The end of Merchant is near?

[SalTheButcher]

Imagine Mike Tyson taking his place, and then after Lampley says something to irk Mike, Tyson would just pounce on him WWE style

Actually, I think Tyson would make an awesome commentator!
Not only would he be damn entertaining, he has pretty deep boxing history knowledge.
I'm sure people who aren't regular boxing fans would tune in to see what crazy thing he says too so it'd be good to draw atention to the sport on that degree.
And he could probably use the money!

I see no downside to this marriage!

ive always wanted to see tyson as a commentator, and it would certainly make more people watch

[JT Rock]

Imagine Mike Tyson taking his place, and then after Lampley says something to irk Mike, Tyson would just pounce on him WWE style

Actually, I think Tyson would make an awesome commentator!
Not only would he be damn entertaining, he has pretty deep boxing history knowledge.
I'm sure people who aren't regular boxing fans would tune in to see what crazy thing he says too so it'd be good to draw atention to the sport on that degree.
And he could probably use the money!

I see no downside to this marriage!

ive always wanted to see tyson as a commentator, and it would certainly make more people watch

Yea it would be like Tazz and Michael Cole from WWE Smackdown

[EastonAssassin]

i hear Merchant would be back on HBO anymore. that's a shame if true. i use to hate Merchant but he grew on me over the years. i like Max Kellerman, who will replace him, but once Larry gets a few vodka tonics in him, he's funny as hell.

we'll miss ya, Larry

[shalamigri]

Never cared for Merchant too much, but you all have to admit that when you think of HBO boxing, you think of Merchant.

[Hulk]

Imagine Mike Tyson taking his place, and then after Lampley says something to irk Mike, Tyson would just pounce on him WWE style

Actually, I think Tyson would make an awesome commentator!
Not only would he be damn entertaining, he has pretty deep boxing history knowledge.
I'm sure people who aren't regular boxing fans would tune in to see what crazy thing he says too so it'd be good to draw atention to the sport on that degree.
And he could probably use the money!

I see no downside to this marriage!

You mean besides Lampley getting killed the first time he corrects Mike on air?

[meowza]

Imagine Mike Tyson taking his place, and then after Lampley says something to irk Mike, Tyson would just pounce on him WWE style

Actually, I think Tyson would make an awesome commentator!
Not only would he be damn entertaining, he has pretty deep boxing history knowledge.
I'm sure people who aren't regular boxing fans would tune in to see what crazy thing he says too so it'd be good to draw atention to the sport on that degree.
And he could probably use the money!

I see no downside to this marriage!

You mean besides Lampley getting killed the first time he corrects Mike on air?

Well that'd be his fault for speaking out of turn! Unless he's prepared to fornicate with him. So he shouldn't talk. Unless he wants to... you know.

[Hulk]

Imagine Mike Tyson taking his place, and then after Lampley says something to irk Mike, Tyson would just pounce on him WWE style

Actually, I think Tyson would make an awesome commentator!
Not only would he be damn entertaining, he has pretty deep boxing history knowledge.
I'm sure people who aren't regular boxing fans would tune in to see what crazy thing he says too so it'd be good to draw atention to the sport on that degree.
And he could probably use the money!

I see no downside to this marriage!

You mean besides Lampley getting killed the first time he corrects Mike on air?

Well that'd be his fault for speaking out of turn! Unless he's prepared to fornicate with him. So he shouldn't talk. Unless he wants to... you know.

CC. Thats right. I have always wondered, would Mike have said that if the woman interviewing him was say...Starr Jones? Then I think, well, he was in prison, so he's had worse, so yes, yes he would have still said it.

[LegendBoxing65]

I think Kellerman is a mistake. The guy is a loud mouth who will not add much to the professionalism of Jim Lampley.. I think they should think hard about someone else taking Merchants place. Someone with some verbosity, which what Larry has.

[LegendBoxing65]

Why is HBO putting Kellerman in there. He is the most annoying guy in boxing. Now HBO boxing will be like ESPN boxing. Larry and Jim, or Larry and Barry Tompkins always had a style where it was a special event.. They are professionals. I hope HBO reconsiders. I think Al Bernstein would be better than Kellerman. Al Bernstein did Hagler/Hearns and made it special.

[Lords Gym]

Why is HBO putting Kellerman in there. He is the most annoying guy in boxing. Now HBO boxing will be like ESPN boxing. Larry and Jim, or Larry and Barry Tompkins always had a style where it was a special event.. They are professionals. I hope HBO reconsiders. I think Al Bernstein would be better than Kellerman. Al Bernstein did Hagler/Hearns and made it special.

# 20 my brother.. HBO is turning shit and fast ! all the fukin commentators HBO can choose from and they go with this joker Kellerman . fucking hell ! Max wouldn’t know a boxing glove if he was wearing it. He is all reckless opinion , and very little fact , just a horrible watch . A snuff queen that one !

[CountryBoy]

I hope this is not true, I like Larry Merchant, and I can't stand Max Kellerman.


Boxing Confidential Exclusive:
HBO Boxing Voice Larry Merchant Out After 29 Years, Mad Max Promoted!!

Michael Marley
4/11/2007

I hope this www.boxingconfidential.com scoop turns out to be as wrong as The Chicago Tribune when it headlined that DEWEY BEATS TRUMANi in 1948. But I don't think my story is wrong. It's not what will happen that is in question...it's when it wil occur.

Having given almost 30 years of meritorious service to HBO Sports as its most critical commentator and having been, for most of that time the cable TV conscience of the sport, I don't think Larry Merchant was expecting a gold watch or anything else at the finish line.

And it looks like the HBO has decided that the Merchant of Venom is at the finsh line. What started as faint drumbeats the past few months has gone from a discernable whisper to a ear-spliting scream. Word around boxing is that HBO is negotiating out a buyout of Merchant's contract and that he will be replaced by young Mad Max Kellerman who will be promoted from the HBO "Boxing After Dark" series to full-time service on HBO Championship Boxing and on the network's PPV shows.

A source familiar with the negotiations told me that Merchant has accepted his professional fate like the consummate professional he is and that he is working out an amicable "divorce" from the broadcast giant.

"You will see Larry alongside Jim Lampley for the May 5 Las Vegas Super Fight between Mayweather and De La Hoya and the May 19 Jermain Taylor-Cory Spinks middleweight title bout in Memphis. Merchant may also work the Bernard Hopkins-Winkly Wright fight July 21 in Vegas. But HBO wants to return to the airwaves in September with Mad Max Kellerman sitting alongside Lampley in Merchant's 29-year role," the source said.

I've had my differences with Merchant over the years. Once, while scribbling for The New York Post, I wrote something about HBO bossman Seth Abraham not needing a family pet when he had an in-house parrot namded Merchant. But, despite disagreements, I've always respected Merchant for his sthyle, his candor and his courage to march to his own drummer on many boxing issues and stories. I believe that people generally talk the way they write and vice versa and Merchant was one helluva sportswriter back in the day.

Name another boxing broadcaster who shows more general respect for the fighters. Can you because I can't.

If it's over, Sir Larry, it's been one helluva run. I hope it's not, that HBO would carve out another role for you on their broadcasts, but if that is not the case then know this: you have given your employer more than you've got.

You may not be the HBO Number One boxing commentator much longer but you could always return to being the Write Man.

HBO had better give you a proper on the air sendoff. That's all I am saying right now. We can talk about demographics, ageism and all the rest later.

Yea it want be the same without Merchant asking the questions the fighters don't want to be ask, and as far as Keller is concerned he is a arrogant and I would like to snap his jaw.

[LegendBoxing65]

Where did HBO find Larry Merchant? I know he was a journalist for a midwest newspaper I think. I am too young to know much about that, but they could find someone who could do well with Jim. Kellerman did ESPN and had some exchanges with Teddy Atlas which were amusing, but HBO needs someone better. I didn't know Larry Merchant was 76 either. He looks pretty good for his age. I saw some fights he did 20 years ago and he has not aged too bad. I think we will miss Merchant. Al Berstein was good. What about Tim Ryan? He was great with Gil Clancy back on I think CBS. I thought the Clancy/Ryan/Leonard team was pretty good as was the Tompkins/Merchant/Leonard. I know Clancy is getting a little old now since I have not seen him in years on tv..

[LegendBoxing65]

Nice article. I think people will miss Merchant after they get a taste of Kellerman for a year or so. HBO had a unique thing with Merchant. His analogies were sometimes a little too much, but they served a purpose. I remember when he called the Hearns/Leonard rematch in 1989 he said something like "This is John Wayne and Henry Fonda duking it out in the twilight of their career".

[Unknowndonor]

I have a love/hate thing for Merchant. Some days he tells it like it is, and some days he's had way to much to drink. I think the combo of him and Lampley is great though. Lampleys hyper and boisterous remarks are offset by Merchants cool demeanor. Boxing will go on, but Merchant will be missed.

Max isn't great, but i like him. Give him time.

[amat]

I would love to see Mike in the booth. In fact I wish he's been there for the past 5 years. A student of the game, he has watched a ton of fights. He knows a lot and he has a fairly calm demeanor on the right night. I don't think he would kill Lampley.

Little Tyson story. He was on Best Damn Sports Show Period a lot. A regular. As is a guy named Aries Spears, a comedian who does an awesome Tyson impersonation. So Tyson is guest 1 and then Spears comes out. He sits down next to Mike and then Kevin Salley asks Spears to do his Mike impersonation. Spears gets bugeyed, says no a couple time but they won't let him off without doing it. All the while, Tyson is staring at Spears, not saying anything with a half smile on his face like "you do it, I kill you." Finally someone asks Tyson if he wants Spears to do it. Tyson leans back and says yeah sure whatever.

So Spears does it, it's hillarious. Tyson doesn't laugh. Finally, after they all finish laughing, Tyson says "10 years ago Idda put them teeth in the back of your throat" and then bust up laughing. Classic Mike. Very personable guy really, not hard to like but you have to wonder how he would work with the HBO crew day in and day out. People say he has his good days and his bad days, so not sure how that would shake out but he's definitely someone I want to see in the booth.