It is difficult to overstate the excitement that the new documentary series on yes, "The Boxing: The Final Series", which will air this coming Thursday and presents in three episodes the history of the rivalry between Maccabi and Hapoel Tel Aviv through the mythological final series of 1992.
The same series that centered on the judging scandal in which Ban Mercer - then already a yellow sergeant - hit Tomer Steinhauer from Hapoel, a blow that disappeared from the eyes of the late referees Reuven Virovnik and David Dagan. Last "Made in the Middle East.
In the summer of 1992, the 100-year rivalry between Maccabi and Hapoel culminates in an unforgettable final series that included 5 fascinating basketball games and one punch 👊
Next week all emotions are going to erupt again, in an original mini-series that you must not miss.
'The Boxing: The Final Series', from 24.3 on yes docu and VOD pic.twitter.com/a2jpR1zTo8
- yesTV (@yescoil) March 16, 2022
Laban Mercer (63), one of the favorites of the foreign basketball players in the country, felt comfortable being interviewed, because for him 30 years have passed.
But for Hapoel and Maccabi, there is no doubt that the series will rekindle emotions.
Mercer himself, in a long conversation with "Israel Today" from his home in the USA, remembers everything in great detail.
Describe a little bit of the feelings that were expected of you following the filming.
"In those years, Hapoel and Maccabi had a hot rivalry throughout the season, and it was hot and fun. You had pressure on Maccabi that you must not lose a game, especially neither Hapoel nor the championship, but there is no life without pressure."
It seemed then that everything was legitimate in the rivalry between the groups.
"When I was young I played against Olsie Perry, against Savonis and other great players. They played physically and did not play basketball like today. It was a bit dirty sometimes, everyone wanted to beat Maccabi, even when the Hapoel players tried to throw us off balance."
Who do you especially remember from the verb in your rivalries?
"Mike Largi. He was the worst. He would talk dirty throughout the game. And of course Chaim Zlotikman. He's one of the players who gets under your skin and knows that this way he can catch you and get you out of your composure."
Then comes the fifth game in the final series, and things get to a boiling point.
"Shimon Amsalem and I enjoyed the mutual urgency, that's how we trained together at Hapoel, it was fine. As for Tomer Steinhauer, they said I punched him, but I didn't punch him. I slapped him. I did it because I told him three times' let's play and stop with The nonsense. 'He did not stop, so I slapped him.
"He tried to make me fall, to trip me up. I do not do things like that because it can cause injury. And if I tell him to stop, he should stop. I do not know what he told in the series, but he did not stop so I gave him a slap. I do not know. "If I acted right in those moments, but that's what happened. I did what I had to do."
Amsalem and Jamchi.
"Physical Game",
There were rumors from Maccabi that he told you something racist, but Tomer denied it.
"I never said he was a racist or said anything like that. I said he tried to trip me up during the game, and not that he said anything racist. There were others who did, but not Tomer."
"The judges did not see, and therefore did not go far"
In retrospect, this is one of the most fateful judging decisions in the history of Israeli basketball.
"Today there are cameras and all the bullshit, at the time there was no technology. We would play five on five and many times the game became physical, and we were still fine. Today if you touch someone it's Paul, not if you hit him, if you just touch him. They knew he was. "Physical play, but the referees did not see what happened, so they did not go far."
Hapoel say that the referees are always afraid of Maccabi.
"I played for Hapoel for seven years, and what bothered me there was that these stories with Maccabi were always an excuse for them. They always thought we did not win because of Maccabi. In my years at Hapoel my best chance was with Joshua Rosin and Mike Largi, because we did not care about Maccabi From a win.Rosin was along with Ralph Klein the best coach I've seen.I cared for nothing but winning the game.
Joshua, Largi, Mickey Berkowitz, Doron Jamchi - no matter which team plays against, they always wanted to win.
If we lost, there was always someone in action with an excuse.
Some people want it more than others, and those who want more win.
Nobody remembers the excuses. "
Do you have any friends left in Israel?
"Amos Frishman is a good friend of mine, but he's such a quiet guy, he's the quietest man I've ever met. Doron Jamchi is in touch with me, Willie Sims, Ulsie Perry makes contact "Mike Carter, I'm in touch. Tell friends in Israel that I wrote a book. I do interesting things."
Small.
Coached at both clubs, Photo: Moshe Shai
"I did not talk to Maccabi before the final"
When Leban Mercer moved from Hapoel to Maccabi in 1988, the country erupted.
The red symbol turned yellow during what many saw as the predatory Maccabean mentality that appealed to players under contract, in the face of Hapoel's falling asleep, which failed to maintain its assets.
Let's talk about your move from Hapoel to Maccabi.
Hapoel say you already knew about the move a few months before the end of the season, and maybe that's why you were less good in the final series in '88.
"A moment ago I said that Hapoel always has an excuse for everything, right? Here's the problem. Hapoel had the opportunity to build a team and keep players like me. I loved the team and wanted to stay, but at Hapoel for seven years I always fought to get my money. Even when I moved, Hapoel said that Maccabi should pay me their debts because I left. They were nervous because they did not receive money for my move to Maccabi. I was tired of it. You go to the market, someone offers chicken for a dollar and someone at 10. Hapoel wanted to take "The $ 10, but split them in two and bring someone else in the same deal. If someone's worth something you pay for it, and they did not want to. Then they complain again?"
Mercer in a Maccabi uniform, Photo: Moshe Shai
So you say you did not talk to Maccabi until the end of the season?
"I did not talk to Maccabi until the end of the season. I talked to them and also talked to a team from Paris. They were the first team to call, and then Maccabi compared their offer. Someone understood my value. They wanted me in France, Maccabi wanted me, do you think Hapoel offered something? "They just wanted to profit from me. They didn't really want me, they were angry that they didn't earn as much as they wanted."
Did it bother you that the Hapoel crowd called you a "traitor"?
"I learned the word 'traitor' in the studio. It did not bother me because if I was really a traitor, why did they want me to stay? I moved to Maccabi and I had the best I had in my life. Maccabi were generous, treated me well and wanted me. Contact. Maybe people will read it and say 'the truth, maybe he's right', maybe Hapoel should have done more to keep me. Hapoel are back, right? They're in the first division, right? "Right now? If it seems to you that Eli was treated badly, you do not know how Israelis were treated. It was very difficult to see that."
How happy were you after the victory and winning the championship?
"I'm happy to win $ 5, I'm happy if I get free pants; of course I was happy. There was another era with beautiful basketball, not like we play today. Today I can only watch games in the playoffs."
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