Tweet
From K-1 USA website:
Mercer To Face K-1 Champ Bonjasky in Korea
By Michael Afromowitz
[March 1, 2005] Former world heavyweight boxing champion, “Merciless” Ray Mercer (33-5-1 (25 KO’s), will square off with reigning K-1 king, Remy Bonjasky (48-10 (29 KO’s), in a three-round Superfight during the K-1 “World Grand Prix Seoul” mega-card in Seoul, Korea on Sunday, March 20th. The bout, along with the event’s eight man, single elimination tournament, will be televised on Pay Per View from Seoul’s 20,000-crowd capacity Olympic Stadium.
At 43 years of age, Mercer is a tireless ring warrior who has done battle with some of the greatest boxing icons of his era including former undisputed heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. On January 11, 1991, he captured the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight crown by stopping Francesco Damiani in the ninth round of a matchup at Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino.
Mercer’s final boxing bout came on February 28th of last year when he scored a third round technical knockout on Steve Pannell at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida. After announcing his retirement from the sport three months later, he made his K-1 debut in Nagoya, Japan on June 6th. During a matchup with Japanese martial arts fighting champion, Musashi, the American boxer was able to defend himself relatively well against the kicks and knee strikes offered by his opponent, but was rendered the loser of a unanimous judges decision after three rounds of action.
The 6 foot 4 inch, 240-pound Bonjasky of Holland will make his first start of 2005 after successfully defending his “World Grand Prix Finals” tournament championship inside Japan’s 70,000-crowd capacity Tokyo Dome on December 4th.
Touted as “The Flying Gentleman,” Bonjasky is one of the most exciting specimens of gladiator that the fight world has to offer. From flying knee strikes to leaping front kicks and somersaults, the 29 year old is known for being a fearless risk-taker in the squared circle. En route to the second major K-1 tournament title of his career, he defeated the man that has, to date, been acknowledged as the greatest K-1 champion of all time: four-time “World Grand Prix Finals” victor, “Mr. Perfect” Ernesto Hoost. The win during the opening tournament round seemingly fulfilled the widespread prophecy that the young star would be Hoost’s eventual successor.
The live broadcast of “World Grand Prix Seoul” will begin at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time (6 PM Pacific Standard Time) and will be available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN.
Mercer To Face K-1 Champ Bonjasky in Korea
By Michael Afromowitz
[March 1, 2005] Former world heavyweight boxing champion, “Merciless” Ray Mercer (33-5-1 (25 KO’s), will square off with reigning K-1 king, Remy Bonjasky (48-10 (29 KO’s), in a three-round Superfight during the K-1 “World Grand Prix Seoul” mega-card in Seoul, Korea on Sunday, March 20th. The bout, along with the event’s eight man, single elimination tournament, will be televised on Pay Per View from Seoul’s 20,000-crowd capacity Olympic Stadium.
At 43 years of age, Mercer is a tireless ring warrior who has done battle with some of the greatest boxing icons of his era including former undisputed heavyweight champions Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. On January 11, 1991, he captured the World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight crown by stopping Francesco Damiani in the ninth round of a matchup at Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino.
Mercer’s final boxing bout came on February 28th of last year when he scored a third round technical knockout on Steve Pannell at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida. After announcing his retirement from the sport three months later, he made his K-1 debut in Nagoya, Japan on June 6th. During a matchup with Japanese martial arts fighting champion, Musashi, the American boxer was able to defend himself relatively well against the kicks and knee strikes offered by his opponent, but was rendered the loser of a unanimous judges decision after three rounds of action.
The 6 foot 4 inch, 240-pound Bonjasky of Holland will make his first start of 2005 after successfully defending his “World Grand Prix Finals” tournament championship inside Japan’s 70,000-crowd capacity Tokyo Dome on December 4th.
Touted as “The Flying Gentleman,” Bonjasky is one of the most exciting specimens of gladiator that the fight world has to offer. From flying knee strikes to leaping front kicks and somersaults, the 29 year old is known for being a fearless risk-taker in the squared circle. En route to the second major K-1 tournament title of his career, he defeated the man that has, to date, been acknowledged as the greatest K-1 champion of all time: four-time “World Grand Prix Finals” victor, “Mr. Perfect” Ernesto Hoost. The win during the opening tournament round seemingly fulfilled the widespread prophecy that the young star would be Hoost’s eventual successor.
The live broadcast of “World Grand Prix Seoul” will begin at 9 PM Eastern Standard Time (6 PM Pacific Standard Time) and will be available on iNDemand, DirecTV, and TVN.
Comment