By Eric Thomas: HBO analyst Larry Merchant, 81, will reportedly be calling his final fight for HBO this Saturday night when he works the Nonito Donaire vs. Jorge Arce fight at the Toyota Center, in Houston, Texas on December 15th. Merchant, who has been working for HBO for 35 years, says he’s not retiring which kind of makes it a little confusing.
From what I understand, he’ll possibly pop in to work an occasional big fight, like Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao, but as far as him working steadily like he’s done for years, that’s what he won’t be doing anymore.
Merchant told ESPN “This will be my last fight from ringside, but I am not retiring. I still may be seen from time to time.”
One wonders how much longer it’ll be before his co-host Jim Lampley retires. He’s not as old as Merchant, to be sure, but he’s also been with HBO for years and you got to figure he’ll eventually be going as well at some point unless he plans on working into his 80s like Merchant.
Merchant started out as a schooled journalist and worked for the Philadelphia Daily News and the New York Post before getting the HBO gig. It’s obviously been a great job for Merchant because he’s worked a ton of fights, and he’s been successful.
The HBO analyst team has been shaken up in the last five years with Lennox Lewis gone, Emanuel Steward passing away, and now Merchant moving on. Roy Jones Jr. was added not long ago and he’s helped lighten the mood of the team.
It’s unclear whether Merchant will be replaced by a new analyst or if Max Kellerman will fill in for the fights that Merchant was working.
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