Evander Holyfield, George Foreman and Riddick Bowe all played a key role in one of heavyweight boxing’s greatest eras.
One man who shared the ring with each of the legendary American trio is three-time world title challenger Bert Cooper, who crossed paths with a number of top heavyweights during his professional career.
Cooper faced Foreman in a non-title bout at the Pride Pavilion in Phoenix back in 1989, suffering a 2nd round stoppage defeat to boxing’s oldest ever heavyweight champion.
He crossed paths with Bowe just over one year later, again suffering a stoppage defeat in the 2nd round of his clash with ‘Big Daddy’ at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas.
Cooper – who passed away in 2019 – then challenged ‘The Real Deal’ Holyfield for the unified WBA and IBF heavyweight titles in November of 1991, falling short via seventh round TKO in his attempt at becoming a world champion at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia.
In a resurfaced interview, Cooper overlooked the three names above to pick Ray Mercer as the toughest fighter that he ever shared a ring with, as he claims he was ‘proud’ of his efforts against the former WBO heavyweight champion.
“I think about the Holyfield fight a lot. Also the Michael Moorer fight, the Riddick Bowe fight. The fight I’m most proud of, though, the toughest guy I ever fought, was Ray Mercer I broke his jaw and he cut me real bad. We went to war and then we went to the same hospital! The doctor told me he [Mercer] was in a whole lotta pain in the next room. They stitched us both up, though, and I have lots of respect for Mercer.”
Mercer defeated Cooper via unanimous decision when they locked horns at the Convention Hall in Atlantic City back in August 1990, just one fight prior to his triumph over Francesco Damiani which saw him capture the WBO heavyweight title.
Former heavyweight champion Mercer – a 1988 Olympic gold medalist – built a reputation as one of boxing’s toughest punchers during the 1990s. Known for his durability and power, Mercer fought some of the era’s top names, including Lennox Lewis and Tommy Morrison. He faced Holyfield himself in 1995, losing via unanimous decision.
