Larry Merchant Says Goodbye To HBO This Saturday Night

2012 was the last year of the Lampley, Steward, and Merchant trio. Lampley will stick around in 2013 with Kellerman and Jones Jr.

Nothing lasts forever. Larry Merchant has been covering HBO Boxing for decades. Here is Kevin Iole with the report:

For 35 years as a ringside analyst for HBO Sports, Larry Merchant was the conscience of boxing, saying the things that needed to be said but that no one else would or could. His journalistic instincts led to a slew of honors, including induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2009.

Merchant will end his amazing run as a ringside analyst for HBO on Saturday when he calls the Nonito Donaire-Jorge Arce super bantamweight title fight from the Toyota Center in Houston.

He’s a legendary figure in boxing and has become a part of its very fabric. Merchant also told this to Iole:

But Merchant is not ready to retire and will look to continue to work.

“I’m not the retiring kind,” Merchant said. “I look forward to my next act. I’ve had a few discussions with people. It could be in writing. It could be in television. It could be in the new media space. I’m going to see what develops and see what I feel I should do.”

HBO Boxing has gone through some major changes this year. The beloved color analyst Emanuel Steward passed away this past October. Now Merchant is leaving the table, with Max Kellerman taking over his spot. I think Kellerman is fantastic, super smart and a true enthusiast of the sweet science. They couldn’t have picked a more deserving person to replace Merchant.