Why I hate Larry Merchant

**Mr140** · 09-28-2007 08:37 PM

I can not speak for everyone but Larry one of the best announcers around and one of my favored to listen to besides Cossel so you can hate him but i like listen to him commentate on fights

**Kev** · 09-28-2007 08:39 PM

I think you have to bear in mind that Larry is a broadcaster first and foremost representing the world's premier boxing PPV channel commentating for people who have paid $40 or $50 dollars for a fight.

I know boxing is a sport and an art, but prime time PPV boxing is as much about entertainment as it is anything else.

People who pay $40 of their hard earned dollars to see a fight want to see a fight if you know what I mean and Larry is doing his bit as a voice for the people.

I absolutely agree with you regarding Chris Bryd and Cory Spinks doing what was necessary for them to be able to win but at the end of the day they are also on the worlds biggest prime time network, with their million dollar paydays the result of all the fans paying to watch them fight.

If they play to their strengths and adopt a safety first attitude to try and win fights it might make more sense for them, but the fans have every right in the world to choose the type of fighters they want to pay money to see and the majority of ultra cautius defensive fighters will never become big name stars.

Larry as the host of HBO is representing the fans that paid money to see the fights and therefore has an agenda in that its in his and HBO's interests for the fights to be entertaining so that people will pay to see them.

If he tried to make every fight sound entertaining and riveting others would say he wasn't sincere.

One place I do disagree with you is over the Contender. I'm starting to go off that show as its editing borders on ridiulous.

When you've got a fat plodder like Miguel this week lumbering around the ring, with every wide, plodding punch accompanied by an orchestral score to me it just trivialises boxing. They attempt to make every punch, shuffle and feint a moment of high drama with the result being the show doesn't really have any drama.

Save the rocky style scores and slow motion epics for worthy fights and events not a 5 round club fight between an overweight bus boy and an untested novice.

**Majesty** · 09-28-2007 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Bilbo

I think you have to bear in mind that Larry is a broadcaster first and foremost representing the world's premier boxing PPV channel commentating for people who have paid $40 or $50 dollars for a fight.

I know boxing is a sport and an art, but prime time PPV boxing is as much about entertainment as it is anything else.

People who pay $40 of their hard earned dollars to see a fight want to see a fight if you know what I mean and Larry is doing his bit as a voice for the people.

I absolutely agree with you regarding Chris Bryd and Cory Spinks doing what was necessary for them to be able to win but at the end of the day they are also on the worlds biggest prime time network, with their million dollar paydays the result of all the fans paying to watch them fight.

If they play to their strengths and adopt a safety first attitude to try and win fights it might make more sense for them, but the fans have every right in the world to choose the type of fighters they want to pay money to see and the majority of ultra cautius defensive fighters will never become big name stars.

Larry as the host of HBO is representing the fans that paid money to see the fights and therefore has an agenda in that its in his and HBO's interests for the fights to be entertaining so that people will pay to see them.

If he tried to make every fight sound entertaining and riveting others would say he wasn't sincere.

One place I do disagree with you is over the Contender. I'm starting to go off that show as its editing borders on ridiulous.

When you've got a fat plodder like Miguel this week lumbering around the ring, with every wide, plodding punch accompanied by an orchestral score to me it just trivialises boxing. They attempt to make every punch, shuffle and feint a moment of high drama with the result being the show doesn't really have any drama.

Save the rocky style scores and slow motion epics for worthy fights and events not a 5 round club fight between an overweight bus boy and an untested novice.

Then they should do the absolute best they can to win right? So why take away their advantages. If you're on prime time the main thing you have to do is win.

Not for nothing, but I'd rather beat someone my own way on primetime network then fight their way and get knocked out.

I'd rather be the guy known who won, then the guy who showed heart but got beat.

Thats what seperates Gatti from Hopkins and also why Hopkins is 42 and still has his wits while Gatti is in his 30's and can barely speak anymore.

And about the contender, what they do now is they show you the fight with sound effects and etc on the show.

But if you want to catch the actual broadcast fight(no sound effects or whatevr) then just tune in the next day, they show the fight uncut and in its entirety for people that have the same complaint as you about it

**Kev** · 09-28-2007 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Majesty

Originally Posted by Bilbo

I think you have to bear in mind that Larry is a broadcaster first and foremost representing the world's premier boxing PPV channel commentating for people who have paid $40 or $50 dollars for a fight.

I know boxing is a sport and an art, but prime time PPV boxing is as much about entertainment as it is anything else.

People who pay $40 of their hard earned dollars to see a fight want to see a fight if you know what I mean and Larry is doing his bit as a voice for the people.

I absolutely agree with you regarding Chris Bryd and Cory Spinks doing what was necessary for them to be able to win but at the end of the day they are also on the worlds biggest prime time network, with their million dollar paydays the result of all the fans paying to watch them fight.

If they play to their strengths and adopt a safety first attitude to try and win fights it might make more sense for them, but the fans have every right in the world to choose the type of fighters they want to pay money to see and the majority of ultra cautius defensive fighters will never become big name stars.

Larry as the host of HBO is representing the fans that paid money to see the fights and therefore has an agenda in that its in his and HBO's interests for the fights to be entertaining so that people will pay to see them.

If he tried to make every fight sound entertaining and riveting others would say he wasn't sincere.

One place I do disagree with you is over the Contender. I'm starting to go off that show as its editing borders on ridiulous.

When you've got a fat plodder like Miguel this week lumbering around the ring, with every wide, plodding punch accompanied by an orchestral score to me it just trivialises boxing. They attempt to make every punch, shuffle and feint a moment of high drama with the result being the show doesn't really have any drama.

Save the rocky style scores and slow motion epics for worthy fights and events not a 5 round club fight between an overweight bus boy and an untested novice.

Then they should do the absolute best they can to win right? So why take away their advantages. If you're on prime time the main thing you have to do is win.

Not for nothing, but I'd rather beat someone my own way on primetime network then fight their way and get knocked out.

I'd rather be the guy known who won, then the guy who showed heart but got beat.

Thats what seperates Gatti from Hopkins and also why Hopkins is 42 and still has his wits while Gatti is in his 30's and can barely speak anymore.

And about the contender, what they do now is they show you the fight with sound effects and etc on the show.

But if you want to catch the actual broadcast fight(no sound effects or whatevr) then just tune in the next day, they show the fight uncut and in its entirety for people that have the same complaint as you about it

I know what your saying and I too appreciate the pugilistic arts but nobody can tell that Spinks vs Taylor was anything other than a complete travesty of a fight.

I don't blame Spinks, as you say why would he trade when that would just mean getting ktfo but I do blame Taylor. He fought like a man with no heart and passion.

Spinks didn't do enough to take the title though, he just set out to spoil and pinch a victory in the dullest possible manner.

Good for him, it's his career after all but still shit for the paying fans and Merchant is imo doing a decent job when he agrees with them that the fight is shit, at least he's not being phoney like some commentators who never criticise no matter what.