Cover of 143. Larry Merchant: The Greatest Boxing Analyst Ever

143. Larry Merchant: The Greatest Boxing Analyst Ever

143. Larry Merchant: The Greatest Boxing Analyst Ever

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The September 27, 1976 issue of Sports Illustrated put Ken Norton on the cover under the headline “All Set to Slam in the Rubber Match,” previewing his highly anticipated third and final showdown with Muhammad Ali, set for September 28 at Yankee Stadium—the last fight ever held at the original ballpark. The trilogy stood at a fascinating 1-1 split: Norton had famously broken Ali’s jaw to win a decision in their first bout back in 1973, while Ali had claimed a close, disputed decision in their 1975 rematch, setting up a rubber match billed as a true toss-up between two evenly matched heavyweights. Despite most ringside observers and commentators feeling Norton had done enough to win the fight, Ali was awarded a controversial 15-round unanimous decision, retaining his WBA, WBC, and Ring heavyweight titles in what remains one of the most hotly debated verdicts in boxing history—a result so contentious that Ali himself later admitted, “Kenny’s style is too difficult for me. I can’t beat him, and I sure don’t want to fight him again.” This despite the fact that Ali never lost a rematch, going 5-0 against Joe Frazier, Ken Norton and Leon Spinks. It was one of the many traits that made Ali the greatest Larry Merchant recalled when we recently chatted us from his home in Southern California. Born in 1931 in New York, Merchant rose from newspaper columns at the Philadelphia Daily News and New York Post to become the definitive voice of boxing on television. Joining HBO in 1978, he spent 35 years as its lead ringside analyst, delivering sharp, fearless commentary and post-fight interviews alongside Jim Lampley and others on countless championship bouts. Known for his poetic insights, skepticism of hype, and memorable confrontations—most famously telling Floyd Mayweather he wished he were 50 years younger so he could kick his ass—Merchant elevated the role of the boxing analyst. A Sam Taub Award winner and inductee into both the World Boxing Hall of Fame and the International Boxing Hall of Fame, he is widely regarded as the greatest television boxing analyst of all time. Larry Merchant steps into the squared circle of the Past Our Prime podcast to lace up and talk the historic fights he witnessed ringside over the decades. He takes us back to 1938, when his old man let him stay up late to listen to the second Joe Louis-Max Schmeling war on the radio—and from that night on, the kid was hooked for life. He reflects on the great Muhammad Ali and how even Nelson Mandela, locked away in a South African prison cell, followed the Champ’s every move. Merchant answers the ultimate question: who was the best pound-for-pound fighter he ever laid eyes on. He zeros in on that unforgettable night in Japan when he first knew Iron Mike Tyson was in serious trouble against Buster Douglas, then fast-forwards four years to the night his colleague and friend George Foreman shocked the world by reclaiming the heavyweight crown at age 45. A living boxing historian who covered everyone from Sugar Ray Robinson to Sugar Ray Leonard, Merchant never backed down from firing the toughest questions at the toughest guys in the game. Larry Merchant… all 95 years of him… on the Past Our Prime podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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