1995 Hong Kong card that never happened: 3 great HW fights

Found it on livefight,

1995 Hong Kong. Great card was it:

Main event:
Holyfield - Witherspoon

Co-main events:
Mercer - Bruno
Hide - Morrison

Your thoughts on those fights at that moment?

 

What happened?

 

Holyfield, Bruno, Morrison, and Hide all tested positive for steroids.

Mercer and Witherspoon both failed preflight medical exams due to being grossly out of shape.

 

Dawn of an era. :-(

 

Supposedly they just didnt find the right money for that card.

It was better card than the one that actually was a year later in Japan: Big George vs Grimsley, Morrison vs Rhode and Peterson vs Alex Stewart

 

I don't remember Holy and Tim being billed on that card..

 

And Arum never really took too many punches on the chin for cancelling it at the last moment. Hardly any media criticism for dropping the whole card right at the end.

 

I don't remember this at all and I was following sport closely. However if true that would of been one hell of a fun card.

 

I was a kid at that time and didn't follow the boxing, but the journalist from livefight says in interview with Mercer that that card was in the works.

 

It was more than in the works. It was cancelled < a week before the fight because ticket sales were not good. And Arum did not want to lose money. So, it was s****ped.

Everyone was waiting for it because you had 3 good matches in a timeframe when it almost always a name guy versus 3rd rate or soft opponent. Very few non title highly competitve matches between all the guys that were around.

 

I have the news report on tape of the cancellation of this card. Must dig it out and take a gander.

 

Yeah it was close to happening but end up being too ambitious a card, woulda been fun.

I still remember the promo pic with all fighters (barring Bruno I think? coz he couldn't make the shoot but was signed to fight) stood facing the camera together. Shame it never happened.

I don't remember Holyfield on the card either.

 

Pretty certain Holyfield-Witherspoon wasn't on the card.

Billy Schwer was supposed to challenge for the Lightweight title against someone I can't remember (might have been one of the Ruelas brothers). Steve Collins was on the card too.

 

Ooooweee, that'd of been one hell of card. I'd of take Holyfield and Mercer, Hide-Morrison would be impossible to predict except it likely wouldn't have gone past 6 rounds

 

It would have been an awesome card! Any of the above fights could have an upset winner.

Holyfield was outboxed and cut by Moorer in 1994, and looked shot vs .Bowe in 1995. I would not discount Witherspoon ( age 37 ) who could jab and punch winning an upset.