Prime Ray Mercer vs. Prime David Tua

Mercer's jab can mark anyone up, and the guy could move early in his career. I think people forget how well Mercer could box and move when he was 215 pounds and under.

As for the jab, who knows how Tua would react to his face being torn up or his eyes being swollen shut?

 

mercer wins..........backs tua up..........mercer by decision no problem

 

Mercer has the better skills and wins by UD.

 

yeah, he wud back tua up. and even when he would go toe to toe with tua, he couyld survive. ibeabuchi when toe to toe with tua and tua couldnt ko him.

 

One of the best chins of that time vs one of the hardest punchers ever...Going to be war.
Lets not forget Ray could hit and David had a rock hard chin himself.

I think Ray edges it out.

 

Agreed.

Mercer had a very good jab when he used it. However, he would ignore it upon frustration and try to slug it out against some opponents. If he does this against Tua, he gets knocked out before the distance. If he boxes, stays outside and sets up his right hand properly, I wouldn't bet against him stopping Tua by the refs decision.

 

This would have been an awesome matchup! Two big punchers, two great chins, two really tough SOBs!!!! I would give Tua an edge in power especially with the left hook. But I would give Mercer the edge in the jab department. If they fought ten times I think that Mercer would win six and Tua four, but in a one fight setting I think Tua catches Mercer very late in a tough fight with a left hook and finishes him.

 

Mercer never used his jab to establish distance only move forward, thats why I cant see him keeping Tua on the outside, plus he fought very stupid at times. This all plays into a war and Tua at his best was pretty quick and explosive in the 223-225 range. I still think Tua takes him out or beats him down over 12 rounds.

 

Tommy Morrison was said to throw a better hook then Tyson. He wasn't the fighter Tyson was even in the 90's, but comentators constantly and rightfully so mentioned how amazing Morrison's hook was.

Morrison hit Mercer with that ****ing thing to the body, head, left hook right hand uppercuts...

Lennox made a bobblehead out of him at times too and couldn't even slow him down.

Don't think Tua's knocking him out a majority of the time. Maybe 2 out of 10 times.

 

Mercer has often said that, hands down, Morrison was the hardest puncher he fought, above guys like Lewis and Wladimir. He said something like "in terms of pain, no doubt."

This is the old irresistable force meets the immovable object situation.
Or more like, the immovable object meets the immovable object (shame we couldn't throw McCall into the mix too).

Assuming that both guys aren't going anywhere that night and points is certain, I think Mercer's heavy jab should be able to put Tua on the back foot enough for him to get a close but deserved points victory. Ray was up and down in his career but when 'on' he was quality and he had a lot of experience too. Jabs were just Tua's kryptonite, far more than they should've been.

 

I'll take the guy with two hands and a world class jab.

Ray could box, he could brawl, and he could punch.

He couldn't do the latter as well as Tua, but he could do all three, which Tua couldn't.

He's also that rare animal Tua can't count on sparking if he starts to land.

Mercer wide UD.

 

Tua winz dis bai KO .

2 "back Tua up" , or 2 deter him , a jab woz not inaf .

I think Tua did not trai 2 win vs Byrd , 4 sam rizen