Was Tommy Morrison a more talented fighter than Ray Mercer?

Yes he was. Tommy had the talent.

Morrison had almost everything that you want a heavyweight fighter to have except a gas tank and an iron chin.

Mercer was more of a plodder but he was exactly the wrong type for Tommy, able to soak up all the thunderous combinations and drain that scooter sized gas tank. Then he had the power to blow Tommy's so-so chin to bits.

 

If they're both fit, Mercer beats Tommy 90-something out of a 100 and stands better chances against most guys on top of that. He's a superior heavyweight. But Tommy was more overall talented, for whatever it's worth. Paulie Malignaggi has more boxing talent, in terms of sophistication of his skills than so many of his better peers at 140 and 147, for instance, even when you take under account these raw physical traits, that I don't like to apply to the word 'skill,' in the same way, but having just one big weakness in that department can make that conversation purely academic. With Paulie and his power or Tommy and his chin, it doesn't really matter that much at the level they competed. It's unforgiving. You gottta both lay the hurt down and take it more importantly than display a wider variety of talent.

 

Itauma V Hrgovic is a similar situation.

 

Chin and stamina are 2 of the most important qualities a fighter can possess...but they wouldn't fall under "talent"

So ya, Mercer was the better fighter, Tommy had more talent.

 

Meth head.

Hard to say how far he would have went without drugs, alcohol, tobacco and HIV.Had he not been on meth, he might have been much more rugged.

 

Maybe more talented but Mercer had a great pedigree as an Olympic Gold medalist and would go to give Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield difficult fights

What's that old adage about hard work beating talent when talent doesn't work hard. Tommy liked to party and it caught up with him

 

Tommy wins Gold never. Mercer had more talent. Tommy had flashiness and marketability.

 

My hard work comment wasn't necessarily about their fight but Morrison's issues in general

Did he achieve all that he could have?

 

Mercer had a Chin. Morrison didn’t.

 

Morrison was a lot better than he gets credit for and would have had a lot better career/life if he had the discipline to turn down women… do you guys know that he was married to 2 different women in 2 different states, without them knowing at one point?!

If he had put as much effort in his training as he did chasing girls he could have won all of his loses. (maybe not Lewis)

 

"Drain that scooter sized engine". That made me chuckle