Evander Holyfield vs. Ray Mercer
| Total Punches | Holyfield | Mercer |
|---|---|---|
| Landed | 125 | 109 |
| Thrown | 363 | 420 |
| Pct. | 34% | 26% |
Ray Mercer 224 lbs lost to Evander Holyfield 209 lbs by UD in round 10 of 10
- Date: 1995-05-20
- Location: Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
- Referee: Ron Lipton
- Judge: Eugenia Williams 94-95
- Judge: Henry Eugene Grant 93-96
- Judge: Eva Shain 92-97
Holyfield Begins Comeback With Unanimous Decision Over Mercer
By Gerald Eskenazi, the New York Times, May 21, 1995
ATLANTIC CITY, May 20— In a spectacular comeback, Evander Holyfield, his trunks bloodied from a deep cut over his right eye, fought like a champion tonight and produced a unanimous 10-round decision over Ray Mercer in which both fighters had something to prove about their hearts.
"I'll be back," shouted Mercer in defeat. Perhaps he will. But Holyfield, who hadn't fought since losing his heavyweight crown 13 months ago is back on the scene again. He looked as good as, or better than, any of the 13 present and former world heavyweight champions in training.
The 10-round fight was the featured bout on a pay-per-view card at the sold-out Atlantic City Convention Center. A crowd of 11,128 watched the bout.
Mercer opened the cut in the sixth round, and two rounds later Referee Ron Lipton halted the bout so that Dr. Frank Doggett could examine Holyfield's eye. The fight continued, but Mercer suddenly seemed energized by the sight of Holyfield's blood. Mercer began showboating, waving his left and throwing his right.
Instead, Holyfield somehow managed to suddenly come back. He knocked Mercer down with a left hook, and swatted him again while he was down. From that point on, the fight was in Holyfield's control.
Don Turner, who is Holyfield's trainer and also insists on being his cut man, was criticized after the fight.
"I thought his cut man did a terrible job," Doggett said. "A good cut man could stop that. If it got any worse I would have stopped it."
Turner became Holyfield's trainer and cut man for his fight with Michael Moorer, when Holyfield refused to pay a fee to hire a cut man. Holyfield was cut that night. And his insistence on staying without a cut man almost backfired tonight. Holyfield, who has earned more than $100 million, saved perhaps $25,000 on the cut man.
The knockdown was the only one of the fight.
Judge Eugene Grant scored the bout 96-92, Eva Shain had it 97-92 and Jean Williams scored it 95-94.
On The New York Times scorecard, Holyfield was the winner by 97-92.
For Holyfield, it was a pay-per-view payday of at least $2 million, while Mercer settled for $125,000.
Mercer came out attacking in the first round, jabbing away. Holyfield took a more studied approach, but landed a good left in the round.
In the second round they exchanged hard, short blows. Mercer had promised he could dictate the pace with his new, improved conditioning. And he did seem to sustain the action in the early going.
Holyfield smartly countered many punches with uppercuts and short hooks. One of them opened a welt in the corner of Mercer's left eye. Still, when the round ended, Mercer raised his hands.
Holyfield exuded a sense of lightness, constantly bouncing while Mercer, more ponderous, plodded forward. They exchanged tremendous body shots in the third and then in the fourth they swatted each other on the head, landing most of what they threw.
Holyfield, a taut 209 3/4 pounds, was returning after 13 months of inactivity caused when he was diagnosed, apparently erroneously, with a faulty left heart ventricle. He said he never felt threatened by the supposed ailment, which was discovered after he lost his title to Michael Moorer.
Holyfield brought in a 30-2 record, which included 22 knockouts, and a reputation as a dogged warrior, unaffected by earnings of $102 million.
Mercer, two years older at 34, had virtually the opposite reputation despite a record of 23-2-1 that included 16 knockouts. He claimed he had brought in a new attitude for this fight, for which he came in at 224 -- 22 pounds lighter than his last bout. Mercer's promise had been hindered by his own unwillingness to stay in shape and to train seriously. Now, he said, it was all going to be different as he was reunited with his former manager, Marc Roberts, and had a new trainer in Tommy Parks.
Holyfield's goal was to find his old magic in a heavyweight division so bizarre that at least 13 present and former titleholders are in training -- and that does not include holders of crowns meted out by lesser-known sanctioning bodies.
That is why Mike Tyson's announcement regarding his next opponent and the date he returns to the ring, which he is expected to make on Wednesday, is creating a real ripple in boxing circles. Tyson will probably name the undefeated Peter McNeeley, whose father, Tom, lost a heavyweight championship fight to Floyd Patterson in 1961. The tentative date is Aug. 19 in Las Vegas, Nev. Of course, plans have been known to change in boxing.
Usually, the winner of a bout such as tonight's -- Holyfield, the ex-champion, in a comeback versus Mercer, the former Olympic champion with a new attitude -- could figure on being a contender. Everyone gets excited about such prospects. But a contender against whom? Tyson, whose image grew even larger in prison? [1]