Mayweather vs. Cotto: Larry Merchant Must Interview Floyd Mayweather Again

You want to make tonight's title fight really entertaining?

Have Larry Merchant go back up and interview Floyd Mayweather Jr. after another victory. If he loses, this would be even more epic.

If you even saw the clips on YouTube, you'll remember how Merchant drew plenty of applause and support nationwide after Mayweather's victory over Victor Ortiz when he said, "I wish I was 50 years younger and I'd kick your ass."

Even if Larry drove you nuts with his sometimes indecipherable tangents during fights, you couldn't help but stand up and applaud him. I wanted to buy the man a beer.

Here was Floyd grand-standing, then proving once again he has a massive persecution complex and the old man doesn't back down. How can you not like that?

Merchant didn't just stand up to him, he also exposed Floyd for what he really is.

He didn't stroke Floyd's massive ego and toss him a few softball questions and Floyd couldn't handle it. When you account for all of Mayweather's arrogance and bravado, and how he says he's not worried about going to jail, it's pretty hilarious actually that someone like Merchant could touch a nerve like that and set him off. 

Mayweather has already said on the first episode of 24/7 that he'll pass on talking to Merchant again after tonight's fight.

"My mentality is this: I could care less if he is going to be around for my next fight," Mayweather said (via mlive.com). "I'm not doing an interview. I'm going right to the back and I'm going to get that check and hang out with my boy 50 (Cent). We going to do what we do."

An HBO spokesman also told USA Today that nothing will change and that their announcers plan to do what they typically do. So it sounds like Merchant will be back in the ring. What's Floyd's problem?

The man's spouted off racist remarks about Manny Pacquiao before, but is ducking Larry Merchant? Seems a little odd.

The fact is if you drop $60 on this pay-per-view fight, you'll be wasting money on what's likely to be a snoozer. At least another interview between the two would redeem the night and provide some laughs.