Floyd “Money” Mayweather’s knockout sucker punches Saturday night in a massive HBO pay-per-view prizefight were, almost certainly, legal, and perhaps even defensible. His opponent, Victor Ortiz, had just head-butted him, after all, which is a true no-no. They tapped gloves after this affair and, as Ortiz was heading back to resume fighting, BAM!, a ferocious left, and then BAM! knockout right. It was an ugly moment, compounded by the fact that Mayweather has taken much justifiable flak in the boxing community for refusing to fight the only fight anyone really wants to see: him versus the Filipino champ Manny Pacquiao.

So who was around to salvage the night? 80-year-old color commentator Larry Merchant, a lifelong boxing journalist, and another example of the old-school, predominantly Jewish kibitzers that I claimed boxing needs to survive in my profile of HBO unofficial scorer Harold Lederman. Kick his ass, Larry!

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