Larry Merchant Talks Mayweather-Ortiz, Floyd Dispute

(Original Article By Chris Robinson)


This past weekend in Las Vegas, Floyd Mayweather Jr. was in the spotlight again for various reasons. The first and most notable being his shocking knockout over Victor Ortiz but the 34-year old superstar could also be found afterwards exchanging some heated words with HBO color analyst Larry Merchant.

Inside of the MGM Grand’s Garden Arena, Mayweather, after a break from referee Joe Cortez, would hit Ortiz with a quick left hook that many have deemed to be a ‘cheap shot’ and followed it up with a right hand that left his opponent on the canvas until he was counted out. Not the victory anyone saw coming but certainly the type of ending that has left people buzzing.

Watching the Mayweather-Ortiz fiasco unfold from ringside, Merchant felt that he was watching a typical fight from Floyd.

“Mayweather was in charge of the fight,” said Merchant. “He was very confident, obviously, going in of what he was going throw, particularly with the right hand. And Ortiz took most of them very well and then he was coming on a little bit at the end I thought. Trying to roughhouse on the ropes and impose his size. And that’s when things jumped the shark.”

While it’s true that Mayweather was pot-shotting Ortiz, the younger fighter did have some moments of success when he rushed Floyd and Merchant wasn’t 100% sure how the fight would have played out had the fourth round not ended so disastrously.

“Well, I think that Mayweather was already picking him apart. Whether Ortiz could have imposed his size and strength later in the fight, we really don’t know. People will say that his plan was to come on but we don’t know. Chances are Mayweather would have dealt with anything and what happened, happened. Mayweather hit him with a legal sucker punch,” Merchant quipped.

Merchant had the duty of interviewing Mayweather in the ring following the contest but he irked the newly-crowned champion by suggesting that his actions were unfair. Mayweather would tell Merchant that he never gives him ‘a fair shake’ while Merchant returned fire by saying he would have kicked Floyd's a** had he been fifty years younger.

So, did the unexpected back and forthing rattle the veteran announcer?

“I’ve been doing it a long, long time and I’ve heard a lot,” said Merchant. “My general attitude is, when a fighter gets out of line, people can see what they see and make their own judgments. But in this occasion there was some spontaneous combustion. And it led to where it led.”

Love him or hate him, Merchant always had a knack for calling things as he seems them and he insists that because Mayweather is often under the world’s microscope that he gets a different kind of treatment.

“That’s my job. I sort of think, if you watch that telecast, we gave Mayweather all the props in the world and gave him credit and so on and so forth. He’s in the public’s eye and to me you don’t judge an expensive restaurant like a hot dog stand. You judge them by different standards. He thinks that’s unfair and that’s what reporters and subjects have always dealt with.


Regards

Steffan

www.primetimelive.co.uk

Steffie

Not trying to knock you or anything, but have you ever written an article yourself? Rather than just copy and paste? Main problem is you don't offer anything for debate.

Can't do that at uni, they'll generally throw you out for plagiarism.

Not really plagarism as he has stated his source.

coxy0001 wrote:Steffie

Not trying to knock you or anything, but have you ever written an article yourself? Rather than just copy and paste? Main problem is you don't offer anything for debate.

Can't do that at uni, they'll generally throw you out for plagiarism.

Prehaps il just leave this board for good if that will satisfy you?

rowley wrote:Not really plagarism as he has stated his source.

You'd still get disciplined for copying such a large chunk of text.

rowley wrote:Not really plagarism as he has stated his source.

I did use it in a university essay context.....

I quite like when folks put these sort of articles up as I haven't got the time to trawl a multitude of boxing websites while at work.

Don't you listen to mean old coxy Steff!!!

Steffan wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:Steffie

Not trying to knock you or anything, but have you ever written an article yourself? Rather than just copy and paste? Main problem is you don't offer anything for debate.

Can't do that at uni, they'll generally throw you out for plagiarism.

Prehaps il just leave this board for good if that will satisfy you?

Just saying, linking to the article and giving your own views on it would stimulate better debate.

Sir. badgerhands wrote:I quite like when folks put these sort of articles up as I haven't got the time to trawl a multitude of boxing websites while at work.

Don't you listen to mean old coxy Steff!!!

Yeah cheers Steff.

Agreed Scott but the strict definition of plagarism is the unauthorised use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work, am not sure this is the case here as Steffan is clearly not trying to represent this as his own work.

coxy0001 wrote:

Steffan wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:Steffie

Not trying to knock you or anything, but have you ever written an article yourself? Rather than just copy and paste? Main problem is you don't offer anything for debate.

Can't do that at uni, they'll generally throw you out for plagiarism.

Prehaps il just leave this board for good if that will satisfy you?

Just saying, linking to the article and giving your own views on it would stimulate better debate.

Why dont you just sod off and ignore them if you dont like them? Just saying...

coxy0001 wrote:

rowley wrote:Not really plagarism as he has stated his source.

I did use it in a university essay context.....

Which is the only context that matters on a boxing forum.

Steffan wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:

Steffan wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:Steffie

Not trying to knock you or anything, but have you ever written an article yourself? Rather than just copy and paste? Main problem is you don't offer anything for debate.

Can't do that at uni, they'll generally throw you out for plagiarism.

Prehaps il just leave this board for good if that will satisfy you?

Just saying, linking to the article and giving your own views on it would stimulate better debate.

Why dont you just sod off and ignore them if you dont like them? Just saying...

It's hard when you've posted 2 in the space of 2 minutes... kinda clutters the top of the homepage

I'm making a suggestion Steffie, it's not hard to fathom. Most others seem capable of offering their own opinion when linking/pasting in articles.

I like it how Merchant just brushes it off, i hope he's in the ring ready after Floyds next fight, that would be good.

Fellas, no harm done yet but I believe we can all see where this one is going. Would really appreciate it if you'd all agree to drop it a notch.

Thanks.

coxy0001 wrote:

Steffan wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:

Steffan wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:Steffie

Not trying to knock you or anything, but have you ever written an article yourself? Rather than just copy and paste? Main problem is you don't offer anything for debate.

Can't do that at uni, they'll generally throw you out for plagiarism.

Prehaps il just leave this board for good if that will satisfy you?

Just saying, linking to the article and giving your own views on it would stimulate better debate.

Why dont you just f--k off and ignore them if you dont like them? Just saying...

It's hard when you've posted 2 in the space of 2 minutes... kinda clutters the top of the homepage

I'm making a suggestion Steffie, it's not hard to fathom. Most others seem capable of offering their own opinion when linking/pasting in articles.

Being as my articles are so unbearable is there some way you can block me or I can block you as I really dont want to spoil the whole 'posting about boxing' experience for you? Im also making a suggestion...

Steffan for what it is worth I have no problem with you posting these, as A) you don't try and pass them off as your own and B) some of the websites they are taken from send my work pop up blocker and firewall into meltdown.

Also I have also worked out that if I don't like a thread I am not obliged to comment on it.

Click Profile up at the top there then Friends and Foes and then Add a Foe and then type coxy0001 in the box and you are done.

Union Cane wrote:Click Profile up at the top there then Friends and Foes and then Add a Foe and then type coxy0001 in the box and you are done.

Il look into it. Cheers Union

Just noticed whilst doing that, it says "Union Cane has no friends".

How does it know?

Balls to Merchant. Stick him out to pasture.

I think Merchant can occassionally cross the line and be insensitive but in general I prefer his, and Kellermans willingness to ask tough questions after fights as opposed to the kind of standard, inane leading questions that encourage cliched responses.

I think Mayweather must watch the HBO fights with the volume turned down because Merchant has generally always praised Mayweather as a fighter but has simply been willing on occasion to ask him some tough questions. I think it irks some fighters that Merchant has never been a fighter himself so criticism from him tends to rile them that little bit more as someone who has not set foot and risked it in the ring but I se his job as to represent the fans and viewers. Mayweather simply cant handle criticism on any level which is the real problem and Merchants question about the nature of the contrversial knock out was a fair question that Mayweather acted like spoiled brat to.

I have a dream that one day little coxy's and little Steffan's will hold hands together as brother and sister!!

Colonial Lion wrote:I think Merchant can occassionally cross the line and be insensitive but in general I prefer his, and Kellermans willingness to ask tough questions after fights as opposed to the kind of standard, inane leading questions that encourage cliched responses.

I think Mayweather must watch the HBO fights with the volume turned down because Merchant has generally always praised Mayweather as a fighter but has simply been willing on occasion to ask him some tough questions. I think it irks some fighters that Merchant has never been a fighter himself so criticism from him tends to rile them that little bit more as someone who has not set foot and risked it in the ring but I se his job as to represent the fans and viewers. Mayweather simply cant handle criticism on any level which is the real problem and Merchants question about the nature of the contrversial knock out was a fair question that Mayweather acted like spoiled brat to.

Yep. I'd add Jim Gray from what I've seen too, pushed Russell Mora after his awful performance a few weeks back.

Sir. badgerhands wrote:I have a dream that one day little coxy's and little Steffan's will hold hands together as brother and sister!!

MLK was more realistic...

Steffan, I wouldn't have read that had you not posted it. Ta.

To actually address the question in hand Merchant was asking valid questions and as the finish was controversial he would have been remiss in his duties had he not asked the questions he was asking and lets have it right he is hardly Paxman by any stretch. Floyd's reaction was disproportionate, he is just thin skinned when it comes to this kind of stuff, it was the same with his reaction to the booing in the Baldomir fight.

Union Cane wrote:Just noticed whilst doing that, it says "Union Cane has no friends".

How does it know?

I think it's akin to knowing your going to get some stuff nicked if a gypo encampment sets up in the field next door.

I'm not particularly impressed with how Mayweather conducted himself in that interview, but let's not pretend that it was one hundred percent without cause. I'm usually a fan of Merchant to a certain degree, but it's clear he has a major problem with Mayweather and is incapable of objectivity when it comes to him. He's always wanting to focus on the negatives of a Mayweather performance, is always the first to find fault and very rarely lets Mayweather answer a question without butting in at some stage.

As I said, I don't think Mayweather handled things all that well on saturday night after the fight, but let's not act as if Merchant is some hapless victim in the middle of all this.

Sir. badgerhands wrote:I have a dream that one day little coxy's and little Steffan's will hold hands together as brother and sister!!

And the little Coxys will be saying to the little Steffans..."Im sick of you playing with that toy. Why dont you play with that one?...just saying. I dont like that coat you got on. Why didnt your mummy go for a different colour...did daddy have any imput of his own?...just a suggestion"

I find Floyd quite an odd character.

For a guy who who exudes so much confidence he really does seem to take it to heart any criticism that comes his way.

His either surrounded by so many toady types that he is just unused to hearing criticism or it's all just a big blustering act and his a bit of a sensitive soul.

It's all a front, just like his fiancé.

“You were in charge of the fight. You were aggressive. And trying, and taking advantage of–”

That's the question that sparked it. I'd like to see George Foreman ask Mayweather the same question and see if Mayweather would tell him he "ain't sh!t" and "needs firing."

I think Mayweathers problem with Merchant, and vice versa stems from the fact he just cant take being asked tough questions or criticised. Anyone who watches his fights on the HBO productions will know that Merchant gives him his dues as a fighter during the fight.

In this instance the nature of the ending of the fight warranted an explanation and the crowd was booing and hissing demanding one. Mechant simply put the question to him and asked for his take on it aswell as asking him to take people through the action relay. Mayweather wanted to dodge the question and couldnt bring himself to say he had used a cheap shot so threw a tantrum. Merchant mentioned a couple of times that Mayweather was in control of the fight and was really only asking the same questions everyone viewing at home and in the arena were. Especially since it was immediately unclear whether Cortez had intended action to continue or not.

Its obvious that the two dont get on but to me this is because over the years Merchant has been willing to ask Mayweather tough questions and Mayweather has responded in immature fashion. But I think its a myth that Merchant does not give Mayweather credit or repect as a fighter. I have seen him at times give Mayweather some glowing praise during his commentary.

To be fair remember during his middleweight reign Merchant regularly clashed with Hopkins, his interview post the Hakkar fight was epic, yet Hopkins always saw the interview through and never once reacted in the manner Floyd did, if Bernard can manage it seems reasonable to ask why Floyd can't.

Ultimately HBO pay Floyd a lot of money and have helped to make him a very wealthy man, if Merchant is the guy they want to do the post fight interviews Floyd should suck it up.

To be fair, its because he does such things, rude, outspoken flash and brash that they make so much money off him. Mayweathers style isn't pleasing to the casual fan but he is the PPv draw in any of his fights.