07.10.07 5:00 AM CDT
• Sports
• John D. Thomas
Is it just us or is there something off about HBO boxing analyst Larry Merchant? His rambling, halting, disjointed soliloquy prior to the Klitschko-Brewster fiasco was even more awkward than usual. (What the hell was he saying about a rabbit with a gun?) Merchant is like former Yankee great and announcer Phil Rizzuto, only without the charm or humor.
What HBO needs to do is promote their quick-witted, super-sharp unofficial scorer Harold Lederman to replace Merchant. Even though HBO's main boxing commentator Jim Lampley is excellent, Merchant brings the entire crew down, a fact that was reinforced later that evening by the tremendous one-two punch provided by Steve Albert and Al Bernstein during the rousing Darchinyan/Donaire bout.
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