Ray Mercer

This poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "Ray Mercer" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message )

Ray Mercer
Mercer in 1988
Born	Raymond Anthony Mercer (1961-04-04) April 4, 1961 (age 63) Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Other names	Merciless
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Division	Heavyweight
Reach	77 in (196 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Years active	1989–2008 (boxing) 2004–2005 (kickboxing) 2007, 2009 (MMA)
Professional boxing record
Total	44
Wins	36
By knockout	26
Losses	7
By knockout	2
Draws	1
Kickboxing record
Total	2
Losses	2
By knockout	1
Mixed martial arts record
Total	1
Wins	1
By knockout	1
Losses	0
Other information
Children	9
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record Men's amateur Boxing Representing  United States Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Heavyweight
Last updated on: April 5, 2023

Raymond Anthony Mercer (born April 4, 1961) is an American former

As a kickboxer, he fought the likes of four-time K-1 Japan tournament champion Musashi in 2004, and as a mixed martial artist, he scored a notable first-round knockout win over former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in 2009.

Early life

Mercer, being the son of retired

As a kid I was a little hardheaded. I had a tough time in school until my father, Raymond, he was a mechanic in the military, got me straight. When he was in the field, whether at

Go-Karts or shoot BB guns or ride choppers. With my father, I was fishing by the age of nine and hunting by fourteen. We'd go for deer, rabbit, and squirrel at Fort Benning. My father had a good life in the military. I figured I'd do the same. I wanted to go back to Germany. I liked it over there.

— —Ray Mercer on his childhood.^[1]

Going to the Olympic Team, he was one of the most highly regarded American Olympic boxers.[11] Of all the U.S. 1988 Olympians, Angelo Dundee, a legendary trainer, chose Ray Mercer and Andrew Maynard, as the most likely to develop into world champions after they would have turned into professionals: "Mercer's 27, but that's not too old. The maturity is there. And the punch. Give him 10 fights as a pro and he'd be ready to start moving up," Dundee said on Mercer's potential as a pro.^[12] According to Kelvin Richardson of the '88 All-Army Team, Mercer was such a hard puncher, that even 16-ounce gloves weren't of much help for his sparring partners from being knocked off the ring, and his superheavyweight Olympic teammate, Riddick Bowe, didn't want to spar with Mercer for that reason.^[13]

Before one of Maynard's fights, Mercer and Anthony Hembrick took off with their flags and good-naturedly dodged the people who tried to get in their way. A few tried to trip the pair, another tried to tackle the heavyweight Mercer, and one security guard even stopped him and tried to steer him back to his seat. Mercer would have none of it. "He didn't speak English, and I don't speak Korean, so he talked his stuff and I talked mine. I didn't think we connected, so I just kept on going." said Mercer. Soldiers from his unit back in Germany were rooting for him. Right before the Olympics they made a large banner with everyone's signature on it and shipped it overnight to Seoul. "They've been a big part of my support, and a gold medal would mean almost as much to them as it would to me. That banner really picked me up. I'm fighting for the people of the United States, but especially for the ones back in my unit," he told his audience during one of his post-fight interviews.^[14]

Mercer knocked out all four of his Olympic opponents, winning Gold at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul as a heavyweight. When asked if he thought he needed to stop the South Korean in order to win the gold medal, he replied: "Definitely. Or I'll make him wish he was knocked out. One of the two."^[15] He was the oldest member of the United States Olympic Boxing Team at 27.^[16]

Highlights

Mercer had a total of 70 fights as an amateur, competing all his amateur career in the 201-pound class, and compiling an amateur record of 64 wins, 6 losses (no stoppages.) Upon winning the Olympic Gold Medal, Mercer was approached by boxing promoter Bob Arum, with whom he signed a contract to turn professional. Under the deal, he was to be trained in Las Vegas, Nevada, under Hank Johnson of Fort Bragg, who was the All-Army Coach, and the assistant Olympic coach. Also under the deal, Arum got the rights to promote a certain number of televised bouts, leaving the boxer free to fight for others.^[17]

Upon winning the 1988 Olympics, he was named Armed Forces Athlete of the Year in November 1988 (which was quite an achievement, considering that the Army branch alone produced 19 Olympians in 1988.

Mercer turned pro in January 1989 and debuted with a 3rd TKO of Jesse Hughes. He scored a series of knockouts, scoring his first notable in a split decision of

Having split fights with dangerous veteran Jesse Ferguson (Mercer was investigated for allegedly asking Ferguson to "throw the fight" during their first encounter), an overweight Mercer labored to a draw with trialhorse Marion Wilson, and saw a proposed 1994 bout in Hong Kong with Frank Bruno fall through. Mercer enjoyed an unexpected run of form in major fights, losing on points in a thrilling brawl with Holyfield in May 1995, losing a controversial decision in a wild punch up with Lennox Lewis in June 1996, and scoring a controversial points win over double ex-champ Tim Witherspoon in yet another high action bout in December 1996. In the frame for a bout with Andrew Golota in 1997, Mercer suffered a neck injury and was out of action for 14 months. He returned February 1998 with a 2-round KO of Leo Loiacono, but contracted Hepatitis B and was again inactive, this time for 20 months.

Comeback

In February 2001 a 39-year-old Mercer launched a final comeback, knocking out four journeymen before being matched with WBO title holder Wladimir Klitschko in a high-profile bout on HBO. Once famed for his incredible iron chin, Mercer looked his age and was knocked down in the first and stopped in the sixth round for the first time in his career. A brief dalliance in mixed martial arts nixed a 2004 bout with DaVarryl Williamson.

However, Mercer did return to boxing in 2005, now aged 44, but he was stopped in seven rounds by former Lineal champion Shannon Briggs. The bout was a back and forth slugfest, with both men throwing various and plentiful power shots.

Final fights

After his loss to Briggs, the now aged Mercer did not compete in a boxing match until two years later in 2007, having taken time off to attempt kickboxing and MMA as side careers.

He returned, scoring a first round KO over the Journeyman Mikael Lindblad. After a unanimous decision loss to a journeyman Derric Rossy, 19 years Mercer's junior, in 2008 he boxed for the final time at the age of 47, against one-time fringe WBF title holder, Dutch boxer Richel Hersisia in Sweden, winning a six round majority decision.

He retired in 2008 a one-time major title holder with an impressive record of 36-7-1 (26 KOs).^[20]

Kickboxing career

Continuing to seek a fighting career, Mercer opted to travel to Japan. Taking a brief year of hiatus from boxing, he challenged Musashi in the kickboxing combat sport K-1 on June 6, 2004. Mercer held a reasonable account of himself, but his age and inability to successfully defend kicks was evident. He threw powerful punches and trapped his opponent in the corner more than once, and managed to adapt as more kicks were thrown, even knocking Musashi down in round two, but he was tacking on more accumulated damage that slowed him down, as he went on to lose the bout via unanimous decision. By round three, he was being ripped into by his opponent and was hardly keeping up.

On March 19, 2005, he had one more K-1 bout against Remy Bonjasky, to whom he lost via verbal submission. Mercer came out with a failed double jab towards Bonjasky's shoulder and head, but missed, and attempted to throw a right. The first and only strike of the night, a head kick, that connected from them landed square on the head of Mercer, though he attempted to block, and he was shaken by the powerful blow. He voiced his surrender and the bout was stopped at twenty-two seconds and Bonjasky was awarded the TKO victory.

Though he was offered additional opportunities to have a further K-1 career, after the Bonjasky bout in 2005, Mercer, aged but undeterred, returned to boxing and refused another kickboxing fight.

Mixed martial arts career

Mercer had planned to attempt a dabble in mixed martial arts as early as 2003; he was scheduled to Kazuyuki Fujita, who was 9-4 in the sport, in Kobe, Japan as the main event of the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye. The fight was to be in a MMA ring. However the bout was cancelled after Mercer missed his flight to the country.^[21]

After a series of scheduled boxing matchups fell through (including a proposed bout against former champion

Slice won the fight in the first round with a guillotine choke submission. Mercer later stated in the press conference at Adrenaline III: Bragging Righs,, that he had expected Kimbo Slice to box with him, and said that he did not really train in any other aspect of MMA and was unprepared for the guillotine choke.

Though he originally planned to give up on MMA, circumstances pushed Mercer into a comeback; On June 13, 2009, he made a big splash when he defeated former UFC Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia at Adrenaline III: Bragging Rights. He won the fight via knockout in 9 seconds with a huge right hand to the chin, becoming the first man to ever defeat Sylvia by knockout. Sylvia threw a kick, for the opponents agreed to keep the fight standing, but Mercer was visibly agitated as he threw a light jab. He delivered his overhand right to Sylvia, stunning him, and threw a second right hand on the ground.

In March 2010, it was announced that Mercer had signed with the King of the Cage organization, although no bouts would materialize.^[23] At 1-0, he was scheduled to face at the time undefeated MMA fighter and Kickboxer Ron Sparks, but the bout was cancelled because a longtime injury Mercer sustained 13 years earlier.^[24][25]

Professional boxing record

Kickboxing record

0 Wins (0 (T) KO's, 0 decision), 2 Losses

Date	Result	Record	Opponent	Event	Method	Round	Time	Location
March 15, 2005	Loss	0–2	Remy Bonjasky	K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in Seoul	TKO (Right High Kick)	1	0:22	Seoul, South Korea
June 6, 2004	Loss	0–1	Musashi	K-1 World Grand Prix 2004 in Nagoya	Decision (Unanimous)	3	3:00	Nagoya, Japan

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record

Exhibition record

References