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Raymond Anthony Mercer (born April 4, 1961) is a former United States professional boxer, kickboxer, and mixed martial artist who competed from 1989 to 2009. As an amateur boxing, Mercer won a heavyweight gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he held the WBO heavyweight title in 1991, making one successful title defense against Tommy Morrison before vacating his championship. Throughout his entire fighting career in the 1990s, Mercer never lost a fight to stoppage.
As a Kickboxing, he fought the likes of former four-time K-1 Japan tournament champion Musashi in 2004. As a mixed martial artist, he scored a notable first-round knockout win over former two-time UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in 2009.
Mercer played linebacker in high school in Hanau and did not plan to pursue a college education. After graduating from Richmond County Academy in Augusta, Georgia, he coasted for a year before enlisting in the Army.
Ahead of his transition into mixed martial arts, particularly for his bout against Kimbo Slice, Mercer trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to expand his skill set beyond striking. This cross-training effort reflected his belief in blending technical proficiency with street-hardened instincts, setting him apart as a fighter who bridged the gap between structured combat sports and the unpredictability of real-world fighting.
He won the 1988 United States amateur heavyweight championship. At the USA vs. Cuba match-up, Mercer twice staggered Félix Savón, but was impeded from doing further damage by questionable intervention by the Cuban referee, Alfredo Toledo. At the USA vs. Europe match-up, Mercer with a hard right to the nose turned it into a " No mas!" fight for Yugoslavian Željko Mavrović.
Before one of Maynard's fights, Mercer and Anthony Hembrick took off with their flags and good-naturedly dodged the people who tried to get in their way. A few tried to trip the pair, another tried to tackle the heavyweight Mercer, and one security guard even stopped him and tried to steer him back to his seat. Mercer would have none of it. "He didn't speak English, and I don't speak Korean, so he talked his stuff and I talked mine. I didn't think we connected, so I just kept on going." said Mercer. Soldiers from his unit back in Germany were rooting for him. Right before the Olympics they made a large banner with everyone's signature on it and shipped it overnight to Seoul. "They've been a big part of my support, and a gold medal would mean almost as much to them as it would to me. 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," he told his audience during one of his post-fight interviews.
Mercer knocked out all four of his Olympic opponents, winning Gold at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul as a heavyweight. When asked if he thought he needed to stop the South Korean to win the gold medal, he replied: "Definitely. Or I'll make him wish he was knocked out. One of the two." He was the oldest member of the United States Olympic Boxing Team at 27.
United States Armed Forces Championships (heavyweight), Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, November 1985:
Stockholm Box Open (heavyweight), Stockholm, Sweden, January 1986:
Copenhagen Cup (heavyweight), Copenhagen, Denmark, December 1987:
United States Armed Forces Championships (heavyweight), Naval Air Station San Diego, San Diego, California, March 1988:
United States National Championships (heavyweight), Colorado Springs, Colorado, March–April 1988:
USA–Cuba Duals (heavyweight), Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, April 1988:
Summer Olympics (heavyweight), Seoul, South Korea, September–October 1988:
Mercer had a total of 70 fights as an amateur, competing all his amateur career in the 201-pound class, and compiling an amateur record of 64 wins, and 6 losses (no stoppages.) Upon winning the Olympic Gold Medal, Mercer was approached by boxing promoter Bob Arum, with whom he signed a contract to turn professional. Under the deal, he was to be trained in Las Vegas, Nevada, under Hank Johnson of Fort Bragg, who was the All-Army Coach, and the assistant Olympic coach. Also under the deal, Arum got the rights to promote a certain number of televised bouts, leaving the boxer free to fight for others.
Upon winning the 1988 Olympics, he was named the United States Armed Forces Athlete of the Year in November 1988. In January 1989, being honorably discharged, Mercer left the Army to pursue a professional boxing career.
Having split fights with veteran Jesse Ferguson (Mercer was investigated for allegedly asking Ferguson to "throw the fight" during their first encounter), an overweight Mercer labored to a draw with trial horse Marion Wilson, and saw 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 brawl with Holyfield in May 1995, losing a decision in a punch up with Lennox Lewis in June 1996, and a win over double ex-champ Tim Witherspoon 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 in February 1998 with a 2-round KO of Leo Loiacono, but contracted Hepatitis B and was again inactive, this time for 20 months.
However, Mercer did return to boxing in 2005, now aged 44, but he was stopped in seven rounds by former Lineal champion Shannon Briggs. The bout was a back-and-forth slugfest, with both men throwing various and plentiful power shots.
He returned, scoring a first-round KO over the Journeyman Mikael Lindblad. After a unanimous decision loss to a journeyman Derric Rossy, 19 years Mercer's junior, in 2008 he boxed for the final time at the age of 47, against one-time fringe WBF title holder, Dutch boxer Richel Hersisia in Sweden, winning a six-round majority decision.
He retired in 2008 as a one-time major title holder with a record of 36-7-1 (26 KOs).
On March 19, 2005, he had one more K-1 bout against Remy Bonjasky, to whom he lost via verbal submission. Mercer came out with a failed double jab towards Bonjasky's shoulder and head but missed, and attempted to throw a right. The first and only strike of the night, a head kick, that connected from them landed square on the head of Mercer, though he attempted to block, and he was shaken by the powerful blow. He voiced his surrender and the bout was stopped at twenty-two seconds and Bonjasky was awarded the TKO victory.
Though he was offered additional opportunities to have a further K-1 career, after the Bonjasky bout in 2005, Mercer, aged but undeterred, returned to boxing and refused another kickboxing fight.
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, with both men making their professional MMA debut respectively.
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, that he had expected Kimbo Slice to box with him, and said that he did not train in any other aspect of MMA and was unprepared for the guillotine choke.
Though he originally planned to give up on MMA, circumstances pushed Mercer into a comeback. On June 13, 2009, he 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. Sylvia threw a kick, for the opponents agreed to keep the fight standing, but Mercer was visibly agitated as he threw a light jab. He delivered his overhand right to Sylvia, stunning him, and threw a second right hand on the ground.
In March 2010, it was announced that Mercer had signed with the King of the Cage organization, although no bouts would materialize. At 1-0, he was scheduled to face at the time undefeated MMA fighter and Kickboxer Ron Sparks, but the bout was cancelled because of a longtime injury Mercer sustained 13 years earlier.
| 44 | Win | Richel Hersisia | MD | 6 | Sep 5, 2008 | |||
| 43 | Loss | 35–7–1 | Derric Rossy | UD | 12 | Jan 26, 2008 | ||
| 42 | Win | 35–6–1 | Mikael Lindblad | KO | 1, | Sep 15, 2007 | ||
| 41 | Loss | 34–6–1 | Shannon Briggs | KO | 7 (10), | Aug 26, 2005 | ||
| 40 | Win | 34–5–1 | Darroll Wilson | UD | 10 | Jun 24, 2005 | ||
| 39 | Win | 33–5–1 | Steve Pannell | TKO | 3 (10), | Feb 28, 2004 | ||
| 38 | Win | 32–5–1 | Shawn Robinson | TKO | 3 (10), | Nov 11, 2003 | ||
| 37 | Win | 31–5–1 | Mario Cawley | KO | 3 (10), | Aug 23, 2003 | ||
| 36 | Loss | 30–5–1 | Wladimir Klitschko | TKO | 6 (12), | Jun 29, 2002 | ||
| 35 | Win | 30–4–1 | Troy Weida | TKO | 1 (10), | Feb 23, 2002 | ||
| 34 | Win | 29–4–1 | Brian Scott | KO | 2 (10), | Oct 13, 2001 | ||
| 33 | Win | 28–4–1 | Don Steele | KO | 5 (10), | Mar 17, 2001 | ||
| 32 | Win | 27–4–1 | Jeff Pegues | TKO | 2 (10), | Feb 11, 2001 | ||
| 31 | Win | 26–4–1 | Jimmy Haynes | KO | 1 (10), | Dec 18, 1999 | ||
| 30 | Win | 25–4–1 | Leo Loiacono | KO | 2 (10), | Feb 21, 1998 | ||
| 29 | Win | 24–4–1 | Tim Witherspoon | UD | 10 | Dec 14, 1996 | ||
| 28 | Loss | 23–4–1 | Lennox Lewis | 10 | May 10, 1996 | |||
| 27 | Loss | 23–3–1 | Evander Holyfield | UD | 10 | May 20, 1995 | ||
| 26 | Draw | 23–2–1 | Marion Wilson | 10 | Jul 28, 1994 | |||
| 25 | Win | 23–2 | Jesse Ferguson | SD | 10 | Nov 19, 1993 | ||
| 24 | Win | 22–2 | Mark Wills | UD | 10 | Oct 6, 1993 | ||
| 23 | Win | 21–2 | Tony Willis | TKO | 1 (10), | Aug 12, 1993 | ||
| 22 | Loss | 20–2 | Jesse Ferguson | UD | 10 | Feb 6, 1993 | ||
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Jerry Halstead | RTD | 2 (12), | Dec 10, 1992 | ||
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Mike Dixon | 7 (10), | Oct 7, 1992 | |||
| 19 | Loss | 18–1 | Larry Holmes | UD | 12 | Feb 7, 1992 | ||
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Tommy Morrison | TKO | 5 (12), | Oct 18, 1991 | ||
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Francesco Damiani | KO | 9 (12), | Jan 11, 1991 | ||
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Bert Cooper | UD | 12 | Aug 5, 1990 | ||
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Lionel Washington | TKO | 4 (10), | May 31, 1990 | ||
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Kimmuel Odum | UD | 12 | Mar 2, 1990 | ||
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Wesley Watson | TKO | 5 (10), | Jan 15, 1990 | ||
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Ossie Ocasio | 8 | Dec 7, 1989 | |||
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Jerry Jones | UD | 8 | Nov 14, 1989 | ||
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Eddie Richardson | TKO | 1 (8), | Oct 17, 1989 | ||
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Arthel Lawhorne | TKO | 2 (10), | Sep 19, 1989 | ||
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Dino Homsey | TKO | 1 (8), | Sep 5, 1989 | ||
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Tracy Thomas | KO | 1 (6), | Aug 15, 1989 | ||
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Al Evans | TKO | 1 (6), | Jul 15, 1989 | ||
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Ken Crosby | KO | 1 (6), | Jun 12, 1989 | ||
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | David Hopkins | KO | 1 (4), | May 16, 1989 | ||
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Garing Lane | 4 | Mar 28, 1989 | |||
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Luis Walford | 1 (4) | Mar 4, 1989 | |||
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Jesse McGhee | 3 (4), | Feb 24, 1989 |
| + 0 Wins (0 (T) KO's, 0 decision), 2 Losses | ||||||||
| 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 |
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