Ray Mercer: All Time Chin?

Great chin. Not much of a fighter.

 

Enough to beat Morrison, Damiani and take Lennox to the very brink. Not bad for a guy who wasn't much of a fighter.

 

Absolutely YES.

Before 40 Mercer took best, clean punches and series of punches from Bert Cooper, Damini, Morrison, Holmes, Holyfield, Lewis, Witherspoon.

Was rarely hurt, took a knee once vs Holy.

At 41 was dropped by Wlad's murderous double left hook, but got up and took bombs for 5 more rounds without going down.

At 44 faked a KO loss to Briggs trying to get a DQ win (which Mercer later talked about in one of interviews). Briggs hit him few times while holding, so Ray went down and was waiting for DQ. That hasnt happened.

ATG chin without a doubt.

 

Great chin and he was strong, tough and determined to go with it !
I was impressed by his Olympic performances but he never had the discipline (nor the skills) to condition himself for the professional elite. He was a solid gatekeeper.

 

An atg chin, no question. He's a truly tough guy. I have always liked Sergeant Ray

 

Huh? Perry, did you watch his career? Mercer won a gold medal at the Olympics, you need some skill to do that. As a professional. Mercer had a very good jab and good right hand. Okay, he wasn't the fastest or the best on defense.

For not much of a fighter, he almost beat a prime Lennox Lewis. Some felt the fight was a draw.

If Mercer was in his prime today, he could be the #1 guy.

And Yes, he had a very good chin, tested by Lewis, Morrison, and Holyfield. Also tested out of his prime by Wlad who unloaded on him before he was stopped.

Mercer's biggest problem was focus in and out of the ring.

 

I'd say he was a bit more than a gatekeeper. A contender is a talent rich time.

 

P4P one of the greatest chins in boxing. Let's not forget, he wasn't a particularly big HW either. What's more he was basically all round tough. His body must have been made of something special, because the beating he took en route to winning against Cooper was horrendous and that's the sort of punishment that ends careers. I don't think Bert Cooper was ever really the same again, but Mercer just picked up where he left off.

 

He was in the top 10 but firmly took the role of the gatekeeper. If you beat Mercer you might get a shot at the title.
He beat some prospects and fringe contenders, gave a couple of the elite contenders a good fight and he struggled with some journeymen.

 

Perry's just a clueless disrespectful trollbaiter who thinks that because he's been around the block and watched some historically respected fighters live that gives him the right to talk smack about anyone he so chooses. It doesn't, nor does it make his opinions beyond question, especially when they're formulated from such a delusional and non-objective viewpoint.

At least he acknowledges that Mercer had a top class chin, though he'd probably consider someone like Dempsey or Baer to have a better one.

 

Another fascinating thread. As a new guy here, please recommend the one or two Mercer fights I should seek out on YouTube. Every day, this forum teaches me more about the sport I love. Many thanks in advance.

 

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No doubt a great chin. He just did not exhibit ability. Not much of a defense. Very predictable offensively. Unfortunately Mercer never progressed much from his amateur days.