Kallie Knoetze vs. Bernardo Mercado

Both had a 74% ko average but on ring record, quality of opponent & height the edge has to lean towards Mercado.
Knoetzes right hand bolo punch was a telling factor right up to the last minute of each match when they ended.
Both would have been one or other world champion titlist in this era.

 

Best thread in ages.

Knoetze would bestride this era as a Goliath.

But he was no Jimmy Abbott.

 

Hard pick. Anything can happen when you have two huge punchers with limited defense and durability. Knoetze had some less than flattering defeats to a few journeyman, but he also lasted longer and gave a better effort against an 18-0 John Tate than Marcado did against a 10-0 version. Then again, Mercado took a hammering from an albeit Aged Earnie Shavers to come back and snatch the win. I think its really up in the air. Probably one of those fights where the one who hurts the other first ends up winning, weather it be early or later on down the road. As for someone else's claim that either of these two guys would be champions in this current era, I disagree. Guys like Fury, Wilder, Oritz and Joshua would make short work of them both.

 

Prior to 1990 South Africa only had a total count of 3 World Champions in their boxing history. Once the alphabet bodies mushroomed after 1990 a further 123 became meaningless champions. Therefore both heavyweights would have been some or other world champion in this era.

 

Then world ranked Duane Bobick had fond memories of his bolo punch in the 3rd if I recall.

 

Knoetze knocked out Ruddock in 3 and Sharkey in 4. Granted, it was Denton Ruddock and Bill Sharkey.

Mercado's losses, on the whole, seem to be of a higher quality and he definitely had a couple more notable wins.

I gotta go with Bernie here. Seems to me he was made of a tad harder stuff.

 

The K man. He also had a brutal lefthook and 1 punched Schutte. Who else was doing that?
With Mercado, it's right hand only. I think the rugby tough guy style of Kallie gets him on the inside of Mercado and in that proper distance for either hand. Mercado needs room to launch that right hand of his and he didn't exactly burn up the ring with energy to create his openings. A fan's fight and it wouldn't go 5 rounds. And no concerns whatsoever about jabs.

How many matchups are like that where that is an irrevelant factor in a bout with about as much importance as the timekeeper?

 

I think I'll take the African, Mercado seemed to crumble much easier when faced up against good opposition- Tate in 2, Weaver in 5, Spinks in 9, and the only good win he got was against an aged Shavers.

 

I think that's a fair assessment.

 

Knoetzee early ko

 

Mercado for me. Mid rounds

 

Mercado. Bernardo got up to stop Shavers, uniquely one punched Berbick, decked a warmed up Weaver at a time that was a significant achievement, retired Henry Clark via ten round decision, and halted Tom Prater in 12 to get to Leon and their title eliminator with Holmes. He was never counted out.

Knoetze only produced one decision win, never got up to win, and had significant deficits in height and reach deficits to Mercado.

I was hoping Mercado-Knoetze would happen after Koranicki-Knoetze and Leon-Bernardo, and at Miami Beach's Convention Center, a venue where both actually did compete. It would've been a good comeback bout for both, and highly promotable as a contest with potential fireworks.

This is one which would've extended the career of the winner as a contender, and I expected the Colombian (who Leon never dropped) to knock out the South African, and get a shot at Holmes so Larry could fill in time before Cooney.

Size, stamina, resilience and probably a harder punch.

Bernardo had four defeats during the original portion of his career (1975 to 1981). Three were to world heavyweight titleholders, Weaver (in Mike's first major win), Tate (in Big John's first major win) and Leon (which for my money was Neon's best performance as a heavyweight, although Ali I was obviously of far greater importance) and Cobb (at a moment Tex may have been the world's second best heavyweight, in the bout which really got Randy to Holmes).

One had to be very, VERY good to defeat Bernardo Mercado, who again, uniquely one punched an extremely durable future heavyweight champion, ended the years of contention of the hardest puncher in boxing history and retired a never floored veteran whose chin and durability were superior to Chuvalo's. (Yes, I said it! Henry Clark was more durable than George Chuvalo!)

 

He did spark out Berbick !! No mean feat