Fellas, Anyone else besides me believe that the 1992 PPV fight between 42 year old Larry Holmes and 31 year old Raymond Mercer proved to be a great heavyweight fight? I truly love to review this epic bout here and there when I'm pumped and psyched with some friends hanging around. I thought aging underdog Holmes looked great against the much younger but questionably conditioned Mercer in Atlantic City back in Feb. of '92.. Yes, I know, their were no knockdowns or even a TKO stoppage.... Still, overall, the bout provided thrills and chills for me.... I am a "Holmes" jock-sniffer.... No shame..... Been so since he won the WBC title from Kenny Norton back in 1978..... What thoughts / memories do you all have in regards to this 1992 gem of a fight? MR.BILL:hat
If anything, Holmes at age 42 at least worked his ass off in training and was fit to battle for 12 rds in 1992 at a good weight of 232 pounds...... Meanwhile, Mercer was looking soft and lethargic at close to 230 pounds going into the PPV fight in Jersey...... Note: Holmes 10 yrs earlier in 1982 was 212 pounds for Cooney in Vegas........ By 1992 and age 42, 232 pounds was fine for Holmes........ I noticed that Ray Mercer seemingly stopped training after his WBO title win by KO over Francisco Damiani in 1991......... Mercer just kept getting heavier and heavier after each fight......... WTF? MR.BILLhat:huh
I was excited about this fight. I made my dad order the fight on pay-per-view. I was rooting for Holmes all the way. I was a little nervous when Holmes got rocked in the first round from a Mercer jab, but I settled down as Holmes started to contain Mercer. It was a good, solid performance from Holmes, one that legitimately earned him his shot against Holyfield in June. Mercer fought a bad fight though. THe Mercer that fought Lennox Lewis in '96 or so would have been a much sterner test for Holmes. Holmes benefited from Mercer's lackadaisical training habits and still-raw boxing skills. But Holmes still beat a good, solid young fighter in Mercer, which was more than George Foreman did leading up to his own challenge of Holyfield. But the bad thing for Holmes was that he was not able to dupe Holyfield with his tricks the way he was Mercer. Holyfield forced Holmes to fight at a faster pace.
it was a good fight, I got that fight right now. if anything i was more impressed with holmes tricks and savvyness then anything: he had his own little shuffle, he went in mercer's own corner, talked to him, and did all kinds of mind games. he even leaned over to the camera and said, "I'm not Tommy Morrison." It was a good fight
Personally I prefer the epic W. Klitschko-Ibragimov bout but I can see where you are coming from. Good scrap this was.
This fight is so overrated on here. Good victory for Holmes especially after the Tyson fiasco, but it wouldn't be nearly as highly regarded if he was that old. I just might not be as impressed by victories by older fighters as other people are.
I get way impressed. To get in shape, and still be competitive against a much younger, less scarred, stronger fighter, is a feat. If he did this same performance in his late 20s, I would not be impressed. Actually, a victory is a victory, and having mercer on your resume is good anyway.
Massive Holmes fan here too.......Love his style. He really made traps for Mercer by goading him into a slugfest on the ropes.
I asked Larry about that one time and he said that as the rounds went on, the energy he was expending and the heat made him drink more water. Mercer was still hitting Larry with some decent body shots in that last round but he held it in until after the bell. It was all the water he had ingested. I loved this fight. I have always admired Holmes style and skill and for the first time that I could remember I actually heard the crowd in the arena chanting "Larry, Larry!"
