Negotiations with Holyfield fall through so Mike fights Ray instead over 12 rounds. Both guys show up in top shape, Mercer coming off the Holy & Lewis wars, Mike the Seldon blow out. Does Mike have enough in him at that point to tought out the W?
This particular bout has fascinated you before too, and it's a good one. I still think this Mike Tyson vs Ray Mercer, 1996
Haha...oh dear. The feeling of dejavu actually did come over me but only moments after I pressed post
Mercer didn't have what it takes to beat any sharp version of Tyson. He wasn't as smooth a technician as Douglas, and he didn't have Holy's IQ. Ray was a low IQ fighter actually. He was durable, but very hittable and brawl happy. No one ever beat Mike in a straight up slugfest - not without using nuance. Tyson by wide UD in 96. He still had enough left in the tank that year to outclass Mercer.
Yeah I kinda agree with this. Tyson wasn't peak in '96 but he was still very good and a guy who could win the rounds if the opponent is in any way passive. I think Mercer makes a fight of it in the sense that he is in every round, but Mike lands all the eye catching shots. A wide UD but the scorecards don't quite tell the story of how competitive the rounds were, if that makes sense?
That was a really convoluted way to say "the rounds are competitive but the fight isn't" from me , but hopefully you get my point!
I basically think it would look like the early rounds of Morrison-Mercer, only for the whole fight. Unlike Tommy, Mike didn't fall apart after eating a few hard shots.
