I fought Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko and Evander Holyfield, but none of them hit harder than ‘The Duke’ who I brutally KO’d

Ray Mercer fought some of the best of his era, but Tommy Morrison punched harder than the lot.

In 1991, Mercer and Morrison, otherwise known as ‘The Duke’, clashed for the WBO heavyweight world title.

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Mercer knocked out Morrison in spectacular fashion, but admitted his opponent had a big punch too

The fight is remembered for the fact that Mercer delivered one of the most brutal knockouts in heavyweight boxing history.

As he pinned Morrison against the ropes in round five, Mercer unleashed a vicious nine punch combination that knocked his opponent unconscious.

What people forget is that earlier in the fight, Morrison, who starred in Rocky V alongside Sylvester Stallone, landed a few heavy shots of his own and they left a lasting impression on Mercer.

So much so that when Mercer was asked who is the hardest puncher he has ever faced, he told Boxing Scene: “Tommy Morrison definitely.”

This comes despite the fact that Mercer went the distance with Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield, two all time great heavyweights.

Mercer was also knocked out by ‘Dr Steelhammer’ Wladimir Klitcschko in their 2002 clash.

But, the American quantified this, saying: “Wladimir Klitschko hit me in the temple, first time I was ever hit like that, but it wasn’t a hard punch.

“I’m talking about pain, it was Tommy Morrison and Bert Cooper.”

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Tommy Morrison played the villain in Rocky V alongside Stallone

And Mercer told Boxing News that up until the knockout, he thought he was losing to Morrison, saying: “I think I was getting whooped until that point.

“Tommy was handing me my a**, but he took a big, deep breath over my shoulder and I knew it was time to go to work.”