Days later, an irritated Mayweather defended his actions during the TV interview. Merchant said, before walking off with a big grin on his face. Keep in mind, Merchant isn’t beloved by everyone. "Everybody is tired of Larry Merchant. Days later, an irritated Mayweather defended his actions during the TV interview. Larry Merchant recalls his in-ring beef with Floyd Mayweather 23 Back in 2011, the veteran journalist Larry Merchant got into an in-ring spat with Floyd Mayweather. He recalls that night. Larry Merchant, the 80-year-old man who had been covering boxing for HBO’s pay-per-view telecasts since 1978 and dubbed “the greatest television boxing analyst of all time” by some, made his way to Mayweather after the fight. "Everybody is tired of Larry Merchant. Merchant said, before walking off with a big grin on his face. However, Mayweather was involved in controversy back in 2011 when he had a run-in with famous boxing journalist Larry Merchant.