It would never have happened! Mercer would have been too dangerous to get the chance, and not big enough to force it! It simply doesn't happen!
The Your right because Team Tyson wasn't interested in bringing Tyson along to get him back to his best. They just wanted to keep the illusion going. He still had a punch and he was aggressive for about 2 or 3 rounds. It's like a nice sports car with a pretty paint job, nice wheels. I'll buy it. (Don't you want to check under the hood?) No I'm afraid to.
I wanted this fight and especially wanted Tyson taking his act on the road to a hostile environment---Tua in Aukland. Go wear the shoes Tate did fighting Coetzee in front of 80,000 people. Tyson loses at least 1 of the 2 badly. Very badly. Most likely is he loses both but maybe he makes it the distance in one of the efforts. But he is getting stopped one time as a minimum. I think both guys back Tyson up the 2nd half of the fight and it'd be all Mike could do to make it to the finish line. And I really do not like Tyson backing up and that left hook of Tua is a major problem--either walking into it or being at the end of it attempting to back up. Similar in some ways to Mercer who just out toughs Tyson and wins on the cards or very possibly stops him late when the Tyson gastank is empty. But like mentioned above, the Tyson camp did not want this kind of resistance in fights. They wanted far easier styles to deal with & the public would buy about any kind of opponent for him.
Prime Tyson beats Tua and Mercer rather easily imo 96 Tyson gassed and losses to both. He was never the best stamina fighter but at least in prime he was better shape and was an excellent boxer.
Tyson beats Mercer, he takes all the earlier rounds. Mercer comes strong late, but it won't be enough. Mercer won't beat 96 Tyson. But he beats 2002 Tyson for sure.
I take Tyson to hammer out a decision win. Mercer was a tough opponent but he lost against all the decent fighters he met. Tyson, even in 96, was still better than Mercer.
Depending on which Tyson turns up and which mercer .Best 96 version s of both men ,I see Tyson doing great for 5 /6 rounds ,roughing Mercer up .Then Tyson begin s slowing down and Ray revving it up a notch .It'll come down to the last couple of rounds and Tyson getting mauled .He loses by decision over 10 ,if its 12 he's stopped on his feet .
I think Tyson would take him out or send Mercer into survival mode, even in 96. Mike was no Tommy Morrison.
Tyson by UD. Although Tyson was fading quickly by 1996, so was Mercer. Mercer had some dreadful performances in between 1992-1996. He lost to an ancient Holmes, lost to a beyond worn out version of Jesse Ferguson, and had almost no quality wins. ( I am not counting a beatdown by Evander, or hanging tough with Lennox Lewis as wins. Because they weren't.) Ray Mercer was not as good of a fighter as Mike Tyson. Even in 1996.
Yeah I think 1996 Tyson still wins this one. He wasn't that bad, just not close to his 1988 form. And Mercer was there to be hit. Mercer would stand toe to toe and get hurt eventually.
