Ray Mercer to fight former UFC champ Tim Sylvia in boxing match

by SC on Feb 25, 2009 11:57 PM EST in News Analysis Comment 15 comments

Former heavyweight titlist Ray Mercer, who turns 48 in April, will fight ex-UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in a boxing bout in the main event of Adrenaline MMA III.

Mercer (36-7-1, 26 KO) is on a streak where he's won six of his last eight and Sylvia's manager Monte Cox is attempting to legitimize this fight by pointing out Mercer's recent record, including a win over Richel Hersisia last September in Sweden. Hersisia came in 30-2 and "ranked fifth in Europe."

For those MMA fans that might stumble upon this that are less familiar with Mercer's recent career, here's what Cox isn't talking about:

1. Hersisia's European ranking was a farce, and European rankings really don't mean much. Hersisia's never beaten anyone and even prior to his six round majority decision loss to Old Man Mercer, he had lost to the only two remotely decent fighters (Taras Bidenko and Fraudley Harrison) that he'd ever faced.

2. Mercer hasn't beaten anyone worth a crap since knocking off a fading Tim Witherspoon in 1996. We're talking 13 years here.

3. He's an old man. I don't mean for the earth, but for the sport. He's old. He's really, really, really old. He shouldn't be fighting.

Sylvia (24-5 in MMA) is coming off of a humiliating 36-second loss to Fedor Emelianenko last July, and there's one thing Cox is right about in trying to sell this as a legit fight: Mercer may be old, but he's a former Olympic gold medalist and has been boxing his whole life. Sylvia has not.

I'll say right now if this fight actually goes through, Mercer will beat Sylvia. Tim is 6'8" and weighs around 260 pounds, but he's not a boxer.

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I’ve been wanting to hear what you have to say from a boxing perspective. I keep trying to see the hidden upside for someone or something as a result of this bout, but I can’t identify it. Train wreckish no matter how you look at it.

by Cannon Jacques on Feb 26, 2009 12:38 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don't see an upside for either sport

Ray Mercer’s gotta be having $ problems. If so, it’s the second story this week about a boxer who made a ton of $ and has to keep fighting because he blew it. Second worst aspect of boxing. Ray was legit and I’ll pick him to win if the fight goes through, but if he wins the story is: ‘of course he won, he’s a former gold medalist and heavyweight title holder’. If he loses, the story: ’Ray’s so spent and over the hill, he should’ve quit ten years ago’.

I’d say there’s more upside from an MMA perspective. If Sylvia wins, which isn’t totally out of the question IMO, it’s a statement about the quality of boxing within MMA. This is a guy who got crushed by four round punches against Fedor, what if he weathers a few heavy flurries early and beats up on Mercer late with youth and cardio?

Just one other point, I don’t think Mercer has been boxing his whole life. I don’t think he started boxing until he joined the Armed Forces(Navy?), somewhere around 18. I watch these under 14 year olds at amateur tourneys. Like some other sports, there are aspects of boxing that, if not picked up during formative years, won’t likely ever be picked up. One of those is the ability to expertly gauge, play with, and capitalize on distance, which I would say Ray is no expert at. Probably wouldn’t get him in too much trouble against 6’8" Sylvia, where Mercer has to close distance consistently, but it’s a factor in Ray’s overall boxing ability regardless of age.

by lcollins1 on Feb 26, 2009 12:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

I’d say there is more upside for boxing. If Sylvia wins its like a softball player beating a really old mediocre baseball player who has been playing in the amateur leagues in a Home Run Derby.

Brady Hoke, Al Borges, and Rocky Long. Aztec football is back!

by Sam (sdsuaztec4) on Feb 26, 2009 1:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Mercer by BIG @$$ right hand to Sylvia’s stationary target head.

Gatti.
Dekkers.
Pele.
Tadahiro Nomura.
Hidehiko Yoshida.
Aoki.
Kang.
Vanderlei.

by theworldsoldestsport on Feb 26, 2009 11:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I really don’t think it’ll hurt either sport. It’ll hurt Timmeh though. I think Cox is an idiot for setting this up and he needs to be fired. Besides, I don’t know what Mercer’s afraid of. All Timmeh does is jabs and cagehugs.

Long term…I don’t got anything against getting paid so don’t take this wrong. I do think the recent influx of boxers are really going to hurt amateur and semi pro fighters going pro because there’s not much quality when it comes to fighting a boxer in MMA.

If they were training at someplace like ATT or CTT, it would help at least with a bit of the quality.

by RoyalB on Feb 26, 2009 11:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ray Mercer via tapping sylvia's paper chin.

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Feb 26, 2009 3:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Didn't Mercer already get his ass kicked in an MMA event a couple years ago?

Also, FWIW, Richel Hersisia probably has the worst boxing nickname of all time – The Dutch Sonny Liston. More like The Kid With His Finger in the Dike – he’s just a gatekeeper.

Vogt early, Vogt often.

by Brickhaus on Feb 26, 2009 6:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah but this would be boxing

Ray did tap out via guillotine to the sham that is Kimbo. But in this one a legit MMA heavyweight is going to box him. I’ll be surprised if it happens.

by lcollins1 on Feb 26, 2009 6:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah kinda

Kimbo wisely used his rudimentary knowledge of MMA and took him down and kept him there. No fuss, no muss.

Bad Left Hook
Camden Chat

"If they cut my bald head open, they will find one big boxing glove. That's all I am. I live it." -- Marvin Hagler

by SC on Feb 26, 2009 7:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Silvia has a chin.

He just doesn’t have any balance. Or submission defense.

by RoyalB on Feb 26, 2009 7:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Getting knocked down by the amazing puncher that is Randy Couture doesn't inspire confidence.

Brad Ziegler had a scoreless inning streak. Brad Ziegler had not met BJ Upton.

by P Brady on Feb 26, 2009 7:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Right, but he threw an inside leg kick first. When you throw a kick, your body eventually has to come down to both feet and move forward. Couture landed the kick and was using his full momentum as he resettled to both feet to drive the punch forward. This is standard kickboxing practice. Add to that fact Sylvia ate the punch flush and it becomes forgivable that Couture dropped him. Sylvia’s chin isn’t rock hard, but it’s not paper either.

by Luke Thomas on Feb 27, 2009 1:02 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

This is actually a pretty good starting point for boxing fans to understand MMA a little bit better. Striking is much more dynamic in MMA compared to boxing, but the overall skill in the hand-striking (boxing) is demonstrably lower in MMA, as are specialized defensive techniques such as head movement, defensive clinching and certain components of footwork.

Sylvia is not a great boxer, even among the ranks of MMA fighters, so I don’t see this ending well for Timmay. Not because he’s inept, but because he just doesn’t have the pedigree or even specialized training required to do anything other than use his wingspan to keep distance for a short time.

There is no such thing as innocence, only degrees of guilt.

by misterjonez on Feb 28, 2009 2:53 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

exactly

There’s so much more to offensive and defensive strategy in MMA, and Sylvia simply has not spent the time working on his boxing over the years to beat Mercer, IMO. Obviously he might tag Papa Ray (one of the sport’s nicest guys, for the record) and drop him, but if it becomes a boxing match he’s at an extreme disadvantage.

Bad Left Hook
Camden Chat

"If they cut my bald head open, they will find one big boxing glove. That's all I am. I live it." -- Marvin Hagler

by SC on Feb 28, 2009 4:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs