You wound up leaving HBO in 2012. Why?
We were in El Paso for a (Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.) fight and some gang wars between drug groups in Juarez and El Paso were worrying about gang wars, and (law enforcement) worked out a deal with the city that they wouldn’t sell beer. Whoever heard of a prizefight without beer? I thought it was funny. And it was interesting to talk about the atmospherics of the fight. They told me before the fight that I shouldn’t say anything about it. When I went on to do my thing before the fight, I said, ‘I’ve never heard of anything like this,’ and told the story. And soon after that, I submitted my resignation and we worked out a deal.
I didn’t want to be there anymore. And he didn’t want me, particularly, because he thought I might jeopardize him in some way. I know I had a few incidents I could’ve done better. Someone would remark to me about something I said or how I said it. I incorporated criticism if it was right on. Being a pro means you don’t know it all. But that was the final thing … . That? I couldn’t work there anymore.
You once lamented to me before that time when I was at the Los Angeles Times that boxing had become a sport reduced to being written about on websites. Are you pleased now to see it on FOX, ESPN, Showtime and DAZN? And how do you think boxing’s health is now?
With the pandemic, you can’t really measure it. Boxing has been affected like every other sport. There’ve been a few significant fighters, and young fighters bubbling up, which shows promise for later this year. We’ve heard Canelo would like to fight four times this year. That could be significant in terms of other significant fighters wanting to also get out there instead of hiding and waiting for a bigger offer. And so many young guns have stepped up, particularly those lightweights, while the welterweights seem to be wasting away. But hopefully we’ll get these big heavyweight fights with guys who can fight in different styles with big personalities. Once we can get people into the arena, it will be as good as it can be.
The fact that the heavyweights are so prominent. The fact that the networks are giving more platforms to boxing than ever indicates it’s one of those perennial sports that will re-establish itself and get kids to enter the gym, with the best ones finding their way into the ring.
Heavyweight champion Tyson Fury is a current favorite of longtime boxing announcer Larry Merchant. (Al Bello/Getty Images)
Who are your favorite fighters now?
Well, the heavyweights are in a world of their own. I’m certainly interested in the Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua fight. I want to see what Deontay Wilder has coming back. I want to see if Andy Ruiz Jr. comes back. He has good things going for him, but I don’t know if he wants it. Anything that Canelo does interests me. I’d like to see Jermall Charlo fight him.
The welterweights speak for themselves. While everyone wants Spence-Crawford, they’re all waiting on the jackpot of fighting Manny Pacquiao, a fight they could win and make money at. But I guess Keith Thurman thought that, too … I lost all my money. There are new middleweights and 168-pound contenders to fight Canelo.
Below that, there’s Teofimo and (Ryan) Garcia. I love Garcia. I think he’s an amazing young man in the sense of him attracting so many followers and getting it, being well-spoken and having the look of a star in and out of the ring. I want to see how it works against the top fighters. It may be a little early, but I think he’s willing to take some chances, just as Canelo was when he was that age. Canelo lost to Mayweather, and so what?
I watch all these fights and watch most of them with the sound off. Maybe that’s my way of being involved in watching the fight.
What most upsets you about the way boxing operates?
With multiple promoters and networks, the downside is the promoters want to protect their moneymakers, which is nothing absolutely new in boxing. But there was a time if a fighter fought another top fighter and he happened to lose, it wasn’t the end of his career or life. The fact it’s so hard to make these big fights because of financial reasons is disappointing. Once upon a time, it might’ve been easier because although the money was good in those times, there wasn’t a feeling that there was so much money at stake in a major fight that your very being depended upon getting that fight, or avoiding the loss that meant you wouldn’t get that fight. So it brings a kind of stasis to the picture. We should always be having fights, and while we’re having them, be looking forward to another big fight coming on instead of the one big fight being the big fight of the year.
I’m not sure you can answer this question now that I know you’re watching fights with the sound off, but what is your opinion of the state of boxing broadcasting now? There’s been some criticism of broadcasters neglecting attention on a rival broadcaster’s fighter. I can’t imagine that happening in a broadcast Larry Merchant was involved in.
You have to be careful about being as objective as possible. Sometimes that means speaking truth to power and sometimes that means censoring yourself.
I’m a big Brian Kenny fan. I think ESPN does a good job. Sometimes there are too many, like five people covering an event. It’s too many people and overwhelming to me. To me, the ideal ringside chatter in terms of the things you want to cover is a blow-by-blow host who understood the big picture and was like a quarterback passing it off. We had an expert, like Emanuel Steward or Roy Jones, who saw stuff from the inside that journalists rarely see. And a third person who should be some kind of kibitzer, adding to what the others are saying and not echoing it.
I feel too much echo chambering among three or four people. There’s always another dimension to the fight you can cover. And then maybe you have a fourth guy there commenting on the fight, the scene, the background, the dialog around the fight. And if you can have some fun doing that, you’ve got it covered.
Some are very good at what they do, professional in their interviews. Mark Kriegel, in his own way, does the work I used to do.
I can hear you in him.
Well, thank you. I like Mark. He’s very smart and a real good writer and he also once told me I was his idol while he was a young writer in New York.
To me, if you had Brian Kenny, an ex-fighter who’s knowledgeable and somebody like Mark, I’d be happy. I also like the work of (DAZN’s Chris) Mannix. What I find absent too often is anything that makes you smile. Watching a sports event should be fun. There are opportunities to put some fun in it and frame it in some way that maybe gets people to smile and enjoy the byplay, as well as the fight.
Larry Merchant poses with Lennox Lewis and Jim Lampley. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)
I’d like to see your good friend from HBO, Jim Lampley, back ringside. Is that possible?
Jim was a big personality and professional guy who did his homework and brought everybody into it, but right now he’s a professor at North Carolina. He has a good life in Chapel Hill. But, yeah, Jim was a big presence.
Could HBO ever get back into the boxing business or was your departure the end of an era?
Forever is a long time. They never said, ‘We’re out of boxing for all time.’ So is it possible they could return for a big, singular event? They’ve left that possibility open. Whether it happens with all the other platforms … maybe HBO has played its role in the history of boxing and how it went up and down. But certain fighters are like ‘Hamilton’ on Broadway. ‘Hamilton’ is the heavyweight champion who brought everyone back to Broadway. Every so often, a fighter or fighters come along and fill that role … but promoters are tied to broadcasters.
Still, I’m hopeful. There are smart guys (in broadcasting) now and I believe that eventually the best fights and the best broadcasts will emerge because FOX, ESPN, Showtime and DAZN are all tied to developing fighters that people want to see.
There’s a likely classic coming Saturday night on ESPN when Mexicans Miguel Berchelt and Oscar Valdez fight for Berchelt’s super-featherweight belt. Do these events still put excitement in your heart? And will you be watching?
I’m not sure, but since I’m home, I probably will take a look. I can’t say I get excited very often, but fighters I love are Jose Ramirez and Ryan Garcia, the California kids with Mexican backgrounds who can fight and light up a place.
And watching the kid (Teofimo) Lopez beat Lomachenko made my heart beat a little lighter. To see this and think, ‘Wow, where did this guy come from.’ So there’s some excitement, but mostly now, I’m just observing.
Well, Happy Birthday and thank you for accepting this call and staying on for so long, Larry. More than that, thank you for setting the bar for all of us about how a reporter is supposed to behave and cover this sport. I know many of us look to you as the standard of how we should carry ourselves, to pass along the truth in the most responsible way.
That’s very kind, Lance, and I consider that full payment for my time.
(Top photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)
Larry is 90...wow..amazing that him, arum, and don king are still alive...although having been around arum hes def has good and bad days
