HBO's Larry Merchant calls out Mayweather

"I wish I was 50 years younger, I would kick your ass"

HBO's Larry Merchant calls out Mayweather

Veteran HBO commentator Larry Merchant brilliantly told Floyd Mayweather Jnr he would "kick his ass if he was 50 years younger" after Mayweather's victory against American Victor Ortiz.

Merchant challenged him over the fairness of his win. Mayweather battered his opponent a split-second after the fighters had hugged following a headbutt for which Ortiz lost a point, and Ortiz was unprotected and caught by surprise.

Merchant suggested that his tactics were poor form, sparking Mayweather fury:“You never give me a fair shake, all right, so I am going to do you a favour and let you talk to Victor Ortiz,” Mayweather said. “You never give me a fair shake. You're a bitch and HBO should fire you. You don’t know shit about boxing. You ain’t shit.”

Merchant, however, a veteran of more than 50 years reporting in boxing, got the last laugh with a witty retort: “I wish I was 50 years younger. I would have kicked your ass.”

Long version with knockout:

Just the exchange:

Marc Chacksfield
Content Director

As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.