Ruddock vs Mercer: Who wins and how?

Yeah this sounds about right.

They both had some tough, competitive losses under their belts going up against the best, Ruddock with the Tyson fights and Mercer with Holyfield and Lewis. I don't think Mercer had the crunching power that Tyson, Lewis and Morrison had to keep Ruddock down. And Ruddock would always be in the fight. I guess you can say the same for Mercer because when the going got tough he usually fought back by giving as good as he got.

 

Great match-up and impossible to pick with any great confidence. Despite being known for power, I think if Ruddock fought him the way he fought Weaver --moving and boxing-- he could win it.

Thinking of that, there's another great fight: Mercer-Weaver

 

Mercer went a long way on being tough and tenacious. He had skills, but it was that durability and 'never say die' attitude that made him tough to beat.

Ruddock was the more skilled fighter with the better physical ability, but he went looking for the home run with almost every shot.

For this fight I'm backing Ruddock, purely because Ray could also be lazy and unimaginative. Ruddock on points in a sloppy, slow affair.