I've been slacking on this series. This is next week's fight, but I'm posting it now in case any of you have any free time over the weekend. Not sure if I've watched this one since it first aired. This content is protected BONUS FEATURE: This content is protected
First time I watched it I had it 96-95 Lewis, but it definitely needs to be re watched and re scored. I remember lots of close rounds, both fighters eating big punches and Mercer coming forward for the majority of the fight. I'll try get round to re watching this over the weekend!
Had some time, scored it for Lewis 97-93 or 7-3 in rounds. I gave LL 3,4,5,,7,8,,9,10 and gave RM 1,2,6. There were many rounds that were close that could have gone either way. Most rounds seemed to start with LL landing a decent combination, and controlling early, then RM would do better toward the end of the round and he could have stolen a lot of those rounds. I did watch with the sound off because I don't like to hear Lampley say that one or the other is hurt every time a punch lands, I also don't care to listen to him repeat the punch stat numbers over and over. The camera angle didn't show the feet enough but when it did it seemed that LL was lifting his heel too high when he punched instead of turning the foot in the "step on a bug" or "put out a cigarette" motion. Lifting his heel affected his balance and he had to reset himself. I also didn't like the roll back to the right he would do after a right hand. That brought his head low and if RM had thrown a left hook he might have rolled into it. I scored it for LL, but could understand if someone gave it to RM because of his performance in the final minute of many rounds. Good fight to watch.
Love both those fights. Cooper-Mercer was a WAR. Ray may have had the money behind him and gotten the decision. But, he also got a broken jaw for his troubles. He could barely talk during the post fight interview.
Halfway through and I have it even. I gave Mercer rounds 1 and 2, Lewis 3 and 4, and scored the 5th even, though I almost scored it for Lewis. Strangest thing so far is that Mercer is outjabbing him. Lewis doesn't react well to Mercer's jabs at all and just eats way more of them than I remembered. Not sure if it was mediocre reflexes or a lack of focus--I'll have to check out some more of his fights again some time soon. I noticed Lewis raising up on his right foot too (funny enough, the coach at the boxing gym where I just started working out was getting on me about doing the same thing just last month!) What do you think was going on--was Lennox just being lazy? Was he trying to maximize speed or range over power?
Round 6 was strange. Mercer had an eye-opening barrage, and Lewis kind of staggered and shelled up a bit like he was hurt, but it seemed like he basically slipped, rolled, or picked off everything that Mercer threw. It was even clearer in the replay. https://streamable.com/m3jis
I scored it a draw years ago. I had three friends that were in msg that night to this day they swear Mercer won. Maybe one of those fights where it seemed different in person
I just scored Cooper - Mercer, good action fight. I scored 115-113 for RM, I had RM winning 1,2,3,4,11,12 on my card with the first round a 2 point round. Cooper won 5,6,7,9,10, with the 8th EVEN. I scored it 6-5-1 for RM. BC landed some hard punches and RM did too. RM fought almost the entire fight with his jaw injured. Tough fighter. Cooper was a good puncher, a good inside fighter, just a good solid fighter all around, but I don't think he was confident in his conditioning. If he would have bent his knees and not squared up on the inside Mercer wouldn't have been able to lean on him and push him with his weight as much. It would have been interesting to see BC with a good training camp and in excellent condition against anybody. I suspect that his out of the ring issues always interfered with his conditioning and training but he was a fun fighter to watch. I don't know what LL was trying to do with RM. His footwork wasn't good and when the footwork is off, everything is. Like you I need to see more of LL and in particular I'll be interested to see if he ever corrected his feet and used the "step on a bug" and stopped raising his heel so high. I was impressed with his ability to put punches together and he went to the body well for a tall guy. But, overall RM was probably just a tough fight for anybody when he was motivated. A good jab, almost impossible to hurt, and he put punches together with good power in his right hand and left hook.
This was a tough fight to score and I'm not confident about my scorecard at all. I ended up giving Mercer 1,2, and 9; I gave Lewis 3,4,7,8, and 10; and I scored 5 and 6 even. Some very close rounds with good back-and-forth action. So Lewis wins 5-3-2, at least this time watching it.
Two great fights. As for Lewis-Mercer, there were many rounds so close to score. I've watched this fight at least 5 times, and every time my scores differ. From 2 points for Lennox to draw or even Mercer win.
Lennox Lewis SD Ray Mercer This is a really weird good fight with Lennox Lewis in the pocket swapping uppercuts (maybe in wee dress rehersal for Klitschko) but sometimes being outjabbed by a relative dwarf. Mercer's jab was a threat throughout, as was his bungling lunging style and his swarming attacks. On occasion these swarming attacks had Lewis in a spot of bother and he looks dog tired after just such a spell in the sixth, but Mercer perhaps saves him some serious bother by gassing all the more dramatically. Round 4 is one of my favourite HW rounds with Lewis showing what he was so capable of but in a future echo of his immediate lineage, reluctunce to do it, devastating and elastic combinations and some really genuinely nice bodywork, which he had to can due to an aggressive and ill-judged warning from the awful Mercante Jnr about low blows. For all the bluster and hubub surrounding this fight, I didn't have it that close with round 4 as the real turning point, Mercer is willing but his mind just refuses to sign off on the cheque his body needs to write to take the win. The desperate air surrounding the fight is perhaps more about the circumstances the two men find themselves in - Mercer one poor effort away from being put out to pasture, Lewis one loss away from a return to the UK - that lends it that feeling, that and the contradictory but exhorting rambles Steward offers up in the Lewis corner. Lewis understandably bemoanded the size of the ring, and it's fair to say that a bigger ring brings a cleaner result, but he would later admit this fight did him a "world of good". Must be nice to find out you have heart, and even if the test has subsequently been overstated, Lennox certainly passed. LEWIS: 3,4,6,7,8,9,10 MERCER 1,2,5. I thought 3 and 5 were the only really arguable rounds, and they got one each.
I will try to make time to do so. (With 3 kids under the age of 10, that is not always easy, brother)
At one point, Mercer was the guy I looked at, as a seriously good value for money bet - against any heavyweight. He was, on the whole, a great competitor, worthy of a good deal of respect. Whilst this and his reliability took a bit of a hit, particularly after Ferguson, it came as no surprise to me that he gave Lewis a tough, close fight. I’m glad this fight came up in the FOTW series. Here’s how I have it… 1 - Mercer 2 - Mercer 3 - Lewis 4 - Lewis 5 - Lewis 6 - Mercer 7 - Lewis 8 - Lewis 9 - Mercer 10 - Lewis 96 - 94 Lewis Mercer started very well and was competitive, throughout. But, once Lewis began to measure Mercer, both his offense and defense, gave him a much needed edge. I say ‘much needed’, because Lewis only pulled ahead comfortably (by 2 points) after round-8 on my card and needed the final round to clinch the win.