Ray Mercer

Ray Mercer
Born	April 4, 1961 (1961-04-04) (age 50) Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Other names	Merciless
Nationality	American
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	256 lb (116 kg; 18.3 st)
Division	Heavyweight
Style	Boxing
Fighting out of	Fayetteville, North Carolina
Years active	1988-present
Professional boxing record
Total	44
Wins	36
By knockout	26
Losses	7
Draws	1
Kickboxing record
Total	2
Wins	0
Losses	2
Draws	0
Mixed martial arts record
Total	1
Wins	1
By knockout	1
Losses	0
By disqualification	0
Other information
Boxing record from Boxrec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Olympic medal record
Men's Boxing
Competitor for  United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1988 Seoul	Heavyweight

"Merciless" Ray Mercer (born April 4, 1961 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American professional boxer, and former WBO World Heavyweight Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist who resides in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He has also competed in kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

Boxing career

Amateur

Mercer was the 1988 United States Amateur Champion at Heavyweight while in the US Army and compiled an Amateur record of 64-6. He won Gold in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul as a heavyweight. In 1989, Mercer fought Barry Flowers (USAF) which contributed to a K.O. win in the 7th round.

Olympic results

• 1st round bye
• Defeated Rudolf Gavenčiak (Czechoslovakia) RSC 3
• Defeated Luigi Gaudiano (Italy) KO 1
• Defeated Arnold Vanderlyde (Netherlands) RSC 2
• Defeated Baik Hyun-Man (South Korea) KO 1

Professional

Mercer turned pro in 1989 with a 3rd TKO of Jesse Hughes. He scored a series of knockouts and in August 1990 knocked down and outpointed big punching Smokin' Bert Cooper in a spectacular 12 round brawl that earned him Cooper's NABF title. In January 1991 he challenged undefeated Francesco Damiani for the WBO heavyweight title, scoring a one punch knockout victory in the 9th when behind on points. Later that year he brutally demolished undefeated puncher Tommy Morrison in five, and with a major world title fight on the horizon vacated his WBO belt and fought 42 year old legend Larry Holmes rather than mandatory challenger Michael Moorer. It proved an unwise decision, as the crafty Holmes conned Mercer out of the fight, outjabbing the puzzled youngster and gaining both the points decision, and Mercer's world title fight with heavyweight king Evander Holyfield.

Having split fights with dangerous veteran Jesse Ferguson, laboured when overweight to a draw with trialhorse Marion Wilson, and seen 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 another wild punch up, this time with Lennox Lewis, in June 1996, and scoring a controversial points win over 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 kayo of Leo Loiacono, but contracted Hepititis B and was again inactive, this time for 20 months.

Comeback

In February 2001 a 42 year old Mercer launched a final comeback, knocking out four journeymen before being matched with WBO champ 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 6th. A brief dalliance in the mixed martial arts nixed a 2004 bout with DaVarryl Williamson, however he did return to boxing in 2005, now aged 44, but was stopped in seven by Shannon Briggs.

Kickboxing career

Continuing to seek a fighting career, Mercer opted to travel to Japan and challenged Musashi in the kickboxing combat sport K-1 on June 6, 2004. He was knocked down in the first round and went on to lose via unanimous decision. On March 19, 2005, he had one more K-1 bout against Remy Bonjasky, to whom he lost via verbal submission, the first and only strike of the night, a head kick, would land on the square on the head of Mercer. It wasn't your typical fight; Mercer took one head kick and then quit in what was one of the most bizarre fights of all time as the kick didn't even seem to hurt him. As Mercer put it, "I got the shit kicked out of me". [1]

Mixed martial arts career

After a series of scheduled boxing matchups fell through (including a proposed bout against former champion Hasim Rahman), Mercer decided to try mixed martial arts (MMA) and approached Felix Martinez, co-founder of Cage Fury Fighting Championships, about working with the promotion. On March 21, 2007, Cage Fury announced that Mercer had signed to face underground street fighter and Internet legend Kimbo Slice at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on June 23, 2007, as part of Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5. The bout was a non-sanctioned exhibition under the New Jersey Unified MMA rules.^[1]

Kimbo Slice won the fight in the first round with a guillotine choke submission.

Mercer later stated in the press conference at Adrenaline III: Bragging Rights when he was scheduled to fight Tim Sylvia under MMA rules instead of Boxing rules 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.

On June 13, 2009, Mercer 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. He then called out Eric Esch after the fight.

In March 2010, it was announced that Mercer had signed with the King of the Cage organization.^[2]

Professional boxing record

36 Wins (26 knockouts, 10 decisions), 7 Losses (2 knockouts, 5 decisions), 1 Draw [2]
Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
Win	36-7-1	Richel Hersisia	MD	6	05/09/2008	Nojesfabriken, Karlstad, Sweden, Sweden	Mercer, at age 47, became the second oldest former heavyweight champion to win a sanctioned professional bout with a six round majority decision win over "Dutch Sonny Liston" Richel Hersisia (George Foreman was the oldest with his win over Lou Savarese for the WBU Heavyweight title in 1997).
Loss	35-7-1	Derric Rossy	UD	12	26/01/2008	Venetian Casino & Resort, Macao S.A.R., China	For interim WBO NABO, vacant WBC Asian Boxing Council & WBF International Heavyweight titles.
Win	35-6-1	Mikael Lindblad	KO	1 (?)	15/09/2005	Lofberg Arena, Karlstad, Sweden
Loss	34-6-1	Shannon Briggs	KO	7 (10)	26/08/2005	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, United States	Mercer was knocked out by 3 right hooks to the head.
Win	34-5-1	Darroll Wilson	UD	10	24/06/2005	Nikki Beach Concert Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	33-5-1	Steve Pannell	TKO	3 (10)	28/02/2004	Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
Win	32-5-1	Shawn Robinson	TKO	3 (10)	11/11/2003	Caesars Indiana, Elizabeth, Indiana, United States
Win	31-5-1	Mario Cawley	KO	3 (10)	23/08/2003	Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
Loss	30-5-1	Wladimir Klitschko	TKO	6 (12)	29/06/2002	Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	For WBO Heavyweight title. Mercer was knocked down in the 1st round and suffered a cut over the right eye in the 5th round. Klitschko also suffered some battle wounds as his eyes puffed up as a result of Mercer's jab in the 3rd. Referee stopped the fight after a barrage of unanswered power punches in the 6th round.
Win	30-4-1	Troy Weida	KO	1 (10)	23/02/2002	Bally's Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Mercer stopped Weida in 28 seconds.
Win	29-4-1	Brian Scott	KO	2 (10)	13/10/2001	Parken, Copenhagen, Denmark
Win	28-4-1	Don Steele	KO	5 (10)	17/03/2001	Silver Star Casino, Philadelphia, Mississippi, United States	Steele had substantial swelling under both eyes by the end of the 3rd round. This was the 2nd consecutive fight that Mercer knocked his opponent out of the ring.
Win	27-4-1	Jeff Pegues	TKO	2 (10)	11/02/2001	Grand Victoria Casino, Elgin, Illinois, United States	Mercer proved to be Mr. Merciless. Pegues was knocked out of the ring. Pegues took several consecutive hard unanswered shots before the referee finally stepped in an halted the onslaught.
Win	26-4-1	Jimmy Haynes	KO	1 (10)	18/12/1999	Grand Casino, Tunica, Mississippi, United States
Win	25-4-1	Leo Loiacono	KO	2 (10)	21/02/1998	Miccosukee Indian Gaming Resort, Miami, Florida, United States
Win	24-4-1	Tim Witherspoon	UD	10	14/12/1996	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	It was a very close fight. Compubox numbers: Witherspoon landed 280 punches of 471 (59 %), Mercer landed 255 punches of 528 (48 %).
Loss	23-4-1	Lennox Lewis	MD	10	10/05/1996	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States	It was a true slugfest from start to finish. HBO's judge Harold Lederman scored the fight 95-95 on his unofficial scorecard.
Loss	23-3-1	Evander Holyfield	UD	10	20/05/1995	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Holyfield was examined for a bad right eye cut in round 7. Mercer down for the first time in his career in the 8th round.
Draw	23-2-1	Marion Wilson	SD	10	28/07/1994	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	23–2	Jesse Ferguson	SD	10	19/11/1993	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	CompuBox reported Mercer landing 244/679 punches (36%), and Ferguson landing 199/447 punches (45%).
Win	22–2	Mark Wills	UD	10	06/10/1993	Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	21–2	Tony Willis	KO	1 (10)	12/08/1993	Casino Magic, Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, United States
Loss	20–2	Jesse Ferguson	UD	10	06/02/1993	Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, United States
Win	20–1	Jerry Halstead	RTD	2 (12)	10/12/1992	Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Halstead did not answer the bell for round 3.
Win	19–1	Mike Dixon	TKO	7 (10)	07/10/1992	Augusta, Georgia, United States
Loss	18–1	Larry Holmes	UD	12	07/02/1992	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Mercer got "taken to school" by Holmes, who used jabs and aggressive combinations to outpoint him. The WBO Heavyweight title which Mercer had held was relinquished before this bout.
Win	18–0	Tommy Morrison	TKO	5 (12)	18/10/1991	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBO Heavyweight title. Morrison was outboxing Mercer and leading on all the scorecards when in 5th round he was caught by a barrage of over 15 unanswered punches. This bout is viewed as one of the most brutal KOs in heavyweight history.
Win	17–0	Francesco Damiani	KO	9 (12)	11/01/1991	Taj Majal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Won WBO Heavyweight title. Damiani went down after a Mercer left uppercut broke his nose, and he was counted out by the referee.
Win	16–0	Bert Cooper	UD	12	05/08/1990	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Won NABF Heavyweight title. Cooper down in round 1.
Win	15–0	Lionel Washington	TKO	4 (10)	31/05/1990	War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, New York, United States
Win	14–0	Kimmuel Odum	UD	12	02/03/1990	Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won vacant IBF Inter-Continental Heavyweight title.
Win	13–0	Wesley Watson	TKO	5 (12)	15/01/1990	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	12–0	Ossie Ocasio	SD	8	07/12/1989	Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	11–0	Jerry Jones	UD	8	14/11/1989	South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey, United States
Win	10–0	Eddie Richardson	TKO	1 (8)	17/10/1989	State Fair, Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Win	9–0	Arthel Lawhorne	TKO	2 (10)	19/09/1989	Veteran's Coliseum, Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Win	8–0	Dino Homsey	TKO	1 (8)	05/09/1989	Harrah's Hotel & Casino, Stateline, Nevada, United States	Three knockdown rule. Televised on ESPN.
Win	7–0	Tracy Thomas	KO	1 (6)	15/08/1989	South Mountain Arena, West Orange, New Jersey, United States
Win	6–0	Al Evans	KO	1 (10)	15/07/1989	Harrah's Marina Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win	5–0	Ken Crosby	KO	1 (?)	12/06/1989	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	4–0	David Hopkins	KO	1 (4)	16/05/1989	Tyndall Armory, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win	3–0	Garing Lane	UD	4	28/03/1989	Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win	2–0	Luis Walford	KO	1 (?)	04/03/1989	Civic Center, Bismarck, North Dakota, United States
Win	1–0	Jesse McGhee	TKO	3 (?)	24/02/1989	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Pro debut for the 1988 Heavyweight Olympic Gold Medalist Mercer.

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 breakdown
1 match	1 win	0 losses
By knockout	1	0
By submission	0	0
By decision	0	0
Draws	0

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Win	1–0	Tim Sylvia	KO (punch)	Adrenaline MMA 3: Bragging Rights	02009-06-13 June 13, 2009	1	0:09	Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Mixed martial arts exhibition match record

Professional record breakdown
1 match	0 wins	1 loss
By knockout	0	0
By submission	0	1
By decision	0	0
Draws	0

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Round	Time	Location	Notes
Loss	0–1	Kimbo Slice	Submission (guillotine choke)	Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5	02007-06-23 June 23, 2007	1	1:12	Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Boxing accomplishments

Preceded by Bert Cooper	NABF Heavyweight Champion 5 August 1990 – 11 January 1991 Vacated	Succeeded by Orlin Norris
Preceded by Francesco Damiani	WBO World Heavyweight Championship 11 Jan 1991–24 Dec 1991 Vacated	Succeeded by Michael Moorer
Preceded by Michael Bentt	United States Amateur Heavyweight Champion 1988	Succeeded by Javier Alvarez

References

1. ^ "Freak Show or Convert? Kimbo Slice Interview". MMAWeekly. June 22, 2007. http://mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=4196&zoneid=1. 
2. ^ "Ray Mercer Returns to Fight Undefeated Ron Sparks". MMAFighting.com. March 12, 2010. http://www.mmafighting.com/2010/03/12/ray-mercer-returns-to-fight-undefeated-ron-sparks/. 

External links

• Professional boxing record for Ray Mercer from BoxRec
• K-1 record

Persondata
Name	Mercer, Ray
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1961-04-04
Place of birth	Jacksonville, Florida, United States
Date of death
Place of death