European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 7, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday february 7, 1992 the stars and stripes c Page 25if Mercer beats Holmes is Holyfield next Byda Geraffo United press International Ray Mercer started boxing at age 22 when he volunteered to spar with a Baum older army heavyweight to avoid 30-Day wilderness Maneu vers in Germany. The decision paid great Short term dividends. A i know one thing a i was warm the next Day a Mercer says now. A i was getting Nice meals. If i did no to Volunteer to boxed still be freezing in the  his new undertaking had medium Range dividends too. Four years after learning to Box Mercer won a super heavyweight Gold medal at the 1988 olympics in Seoul. V now he says its time to fulfil his Long term boxing goal by winning the heavyweight championship. Mercer takes on 42-year-old former Champion Larry Holmes Friday night in the same Atlantic City n.j., convention Center ring where he scored a devastating knockout of Tommy Morrison last oct. 18. Another knockout Victory could put Mercer in line for a title shot by the end of the year. A a in a ready for a title. I thought i had one a Mercer said referring to the lightly regarded world boxing organization Crown he won by knocking out Francesco Damiani 13 months ago. The who took the title Back when Mercer signed to fight Holmes for $1.1 million instead of unbeaten Michael Moorer. Mercer 18-0 with 13 knockouts merely shrugs Over losing the title. A a it a the fighter that makes the Belt a he says. A a it a their loss. A besides he wants the real heavyweight championship a the one evander Holyfield holds. First he will try to finally retire Holmes. Mercer 30, is a 4-1 favorite because of huge advantage in age and Power. Holmes a Edge is experience he held the heavyweight championship for nearly As Long As Mercer As been fighting. A a he a going to try to beat me on experience a Mercer said. A you gotta take them when they come and that a what he a doing. He knows what it takes to be in a Tough fight. He a got More experience than he had when he was fighting As Champion. I think he has nothing to lose and everything to  Holmes was considered finished after Mike Tyson knocked him out in the fourth round of a Jan. 22, 1988, championship bout. That was a comeback bout for Holmes who had been retired for 21 months. Holmes stayed out of boxing for More than three years follow National football league heavyweights Ray Mercer left and Larry Holmes pose to promote their 12-round bout in Atlantic City Friday night. Ing the Tyson bout finally returning with a first round knockout of Tim Anderson last april 7. He has won four bouts since. Mercer said Holmes decline has accelerated since the Tyson bout. A we watched the Tyson fight Over and Over a he said. A then we watched him fight Art card a 10-round decision last sept. 17 to compare the two fights. There was quite a bit of  of course Holmes expresses Little respect for Mercer a skills. A i could be been in with my Little sister to get ready for this Guy a Holmes said. A a he a a Good Journeyman he punches Good puts on a Good show he a determined. But As far As boxing ability he a not much. A Mercer can to figure out Why Holmes is fighting him but he has no complaints. A a in a getting tired of Tough fights a Mercer said. A a in a 30 years old i have to get some easy  Mercer a last three fights have been Tough. He went 12 hard rounds with Bert Cooper before winning a decision aug. 5, 1990, then trailed Damiani on Points for eight rounds until scoring a one punch knockout in the ninth. Mercer took Morrison a Best shots before knocking Morrison unconscious in the fifth round. A if i had to do it All Over again id Start moving a Little sooner a he said of the Morrison bout. While Holmes could be the easy fight Mercer Longs for Mercer is wary the former Champion might Roach Back into his past for one night. A every legend out there has one Good Day left in him a Mercer said. A a in a just hoping his Good Day Isnit on  staffs open doors for sex stars by Dave Goldberg a football writer times Are changing in the National football league. Former stars who Are finding opportunities slim in broadcasting and business Are turning to assistant coaching jobs even when they have to take major pay cuts to do so. That Hasni to been the Case in the past when coaches have gotten out of College and climbed the ladder from College assistant moving from state to state before a if they were Lucky a getting a head coaching position. A i never thought i was anything but a physical education major from san Diego state who would be a High school coach a says Joe Gibbs who won his third super bowl in a decade with the redskins ten Days ago. Gibbs is typical of head coaches a just 13 of the 28 actually played in the nil. Only five a Mike Ditka of the Chicago bears Jack Pardee of the Houston oilers Art Shell of the los Angeles raiders Don Shula of the Miami dolphins and Dan Reeves of the Denver Broncos were More than average. But More players including current or future Hall of Farmers who usually spend their Post football years Par laying their names into business opportunities Are now going into coaching. On tuesday the Buffalo Bills named Charlie Joiner As receivers coach 10 Days after Joiner was a finalist in the Hall of Fame voting. Among joiners new pupils will be 36-year-old James Lofton who has just broken Many of his new coaches All time receiving records. The dolphins coaching staff now includes Joe Greene a Hall of Famer who moved from Pittsburgh after failing to get the head coaching Job there. At the same time the dolphins added to their staff Dwight Stephenson the perennial All pro Center whose career was Cut Short by a knee injury but probably will be a Hall of Famer soon after he becomes eligible. After Gary Kubiak John Elway a backup in Denver announced his retirement because of Back problems the race was on to grab him As an assistant coach. Bill Walsh wanted to take him to Stanford. But Kubiako a aggie blood took Over. He opted instead for his Alma mater Texas a amp a after leaving the nil with a splash by completing 11 of 12 passes in Relief of Elway to nearly pull out the acc title game. Walsh meanwhile hired three of his former players a Keena Turner Mike Wilson and Tom Holmoe a As assistants. Turner and Wilson Are two of five 49ers who played on All four of san Francisco a super bowl winners. Another Star who May be headed for a coaching career is linebacker Mike Singletary of the bears who has served As a de Facto defensive coordinator from his Middle linebacker position. When the 33-year-old Singletary retires he could go straight onto the bears staff. This also seems to be a breakthrough year for Black coaches. Not Only did the Minnesota Vikings make Dennis Green the second Black head coach after Shell but there Are now four Black coordinators to just one last year Terry Robiskie shells offensive assistant with the raiders. The others Are Sherman Lewis offence and Ray Rhodes defens hired by Mike Holmgren in Green Bay and Tony Dungy who will be greens defensive coordinator with the Vikings. Moreover Joiner Stephenson Greene Turner and Wilson Are All Black As is Singletary and the dolphins now have five Black assistants most of any team in nil history. Only the san Francisco 49crs have had As Many As four at one time. A i like to think in be always been color Blind a says coach Shula. Other former Well known players who Are assistant coaches include Maxie Baughan Floyd Peters and Harold Jackson in Tampa Bay Elijah Pitts in Buffalo Richie Petitbon  Thomas and Charley Taylor in Washington Barney Chavous in Denver Pat Thomas and Bob Young in Houston. Also included Are Fred Biletnikoff and Earl Leggett with the raiders Staci Jones of new England Greg Landry and Johnny Roland in Chicago Raymond Berry and Charlie Sanders in Detroit Don Blackmon in Cleveland Zeke Bratkowski in Philadelphia and Tommy Hart in san Francisco. Its also a watershed year for second generation coaches. Not Only did Shula a son David become head coach of the bengals at 32, but new Orleans coach Jim Mora hired his son As an assistant this week. Just like Joiner the younger Mora was let go with the rest of Dan Hennings staff in san Diego when general manager Bobby Beathard brought in Bobby Ross from Georgia tech