking jump shots, but those jump shots would be shut down in today’s game. Today’s athletes are quicker, faster, taller …and yesterday’s jumpshooter would get blocked all day in today’s league.
The Bert Sugars and Teddy Atlases of boxing are killing their own sport because everytime they open their mouth they can’t help but talk about some oldtimer that would have beaten a current champ. Doesn’t matter if it’s Pacquiao, Mayweather, or Klitschko, there’s some fighter from ancient times that would have beaten them. I call BS. Enough nostalgic nonsense. Today’s athlete is better and nothing i’ve seen in the video footage makes me think otherwise.
Generally agree with you that today’s athletes are light years ahead of olden times, but NOT the heavyweight division. I think the Klitschkos are great, but it’s no thanks to their opposition.
What makes them such bums?
Obesity, slowness, and ineptitude.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
arreola vs minto was a “cracking” good fight for the while that it lasted
I hate the Texans
by battle axe of doom on Jul 4, 2011 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed Scott
I have no problem with Larry bashing a s****y fight, and Saturday’s was just that.
I will enjoy Larry’s commentating while he’s here because who knows how many more he’ll call. I for one will miss him when he’s gone.
"That was very funny about the old man basketball skills. One is lucky to escape injury when playing against those crafty, crusty sumbitches. And it’s just demoralizing when they demonstrate yet again how to use the backboard from range." - Charlie Custer
by SmittytheCutman on Jul 7, 2011 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions
It wasn't spectacular
But it wasn’t nearly as bad as Scrooge McDuck made it out to be.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
HBO should hire Brain Kinney
and team him with Max. I’d like that fine.
Wear something sexy to my funeral.
I saw it exactly tonight exactly as Merchant called it.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
This was hardly the fight to criticize Merchant. Everything he said was confirmed by the virtual shutout on two of the judges cards. And Lederman’s.
Even Roy Jones, who admittedly acknowledged Haye was a RJJ wannabe, said the referee was disgusted with Haye and his flopping.
Merchant is many things but he has few filters. He calls it like he sees it even if it means saying the fight he is supposed to be promoting is shit. I find it refreshing more often than irritating.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Those cards were wide, in my opinion. This fight had plenty of examples of Larry’s issues:
After a solid intro video, the show begins with the roar of the crowd and an excited Jim Lampley (when do we really see that these days?) welcomes the audience. He then turns to Larry for his thoughts…and Larry proceeds to stumble around for two minutes questioning David Haye as a challenger. Total momentum killer.
In the 5th & 6th round, Larry and Roy complained that Haye wasn’t going to the body. Haye landed several good body shots by the end of the 6th without a peep from either of them.
I don’t this fight was shit, but my expectations were tempered. Really though, even if you agree with his take, I don’t think whining in the manner Larry does helps the product at all. It’s distracting and often really awkward. Hell, even an exciting fight like Berto/Ortiz had its Merchant head-scratchers. It’s like watching a fight with someone who won’t play in a sandbox until it’s been pissed in. Not endearing, refreshing or worthwhile commentating.
I get your point
But not in this fight
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Fair enough.
I’ll admit that this post was a culmination of issues with Merchant, though I maintain that he was not good tonight.
And read the papers from around the world
Most writers think Haye was all talk, no fight.
Exactly what Merchant was saying all fight.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Definitely understand why people are upset.
I didn’t expect Haye to come out firing. I looked at how cautious he was against Valuev and Audley freakin’ Harrison and figured he’d be similar today. But he did talk quite a bit, so I understand the disappointment.
I’ve said on other posts that if he came out like just another contender and given the same performance, I might not even be commenting on his. But he didn’t. He presented himself as the savior of the division and as Scott feared, his performance may have put another nail in the heavyweights as an attraction for some time to come.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
HBO should hire Scott Christ.
“GO DOWN YOU FUCKING ROBOT!”
Bad Left Hook
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
by jrok on Jul 3, 2011 12:02 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Huh? I'm almost as old as Merchant. Why not me?
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
by Boss Man on Jul 3, 2011 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Too pretty fot TV
Bad Left Hook
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Good stuff, by the way. Merchant has not aged like fine wine. He’s becoming slimier, smarmier and more senile by the millisecond. Lamps is two men now: Five Drink Lampley and Fourteen Drink Lampley. The former is an obsequious shill for coprorate, the latter is a ranting, firebreathing headcase. It’s rare you get a good blow-by-blow out of him these days, as I sense he’s barely even watching the fights.
Bad Left Hook
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
how horrible they may be.
showtimes announcers suck. I hated the announcers they had on for the last pacquiao fight. I believe they were football announcers, either way they sucked and should leave football announcer to football. hbo needs to wake up to the modern era and put some jive into their crap. he is making fun of the production and being unhappy that they are not in charge of it but maybe they should be looking at what they are doing and the fact that it might actually be more entertaining.
"You know whats funny? I always thought uhm dogs lay eggs and I learned something new today" Peter Griffin
I agree with this post, wholeheartedly.
There are many good young options for replacements.
Even if the fight sucks – I’d rather hear a guy say “this fight sucks” than some of the apacolyptic metaphors and bullshit “I was walking through the city yesterday and stumbled on some flowers and a note” stories.
"You can't search me without probable cause Or that proper ammunition they call reasonable suspicion Listen while I bring friction to your whole jurisdiction" - Fugees
Completely agree with this post. Larry was so bad last night that it almost made me regret saying nice things about his work during Alexander-Matthysse (specifically the line that Devon Alexander may have gained some measure of redemption, but the world of boxing hasn’t by giving Matthysse another poor decision loss).
The thing is, I’m all for announcers being honest and calling spades spades, but Larry’s problem last night and in general is that it’s more often about his own aesthetic preferences than anything else. He had already begun whining by the third round, and his inability to appreciate anything other than face-first brawlers makes him a very hard listen. Likewise, during his “tribute” to Bernard Hopkins during the Pascal fight, every single victory of Hopkins’ career was qualified, all largely because he doesn’t fight “the right way” and because Merchant’s a petty asshole.
Excellent Fanpost. I have disliked Merchant ever since his cruel treatment of Sonny Liston decades agp.
This bitter, senile, hateful and hurtful excuse for a boxing “expert” really hates boxers. He calls them bums and tomato cans, even though they provide him with his high, albeit unwarranted salary. His verbal constipation has now approached laughable dimensions and he himself has become laughable. I’d love to take him out to the shed and apply the finishing stroke.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
And we must not forget his calling Irish Mickey Ward a coward, Courage Tshabalala the best heavyweight since Tyson, and the Mariachi band “this sucks.” HBO is not about Merchant, it is about boxers who risk their lives. This twerp (aka squirt) does not risk his life except when he possibly overindulges. I try not to hate because hate is a bad thing, but when it comes to this guy, I really have a hard time controlling myself.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
I think that Merchant is at bottom a failed writer.
I remember him from decades ago, writing for NY newspapers. Norman Mailer, Joyce Carol Oates (who is still chugging along), Schulberg, and for a time even Hemingway, were all serious literary figures who at least on occasion turned their attention to sports, and Merchant, I think, generationally overlaps some of these figures. His early newspaper work always suggested to me that he had greater aspirations.
Merchant, when I listen to him, tries to inject some sort of literary “resonance” into what he covers, with usually inapropos metaphoric stretches and attempts to wring deeper meanings from absolutely everything.
But, he’s just not that good at it, and his time and opportunity are long past.
I guess so. I don’t watch HBO, and caught the K-H fight on RTL. But I do have to listen occasionally to the HBO group when I watch fights on Youtube. I mostly ignore them.
The good think about seeing Klitschko-Haye on RTL was that my German, while sort of OK, is not good enough to allow the commentary to distract me from watching the fight itself. And Lampley and Merchant were not there at all.
Yes, thanks. I think he got picked up regularly by one of the NY papers, perhaps either the Daily News or the Post, I can’t remember which.
I'm afraid to ask this,
because I’m sure there is some history of which I’m not aware, but I will anyway.
Of all the boxing commentators I ever heard, it seemed to me that John Scully was the best. He was honest, actually called fights and strategies in a way that made sense, and wasn’t afraid to tell co-commentators when he thought they were wrong.
Does anyone else here agree, or at least have any info on why Scully disappeared?
John is wondering that as well. He always did a great job.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
He's on the HBO boxing podcast sometimes.
Last week talking about Haye/Wlad, for example.
Most people don't know shit about boxing. At all. Period. - Roger Mayweather
by The Kittitas Kid on Jul 5, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
He also does a lot of stuff with Joe Teesitori. He sounds a lot like Jerry Quarry when he was
doing some annouincing. Very engaging and a great friend to boot.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Right, I meant ESPN Podcast
Not HBO podcast. Sorry.
Most people don't know shit about boxing. At all. Period. - Roger Mayweather
by The Kittitas Kid on Jul 5, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Scully is a trainer now, and a good one. No idea why they don’t have him announce any more. He was very good. As for Merchant, he seems to have no appreciation for defense, and seems to demand brawls every fight. He praises offense and ignores skill, technique, defense, things that anybody whose ever been in the ring knows are important.
Am I alone in thinking Larry is pretty funny sometimes? I understand all the criticism, but sometimes a little disgust is warranted. Larry comes from a different generation, boxing’s last golden age. It’s been a steep fall from the days of Patterson, Liston, Ali, Frazier, etc. I think he is one of the old timers who is a little bitter about the state of boxing today relative to its former glory.
He does have his moments here and there, and it’s not even that he was wrong yesterday. It’s that the act is tired and he does it for basically every fight. He clearly doesn’t enjoy himself and he brings the worst out of Lampley. He’s a detriment to their broadcasts and there are better options out there. Scully has been mentioned already and he’s ten times better. Kellerman’s already better.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
Maybe it's the density of bombast.
As Scott said, it’s not that Merchant is constantly wrong, but for me it’s more his twisted logorrhea that drives me nuts.
I know that there’s a need to avoid “dead air” at all costs on a broadcast, but I think it’s possible to fill time with substantive observations. Merchant does have them, but they tend to sound tortuous and convoluted, and buried under layers of verbiage. Kind of like this post.
I suspect he thinks he's today's Howard Cosell
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Me too. But hate him or not, he never missed a call, and hating him every inch of the way, I learned buckets from him. Just the sound of his voice sets my teeth on edge. But he did know.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
It was all about a NYC accent and I liked him just fine.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
It's not about the accent.
I’m from Brooklyn, and don;t mind it. It was the bombast, rather like Merchant. I don’t Cosell called fights very well at all.
I love a New York accent, lived at 14th and 8th for 23 years and can’t stop missing it. I hated Cosell. I like Teddy Atlas, speaker of Staten Islandese extraordinaire: Staten Islandese is essentially Brooklynese pi’d to the 10th power—no, it was Cosell himself. But no question he knew his stuff, and you learned as you listened.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
The guy was annoying but that was his schtick. He was certain that he was smarter than his colleagues (not always but probably true). In the end though, he as pretty damn smart.
And great for entertaining. You had to love or hate him as it impossible to be indifferent.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
You know much more than I do, so I certainly defer to you.
Cosell, to me, seemed to make remarkably uninformative (not uninformed) observations about the fight at hand, and seemed to enjoy drawing broader inferences about the significance of everything, at the expense of discussing the details of what was happening right in front of him. Merchant sounds just like that, to me.
Very well put Sammlung
"That was very funny about the old man basketball skills. One is lucky to escape injury when playing against those crafty, crusty sumbitches. And it’s just demoralizing when they demonstrate yet again how to use the backboard from range." - Charlie Custer
by SmittytheCutman on Jul 8, 2011 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Larry comes from my generation and I can assure you he would have been a flaming asshole
back then. Larry was, is, and always will be a verbally constipated twerp who subconciously hates boxers. Guys my age (74) recognize what guys like Merchant are faster than you cans say “phoney.”
That said, however, he was a pretty decent little football player in high school in New York. I’ll give him that, but that’s all I give him. Are you feeling me on this? :twisted:
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Are you trying to say you don’t like him?
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
LOL. Yeah, Boss Man,
tell us what you really think.
Merchant is annoying....
But he was spot on for this fight. I loved how he got up in Haye’s ass after that fight. I dislike Mayweather, but at least he does what he says he is going to do to someone. He talks shit then actually DOES go in and humiliate them. Haye is a sad sack of crap who is the worst of the worst, someone who talks a big game then WON"T back it up. I guess I’m still just an Arturo Gatti fan at heart…..Arturo would have never gone on about a broken pinky toe. I’m not a K Bros hugger, but they are classy, and they win. I’ll take that over a spineless shit talker any day.
Have you ever stopped to think that the person you are chatting with online is a perfectly normal human being, and that YOU are raving psycopath?
And he talks kind of like Vardaman
So there’s that too…
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Devastated I didn’t get the American commentary if that’s the case. Damn.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on Jul 12, 2011 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Merchant
Merchant is so incredibly off-putting before any fight it is literally painful to watch him. Every time he does his little speech, the only thing that goes through my head is “Get to the point, grandpa…” Even more important is that I frequently watch boxing with people who don’t regularly watch boxing and Merchant is frequently the first thing that they see. After that they usually get up and get a beer from the fridge or go off into a conversation. Honestly he is a turnoff even for most hardcore boxing fans. Hell, I’ve gotten to the point where I don’t even want to watch boxing live because I want to be able to skip through the “emotional stories” and Merchant’s stupid speeches. Also he doesn’t add anything of value to the broadcast. When was the last time Merchant said something insightful and you thought to yourself “Wow that’s a really good/insightful point Larry!”
In conclusion, Merchant sucks and he is off-putting to both new and hardcore fans of boxing.
"The bell that tolls for all in boxing belongs to a cash register."
-Bob Verdi
yes suh!
In conclusion, Merchant sucks and he is off-putting to both new and hardcore fans of boxing.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
I vote Paris Hilton to replace the old man
She with make the core fans hard.
And the hard fans core.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
Hilton? The skeletal scion?
Bad Left Hook
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Get Tarver , Brian Kenny and say Al Bernstein on HBO
the current commentary team is bizarre. Lampley’s a ratbag , Merchant’s an elitist arsewipe with a penchant for talking about fighters like they aren’t actually humans , but merely animals there to entertain him. I dont mind Roy as a commentator, he’s not as good as Tarver but better than Lennox Lewis .
Lampley's laziness is really starting to bother me
I have no idea if he’s always been this way, but he makes it blatant that he has no knowledge about fights other than the ones he’s called. He’s just going through the motions.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Anyone else think Mayweather would kill as an HBO commentator?
If anything, him and Merchant fighting would be awesome. I like Emanuel Steward compared to the rest of the God awful HBO crew but by his account he’s never predicted a fight wrong. He flip/flops more the Kerry, “But this is exactly the way I thought the fight would play out…”
I like Emanuel Steward compared to the rest of the God awful HBO crew but by his account he’s never predicted a fight wrong.
Yeah. Atlas may be horrible at predicting winners, but the way Manny switches around and contradicts himself is annoying to listen. A guy who he was just telling you moments before was dominating the fight will suddenly get waxed and Manny will say “I told you so!”
Bad Left Hook
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
I think he’s pretty hionest and truly loves the dynamism of the sport. If the wind blows he’s as excited as the next fan. If he’s wrong he admits his surprise. But when he’s at his best, he recognizes a tell very early and he is often spot on.
His recognition of Cotto being in very early trouble against Margarito was one of the more astute moments of ringside analysis. Like Bernstein’s recognition that Corrales trying to ‘hook with a hooker’ against Castillo was foreboding, Steward’s observation that being hit from above by a tall pressure fighter was a certain hell was excellent.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
love emmanuel steward
i can forgive a bit of flip-flopping as long as he’s able to point out things that I can’t see until he brings it up. he’s got the knowledge and on top of it all, he just feels real to me…my bs meter does not go off when he talks.
Good point. BUT, I wish he would learn how to use the English language. For the money
he makes, is butchering of grammar is inexcusable.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
his butchering of grammar is inexcusable.
Disagree. He speaks, quite eloquently at times, a genteel type of Black English that is real, pleasant, and sadly because it’s a kind of generational thing, fading from the scene. I’ll miss it when it’s gone. He’s got better things to do than dude up his delivery, he gets his points across and sounds fine to me.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
Black English
I’m not going there except to say that when a guy makes one million bucks, I do not expect to hear, “he could have went.” If Cotto and Bute can learn how to speak proper English, so can Manny.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
I’ll miss it when it’s gone. He’s got better things to do than dude up his delivery,
Just use words properly. Has nothing to do with “dude up.”
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
He’s got better things to do
Not when I’m paying to listen to him.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Black English. . . I’m not going there. . . .
That’s where it’s at in this context. His English is variant, not wrong, ignorant, or in need of correction. It’s a very plastic language, with plenty of leeway. He’s fine.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
Nope. There is one proper way to speak in the context of appropriate grammar.
Manny does not do it. He butchers it. Jones does it. Tarve does it. Manny does not. He iis too lazy to learn. Bute and Cotto have taken the troble to ;earn. Bute is becoming tri-lingual. The Klits are multi-lingual. Manny is bi-lingual—bad and worse!! And I say there is no excuse given the money he makes. NONE!
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Manny is bi-lingual—bad and worse!!
So what’s so bad about being bi-lingual? Didn’t you tell me that you’re bi-lingual too? Speaking both English and English?
Btw. I thought Manny was a boxing teacher and not a journalist or in another way paid for professional use of language?
The Klits are multi-lingual, and I’m not in the position to judge their English, but their German is far from perfect (though definitely far from not being good as well), and as far as I can tell, it doesn’t hurt their reputation. They are able to express themselves, and their efforts are appreciated. People know and respect that their prime business is boxing, not public speeches. Still they want them in talkshows.
"Sure, there have been injuries and deaths in boxing – but none of them serious." Alan Minter
As a matter of fact, I can speak 7 languages as I have lived all over the globe, but thats neither here nor there.This is not about me.
But if HBO or ESPN hired me as a commentator, I would make certain that, like Antonio Tarver, my grammar was sharp and correct. Now you can post all day on this, but I am not about to budge. It’s all about excellence. “Should a went” is not about excellence.
bq, People know and respect that their prime business is boxing, not public speeches. Still they want them in talk shows.
Really, is Manny’s prime business boxing—or is it training? I submit it is boxing and that included the big paycheck he gets for butchering the language. Even Teddy Atlas works on his speaking abilities—notwithstanding his brutal Staten Island accent.
Lastly, let’s not try to make this something it’s not. My point is a simple one. If a person is charged with doing a job, is paid highly for doing that job, then that person should be the very best he or she can be. It’s all about excellence.
Now then, this is my last post on the subject. It’s been vetted. And spare me the sarcasm. Not in the mood for it.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
People know and respect that their prime business is boxing, not public speeches. Still they want them in talk shows.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
And spare me the sarcasm. Not in the mood for it.
Should not have said that. I was being an asshole. Sorry
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
I didn’t mean to be sarcastic, sorry for making the impression. And I’ll leave it there, too. You’d be right if you said that it’s no business of mine.
"Sure, there have been injuries and deaths in boxing – but none of them serious." Alan Minter
..if you said that this was no business of mine would be correct grammar, right? ;)
"Sure, there have been injuries and deaths in boxing – but none of them serious." Alan Minter
Manny does not do it. He butchers it. Jones does it. Tarver does it.
Jones and Tarver don’t speak standard white English any better than Manny—they make “mistakes” all the time. All three of them have plenty to offer and communicate their insights clearly, which is what language is about. I can speak any number of Englishes well, have won prizes for public speaking and diction (high school), and can readily write an English sentence. I can also appreciate that there are variant Englishes whose speakers, and whose very variation, have a lot to offer and enrich both the language overall, and our lives. I could get away as few can with being a language snob, but I don’t see the point. Too much to lose.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
YOU ARE BEING BOTH TRUCULENT AND TENECIOUS
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Cotto's Hispanglish is pretty good
But his English is a work in progress.
"Silence is golden when you can't think of a good answer"
---- Muhammed Ali
I meant Steward as a work in progress. hahahahahahaha
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
English is still evolving and I'm glad it is
English, unlike French for example, is a language that is constantly evolving and in motion. “Lawl” is a fairly new edition to the English language .. deriving from the internet “LOL” … and nearly everyone under the age of 30 knows exactly what it means when someone says “lawl.” It will soon be in Webster’s dictionary if it isn’t already.
Slightly older example would be the word “cool.” Surely everyone understands when someone says “cool” …usually they’re not talking about temperature. Yet 30 years ago, this use of the word “cool” was not standard and not in the dictionary.
I’ve heard that the French actually vote each year to decide which words they will allow into their language. I’m happy that English is not the same way. What’s considered proper English changes over time depending on how the people are actually using the language. When a large block of people are using the language in the same way, deliberately because that’s the way they prefer to use it, I think it’s condescending to call that entire block of people “improper.”
Everyone is entitled to have their preferences, but I personally don’t mind if a southerner uses “y’all”, a black person uses “axed” (asked), or if a teenager says “bff” and “lawl.”
you're so right
spent some time dillettanting around in Anglo-Saxon/Old English and you learn some funny stuff: “axed” for “asked” is as old as the verb and was never looked down on: in all Old English dictionaries and glossaries, the ancient form is given as both “ascian” (“c” sounds like “k” here) and axian. Many old words starting with that “ask” sound had both spellings. Everytime someone says “I axed about that,” they’re using a respected variant as old as the English language.
And the word “cool” has in fact been in dictionaries for a very long time. The first usage of it that I’ve seen is near the end of The Moonstone (published1868) by Wilkie Collins, a popular writer of his time, inventor of the mystery genre along with Edgar Allan Poe, and contemporary and friend of Dickens. “‘Cool!’ said Mr. Bruff.” It’s been around a long, long time.
The English language’s greatest strength is its plasticity. It’s a rubber language, it can and always does stretch.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
You think that’s funny wait until you start learning how English spent a few decades being Americanised (thanks Microsoft) then it start to devour its own Americanisation.
The language realy is a thing of wonder.
I’m pretty sure it’s the biggest one in size in terms of words tabulated and available for use, largely because of it’s willingness to simply “Anglify” any useful word from any language by just using Enlish endings (-ing, ify-, -ness, etc.). It’s just huge.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
As a lingual snob, I prefer French. Pfft
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
I’ll take Manny’s mangled prose over Larry’s patronizing poetry any day.
Bad Left Hook
"My God, kids today think that the laces are for tying up the gloves."
-- Fritzie Zivic
Me too. Larry's senile whine reminds me of someone scrapping their fingernails across a blackboard.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
I told my wife that if I ever get to sound like Larry, then take me behind the shed and end my misery.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
I really like Steward, but he is like a weathervane in a tornado.
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else--James Thurber, 1939
Impossible
He flip/flops more the Kerry, "
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Pacquiao vs Morales I
Watch that fight and listen for when Roy Jones puts Larry Merchant in his place. Larry tried to do what a lot of people who think they know more than a former participant in the sport they cover do and Roy Jones being the only boxer commentating that night had to put Larry in the corner.
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