Don't fire Larry Merchant .... fire Floyd, Jr.

Don't fire Larry Merchant .... fire Floyd, Jr.

By Paul Strauss: Once again Little Money revealed himself as a little class ass. He is a great fighter, and because of that he believes he can say and act anyway he chooses, and do so without suffering any repercussions. The voices in his mind apparently tell him because he is a premier fighter that that must mean he knows boxing. He fails to understand that knowing "how to box" is not the same as "knowing boxing".

Merchant: "You hear the crowd. A good part of it is in an uproar because they felt you took shots at him unfairly after you went together in the ring, made up for the headbutt and then you poked him. What's your story?"

Mayweather: "First up, "I'd like to think God for this victory. Without God this wouldn't be possible. I want to think my team. I got hit with a dirty shot [headbutt]. It's protect yourself at all times. I hit him with a left hook, right hand and that ended the bout."

Merchant: "So you're saying that even though that it appeared that he wasn't protecting himself and that it was part of the ceremony of apology, you unfairly took advantage. What do you say to those who say, 'what did you do there?' You were winning the fight and was in charge."

Mayweather: "I just want to say to everyone that bought pay per view and came out to

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Vegas

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, thank you."

Merchant: "I know you're a promoter, but we're talking to you as a prizefighter. Let's take a look at the end of the fight and you describe."

Mayweather: "We touched gloves, left hook, right hand and that's all she wrote."

Merchant: "So for you it was just an automatic response, let's get it on with the fight?"

Mayweather: "It's protect yourself at all times. He did something dirty. We're not here to cry about what he did dirty or what I did dirty. I'm victorious. If he wants a rematch, we can get a rematch."

Merchant: "You were in charge of the fight. You were aggressive and taking advantage."

Mayweather: "You know what I'm going to do because You never give me a fair shake. So for that, I'm going to let you talk to Victor Ortiz. You know what, I'm through. Get someone else up here to interview."

Merchant: "What are you talking about?"

Mayweather: "You never give me a fair shake. HBO needs to fire you. You don't know s**t about boxing. You aint s**t. You're not s**t."

Merchant: "I wish I was 50 years younger and I'd kick your ass."

Mayweather: "You won't do s**t."

Does Little Money even know much about boxing's history or traditions? It's doubtful. There's no doubt boxing is his life. You can't argue with that. As someone recently said, his daddy and uncle probably had him throwing punches in the crib while holding his rattle. But, has that experience given him a better appreciation for the sport or its fans? It doesn't appear so. Rather, he has a condescending attitude, one that allows him to place himself above all others, not just in the sport, but life in general.

For example, Mayweather thinks 42 wins makes him better than Sugar Ray Robinson and Muhammad Ali! Little Money ignores the fact that he has never faced the tough opposition they had to face, such as Carmen Basilio, Gene Fullmer, Jake Lamotta, plus seven other hall of famers for Sugar. He's never had to face anyone like Joe Frazier or George Foreman, or fight through a bout with a broken jaw.

In the aftermath of the controversial ending of Saturday night's contest at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, NV against Victor Ortiz, Little Money proved to have little sense by verbally attacking veteran announcer Larry Merchant. Little Money obviously feels people should kowtow to him because he is 42-0, and has earned millions, and that includes Larry Merchant and HBO. As a result, he foolishly spouted out insults that Larry doesn't know anything about boxing, and that HBO should fire him.

Well, let's look at the facts. First of all, Larry is a senior citizen, and for that fact alone, he deserves a little respect. Larry is an elder statesman, who has been involved with the sport of boxing for many more years than Little Money is old. Contrary to what little Money says, Larry not only knows a lot about boxing, he has also witnessed its history and greatness.

ESPN's Dan Rafael has described Larry Merchant as, "The greatest television broadcaster of all time." High praise from a well respected boxing analyst. Dan is not the only one who feels that way. As they say, Larry has earned his stripes. Long before Little Money slithered into existence, Larry was working as a sports columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News, New York Post and Los Angeles Herald Examiner. He earned the Sam Taub Award for Excellence in Boxing Broadcast Journalism from the Boxing Writers Association of America. He also earned BWAA's James J. Walker Award for meritorious service. He has authored three books. He was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and is an inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Now, let's see what Little Money doesn't know. He doesn't know how to behave with properly with any dignity. He doesn't know what humility means. In fact, he doesn't know the meaning of a lot of words, with the exception of a few often repeated expletives. He doesn't know that certain things are against the law. He doesn't know that most fans don't really care how many luxury cars he has, or how many square feet there are in his house. He doesn't know that money can't give you class. In fact, Little Money is really the one who "Doesn't know s**t!". ​