Revisiting Entertaining Slugfest Between Lennox Lewis and Ray Mercer at Madison Square Garden

On May 10, 1996, Lennox Lewis was on a recovery mission after the shock defeat to Oliver McCall and faced granite chin Ray Mercer at Madison Square Garden in New York City on an event titled “One Big Night.” What transpired was a back-and-forth entertaining slugfest that saw the British fighter win by majority decision, with one judge scoring the bout 95-95 and the other two judges favouring Lewis 96–95 and 96–94. Big Fight Weekend are taking you back to fight night.

Lennox Lewis Defeats Ray Mercer in Entertaining Slugfest

Lennox Lewis vs. Ray Mercer Recap

Lewis entered the bout as the clear favourite despite his defeat over a year ago to McCall. Mercer shocked all in attendance and watching at home with one of the best performances of his career. From the first bell, this was action on the inside, with both going back and forth, throwing with spite. Mercer had the edge in the opening rounds and was landing the more telling shots, with round four being a definite highlight in the fight, with the British fighter hitting his American opponent with an impressive combination. Mercer again showed his heart as he stunned Lewis with an impressive combination, which promoted a gutsy response from “The Lion.”

Read More: Lennox Lewis vs. Shannon Briggs – A Tale of Triumph and Tenacity in Atlantic City

The close back-and-forth nature of the fight continued, with Lewis and Mercer finding success with big shots on the inside. At the final bell, the damage to both fighters was visible, and once Lewis was announced the winner, the pro-Mercer crowd made their feeling known by loudly booing the verdict. Despite being the shorter fighter, Mercer showcased his excellent jab. The fight was tough to score, with many rounds being close, but at Big Fight Weekend, we had it 96-94 to Lewis.

Hear insider Dan Rafael and T.J. Rives discuss this HBO televised triple-header from 1996 in the nostalgia section on the latest “Big Fight Weekend Preview Podcast” by clicking play below,

Rest of the Card

In the other two bouts on the “One Big Night” heavyweight card, Tim Witherspoon defeated Jorge Luis González by fifth-round TKO. In the main event, Evander Holyfield defeated Bobby Czyz, who retired on his stool after the fifth round, complaining of a foreign substance in his eyes. 

Read More: Revisiting Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield I and the Controversial Decision

Despite “The Real Deal” not putting on a great performance, he was in control of the fight at the time of the contest ending.