In 1991, Mercer captured the WBO heavyweight title and later successfully defended it against Tommy Morrison.[2] He subsequently vacated the belt. Mercer was nicknamed "Merciless" for his punching power and aggressive fighting style, a moniker that followed him throughout his professional career.[2][3]
In 2004, Mercer competed in a kickboxing match against four-time K-1 Japan tournament champion Musashi, losing by unanimous decision.[4]
In 2009, he made a brief appearance in mixed martial arts, defeating former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia by first-round knockout.
"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 Fort Benning, Georgia, or in Germany, I'd take advantage of my mother and act up. My father tried to get me to play some kind of sports. I was negative. Team sports wasn't in my blood. I'd come home and play 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."[5]
Mercer began boxing at age 23 while serving in the United States Army. He later stated that he had never worn gloves prior to his enlistment. "The Army taught me everything I know about boxing," explained Mercer. Mercer was offered the chance to avoid a 30-day field exercise by becoming a sparring partner for the post's heavyweightboxing champion.[8]
His first organized bout came in 1983 at Schweinfurt, West Germany. After winning his battalion box-off, he went on to claim the brigade title. After that, Mercer claimed, "I won the VII Corps novice and open championships and finished second at U.S. Army, Europe."[9] Mercer recalled being physically challenged early in his amateur career:
"I came back from that first day of sparring with a bleeding nose and my lips swollen. For two months, I got pounded. But then it became a challenge. I'm not a quitter. I figured the other guy learned the moves, so could I."
Mercer became the 1985 U.S. Army and inter-service heavyweight champion, alongside Wesley Watson, who was the inter-service super heavyweight title.[10] That same year, Army Coach Hank Johnson sought to recruit Mercer for a stateside training camp for the 1988 Olympics, Mercer turned down the offer.[5]
Throughout the late 1980s, Mercer continued to compete successfully in military-sponsored competitions. He won three USAREUR crowns while carrying the banner for V Corps,[6] with his first victory coming less than a year after his first amateur fight.[11] While still serving with USAREUR, Mercer had several more amateur bouts in Germany between 1986—1987, and he also competed internationally in Western European open tournaments.[6]
In the summer of 1988, he won the inter-service heavyweight championship again,[12] before applying for the all-Army boxing trial camp to win a spot on the Army team.[9] Mercer won the 1988 United States amateur heavyweight championship.[13] At the USA vs. Cuba match-up, he twice staggered Félix Savón, but was impeded from doing further damage by the Cuban referee, Alfredo Toledo.[14] Mercer subsequently defeated Yugoslavian Željko Mavrović to win the tournament.[15]
1988 Olympics
Mercer was the oldest member of the US boxing team at the 1988 Summer Olympics.[16] Despite this, many regarded him as one of the team's most talented boxers.[17] During the games, Muhammad Ali's former trainer Angelo Dundee noted that Mercer and teammate Andrew Maynard each had the potential to develop into world champions after becoming professionals. Dundee claimed that "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."[18] According to Kelvin Richardson of the '88 All-Army Team, Mercer was such a hard puncher that he frequently knocked his sparring partners out of the ring, even while wearing 16-ounce gloves. As a result, his super heavyweight Olympic teammate Riddick Bowe avoided sparring with him.[19]
Prior to the start of the Olympics, Mercer's fellow soldiers in Germany signed a large banner for him and shipped it to Seoul. During a post-fight interview, he described the significance of their support to the audience, saying "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."[20]
Mercer knocked out all four of his Olympic opponents en route to winning gold as a heavyweight.[21]
He was named the United States Armed Forces Athlete of the Year in November 1988 following his Olympic victory. In January 1989, Mercer was honorably discharged from the Army and began his professional boxing career.[22]
Mercer began his professional boxing career in January 1989, winning his debut bout via a third-round TKO against Jesse McGhee.[23] In August 1990, he knocked down and outpointed Bert Cooper in a 12-round brawl that earned him Cooper's NABF title.[24]
Final fights
Mercer retired in 2008 as a one-time major title holder with a record of 36–7–1 (26 KOs).[25]
Mixed martial arts career
Mercer explored mixed martial arts as early as 2003 when he was scheduled to face Kazuyuki Fujita, who was 9–4 across his MMA career. The fight was to be held in Kobe, Japan as the main event of the Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye in an MMA ring. However, the bout was cancelled after Mercer missed his flight to the country.[26]
On March 21, 2007, Cage Fury Fighting Championships announced that Mercer had signed to face underground street fighter Kimbo Slice at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall as part of Cage Fury Fighting Championship 5. The bout was a non-sanctioned exhibition under the New Jersey Unified MMA rules,[27] with both men making their professional MMA debuts. Slice won the fight in the first round with a guillotine choke submission. Afterwards, Mercer said he would be sticking with boxing since he "can't get choked out in boxing."[28]
In March 2010, it was announced that Mercer had signed with the King of the Cage organization, but no bouts materialized.[29] At 1–0, he was scheduled to face at the time undefeated MMA fighter and Kickboxer Ron Sparks, but the bout was cancelled due to a lingering injury Mercer had sustained 13 years earlier.[30][31]
1904–1908: +158 lb (71.7 kg) · 1920–1936: +175 lb (79.4 kg) · 1948: +80 kg · 1952–1980: +81 kg · 1984–2012: 81–91 kg · 2016–2020: 82–91 kg · 2024–: 81–92 kg
