Ray Mercer vs Wladimir Klitschko Prime for Prime

Except against Jesse Ferguson and 42 year old Larry Holmes.

 

No kidding, Mercer was handily outboxed by a shot and slow Larry Holmes. So once again, let me get this straight: a 42 year old Holmes cruises to an easy UD against Mercer, but prime Wlad gets schooled by Mercer?

 

Quality analysis mate, I'll agree with Mercer via mid round TKO.

 

TS can't cycle from school to home without seeing dozen guys that would beat Wladimir. He sees heavyweight destroyers in every street corner, bus stops, arcade halls, book stores and especially in cemeteries.

 

Morrison, yeah ****in greatatschB-

 

Exactly.. Mercer had great battles with Holyfield and Lewis, both of whom he did better against than expected, but still lost both fights. He'd give Wlad trouble, but 3 out of 4 I'd pick Wlad by decision.

 

The timing of the Holyfield and Lewis fights also gets overlooked. Evander was coming out of retirement(has tough battles with everyone anyway) and Lennox was still tinkering his style from puncher to boxer on a slow comeback trail.

This has nothing to do with hugging Wlad, but recoginzing Mercer for what he was. A tough but very limited fighter.

 

Except he was brutally stopped by Wlad. Did he really lose his punch resistance or was Wlad perhaps equipped with the right punches to put him down?

Mercer doesn't seem to me like a fighter who lost that much with age. The version who was looking like an amateur against Holmes didn't look any better to me than the version Wlad KO'd. His jab still looked fast against Wlad but was negates by Wlad's jab and reach, something that wouldn't be different earlier. He was never someone with quick feet to chase Wlad, like Sanders did (doesn't matter that Mercer was overall a better fighter than Sanders). I don't Wlad on a good night losing to someone who is much smaller without being faster.

 

The best of Mercer knocks out Wlad.

 

i feel as if Mercer is being slightly overrated in this thread.

 

The best of Mercer only knocks out the worst of Wlad, the versions that lost to Purrity and Brewster. The best version of Wlad (Byrd, McCline, Brpck, Chagaev, Chambers) easily controls the distance with his longer jab and higher punch output and TKO's Mercer late.

 

Mercer had a great amateur career and was a former Olympic Gold medalist (albeit in a year the Cubans boycotted). Mercer was hardly a limited fighter. Unmotivated maybe, but not limited. In fact, I'd go as far to say a motivated Ray Mercer wouldn't have had any more problems dominating this current era than the Klit Bros. have displayed. Hell, I'd even give a prime Oliver McCall a decent shot at dominating the current crop of heavyweight challengers.

With that said, I still think it would be a pick 'em between the Klit Bros. and Mercer leaning toward Vitali and Wlad.

 

Would definitely be a different fight, and I could see Mercer winning, but he was always easy to hit, and if Wlad lands his righthand and hes going to, he still knocks out any version of Mercer. Wlad punches very hard. As someone mentioned the Lewis that Mercer fought probably wasnt as tuned as Wlad is now as far as setting up and landing his power shots.

 

Mercer by TKO or UD. He had the good to beat someone like Wlad. Stiff jab, just as good as Wlad's. Not to mention the toughness and boxing pedigree. CLose fight, but ultimately a win for the Merciless one.