We can only go on the form at the time and, in '94, Mercer didn't look great. It's the difference between being in shape and able to put your stuff together - or not. He'd had legal issues going into '94, which weren't decided until around the March of that year and had blown up in weight over that period and beyond, which showed against Wilson. And, Mercer didn't just struggle against Wilson - many believe the judges were out to lunch and that Wilson actually won the fight. With the legal troubles behind him and having managed to attract the extremely good fortune of avoiding yet another setback, he went into '95 with a renewed attitude (more or less Mercer's own words). At 34 years old, the clocking was ticking on his career. The performance against Holyfield quite likely inspired his next outing against Lewis. Even then, Mercer's successes against Lewis lessened over the course of the fight. I think his early workrate likely tempered the latter stages of his effort and this was not unusual for Mercer. But the version of Mercer available in '94 is a far cry from those who fought with a renewed attitude in '95 and '96, and he was very much beatable.
He was 10 pounds heavier for Lewis compared to Holyfield fight aswell, I'm wondering if the extra weight helped him with physicality and being able to take Lewis's shots. Or if he would've been better off coming in at 228 like against Holyfield for extra stamina.
I can't be 100% certain but I do seem to recall reading or hearing from somewhere that the extra weight had been intentional for the Lewis bout. Mercer was essentially a slugger who developed a pressure fighter's approach to setting up his close-range assaults. He wanted a brawl with Lewis and he got one.
Good matchup. I lean towards Mercer assuming he doesn't come in totally unprepared but both guys that had high ceilings and low basements.
It is not even a remotely tough call for me. Mercer is exactly the kind of guy that Bruno would lose against. Find another guy like Mercer a year later, and he will loose to him too.
Have you watched the Mercer/Wilson bout? (Or, the Ferguson II bout, eight months prior?) Relative to his best outings, Mercer was a mess. So, I'd have to disagree that Mercer (in 1994) was exactly the kind of guy that Bruno would lose against. He was actually competing at a level of performance that Bruno could more than match and probably do quite well against.
So looking at the proposed card in 1994 for “High Noon in Hong Kong”, Bruno vs Mercer was a non-title fight, so maybe scheduled for 10 rounds? Top of the bill would’ve been Herbie Hide vs Tommy Morrison then Steve Collins vs Lonnie Beasley, and Rafael Ruelas vs Billy Schwer.
Prime vs prime Mercer by brutal tko 94 Mercer tko Bruno... He only has to resist the first rounds and after 6 he starts throwing the house over his head and it's gg
It’s interesting, when talking about the guys he faced with the best chin Ray mentioned Lewis shockingly to most as someone who could take a “good shot” alongside Evander with both guys second to Bert Cooper.
My thoughts exactly, Is Mercer worse than McCall? I don’t think so, I don’t know how this fight will go but Oliver was durable, hard punching, busy when he wanted to be and could box better then Ray.