I knew what you were going to comment on before i even clicked on the thread..... Yeah, that was awesome. Ray nails him with a strait jab and Holmes went flailing all over the ring like an octopus on acid.... I often wondered back then if Mercer was paid to take a dive in that fight, and nearly ruined the deal by accidentally tagging Holmes, then making sure that he layed off for the rest of the fight, as to not hurt the old man...
Agreed, and that was one of the later points, that made me revisit the issue. Mercer was not foreign to the concept of a fixed match.
Round one was the only round where I recall Mercer even showing any aggression and look at what happened.
Sure.Mercer on the verge of a title shot agrees to throw a bout. How about Mercer kept looking for the knockout and got outboxed. As far as Fergerson is concerned Mercer tried to convince Fergerson to take it easy DURING THE BOUT.He thought Jesse was just there for a payday and then realized into the bout that Jesse hadn't come to laydown but to actually win.
Watch the whole bout.Mercer tried like hell to take Holmes out but couldn't.Mercer was known for being lazy in training and he paid for it. Mercer lost a hell of alot of money when he lost to Holmes.And Holmes put on a masterful performance against Mercer.
Ever consider the possibility that he was never going to get a shot in the first place, and that being paid to throw the match was the only reason the idea of an " elimination bout " even existed? Round one, was about the only time in that fight that I recall Mercer even showing a heart beat, and it was during that round that he nearly took Holmes out. From that point fourth, he fought like he was in la la land. A year later, he get's in the ring with Ferguson, after sustaining a back injury in training. Jesse's kicking his ass, and the microphones happen to catch Mercer offering him cash to throw the match. Coincidence? Or was Mercer familiar with the concept of what it meant to throw a fight? Here dude, read this clip from an article taken from the New York times. "The tapes confirmed that Mercer repeatedly attempted to persuade Ferguson to let Mercer win," Morgenthau said at the news conference. "I don't think I want to comment on what Ferguson said."
How do you know what he lost or made? If a promotor tells you, look here is your option - Take this check and enjoy the money, but let the old guy win, or forget about ever getting a decent paying fight again... What would you do?
:roll::roll: Nice try I am not goign to waste my time trying to explain to you why a fix would not have made any business monetary or boxing sense for either fighter . The only thing i will say that the other 40 + year old ex champion would have had far more incentive to fix' his fights. Lets not go there it would get pretty ugly for you.
Right.Mercer knockout Morrison in a HIGH PROFILE fight and isn't going to get a shot?Unbeaten with a huge punch and Mercer wouldn't have drawn any interest from the public?
There were lot's of fights that would have " drawn interest from the public " that never came off.. Especially during the 90's. I personally would have RATHER seen Mercer fight Holy in 1992 as opposed to Holmes as did many others. Am I steadfastly claiming that Holmes vs Mercer was fix? My answer is no. But, if by some slight remote chance it might have been, it certainly wouldn't have surprised me.