Larry Merchant was born on Larry Kaufman; February 11,1931 and is an American sportswriter, a longtime commentator for HBO sports presentations of HBO World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark and HBO pay-per-view telecasts, called "the greatest television boxing analyst of all time" by some, including ESPN Boxing analyst Dan Rafael.
10 Facts About Larry Merchant
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However, due to the fear of antisemitism within the industry possibly halting any chances he had of succeeding, Larry Merchant changed his legal surname "Kaufman" to its literal translation "Larry Merchant".
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Larry Merchant was part of the HBO Boxing commentary team along with Barry Tompkins, Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, Gil Clancy, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr.
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When De la Hoya entered the ring to Mariachi music, Larry Merchant stated that while he loved Mariachi music, he felt that it "stunk" in this particular situation.
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Larry Merchant is well known for his post fight interviews which feature his hard-hitting, blunt questions and confrontational interview style.
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In 1985, Larry Merchant received the Sam Taub Award for Boxing Broadcast Journalism presented by the Boxing Writers Association of America.
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Larry Merchant was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.
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Larry Merchant continued to alternate "World Championship Boxing" telecasts and HBO PPV cards with Kellerman.
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Larry Merchant engaged in a controversial exchange with Hall of Fame boxer Bernard Hopkins after his win over Morrade Hakkar on HBO, declaring that Hopkins was paid for doing little to no work.
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Since leaving HBO Larry Merchant has provided commentary for the international English language feed of some Top Rank promoted boxing shows.