Who Is Larry Merchant, HBO Boxing Broadcaster? What Happened to Him and Why Is He in Hospital?

Legendary sportswriter and HBO commentator Larry Merchant, per the latest news, appears to have been hospitalized. Currently, he is in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a Los Angeles-based hospital.

Multiple sources quoted TMZ while reporting the update on Larry Merchant. Known for presenting HBO’s Boxing After Dark, World Championship Boxing, and other pay-per-view telecasts, he was taken to the hospital by around 6 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday. According to a New York Post piece, the reasons behind the emergency admission largely remained unknown at the time.

Larry Merchant: A hallowed career

Larry Merchant was born Larry Kaufman in Brooklyn, New York, on February 11, 1931. He began his career as a columnist for the New York Post and the Philadelphia Daily News. His broadcasting career began with HBO when he joined the network as their sports analyst in 1978 and served until he retired in 2012. A slew of other luminaries, such as Roy Jones Jr., Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman, Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman, and Lennox Lewis, joined him in the commentary box.

After 35 years in service, Larry Merchant stepped down from his role at HBO. However, he continued with commentary assignments and a few Top Rank fights. In 1985, the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) presented him with the Sam Taub Award for excellence in boxing broadcast journalism. A 2002 World Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, and in 2009, the International Boxing Hall of Fame followed suit and inducted him.

When Larry fought ‘Pretty Boy’

Most of his fans lauded Larry Merchant for his hard-hitting approach to questioning. Often going gladiatorial against a few boxers, it led to a few controversies that many boxing lovers remember to this day. Especially the one-on-one with Floyd Mayweather Jr. after he knocked out Victor Ortiz in 2011, which many consider a legendary exchange. The fight for the WBC welterweight title ended when Mayweather Jr. knocked out Ortiz with a straight right.

The latter had approached him for touching gloves after the referee’s time-out call over a headbutting foul. Amidst boos, during the in-ring post-fight interview, Larry Merchant questioned Floyd Mayweather Jr. for his conduct. Many, reportedly, felt that it was unsportsmanlike.

Angry and frustrated, Mayweather Jr. retorted sharply, “You don’t never give me a fair shake. You know that someone let you talk to Victor Ortiz, all right? I’m through. They put somebody else up and give me interview……you never give me a fair shake. HBO need to fire you. You don’t know sh*t about boxing. You ain’t sh*t…” True to his style, Larry Merchant hurled back, “I wish I was 50 years younger, and I’d kick your a**.”

Of course, there have been famous run-ins with other boxing legends such as Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya.

Read More: Legendary Boxing Analyst Calls Manny Pacquiao “Washed Up And Vulnerable”

Which is your favorite boxer-outburst of all time? Please share your views with us in the comments below.

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