Five Olympic Boxers Make Successful Debuts as Pros

Nearly a continent away from heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s title defense tonight, the newest gun in town fired his first shots Friday night at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Having already declared he wants to fight Tyson within 18 months, Ray Mercer, heavyweight gold medalist of the 1988 Olympic Games, made his professional debut by stopping Jessie McGhee of Welch, West Va., at the 30-second mark of the third round in a scheduled four-rounder.

Four fellow Olympians--Andrew Maynard, Kennedy McKinney, Robert Wangila and Michael Carbajal--also won in their four-round pro debuts.

The 212-pound Mercer, from Augusta, Ga., landed four solid rights that left the 229-pound McGhee stumbling across the ring into a heap on the other side.

“Look at me,” Mercer said. “I’m serious. I’m 27 and you don’t get but one chance at the heavyweight title.”

Maynard, a light-heavyweight gold medalist, defeated Zack Worthy of Paulsboro, N.J., when referee Steve Somger stopped the bout at 2:49 of the first round. By then, Maynard already had put Worthy through the ropes once with an overhand right.

McKinney, of Memphis, the bantamweight gold medalist, dominated David Allers of Boston in a junior-featherweight match. The beginning of the end for Allers came via a solid left-right combination by McKinney in the second round.

Somger stopped the fight at the 2:42 mark.

Wangila, of Kenya, winner of the welterweight gold, won a unanimous decision over Sidney Gomes of Brazil.

Carbajal, of Phoenix, was the silver medalist in the light-flyweight division at Seoul. Entering the pros as a flyweight, he won a unanimous decision over Will Grigsby of St. Paul, Minn.