Michael Moorer
Michael Moorer | |
---|---|
Statistics | |
Real name | Michael Lee Moorer |
Nickname(s) | Double M |
Rated at | |
Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) |
Reach | 78 in (198 cm) |
Nationality | American |
Born |
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. | November 12, 1967
Stance | Southpaw |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 57 |
Wins | 52 |
Wins by KO | 40 |
Losses | 4 |
Draws | 1 |
Michael Lee Moorer (born November 12, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008. He is a multiple-time, two-weight world champion, having held the WBO light heavyweight title from 1988 to 1991; the WBO heavyweight title from 1992 to 1993; the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight titles in 1994; and the IBF heavyweight title again from 1996 to 1997.[1]
Moorer is one of only four men (the others being Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield, and Lennox Lewis) to win a heavyweight world title on three separate occasions, as well as being one of only four men (the others being Bob Fitzsimmons, Michael Spinks, and Roy Jones Jr.) to win world titles at both light heavyweight and heavyweight. Since retiring from the sport, Moorer has worked as a boxing trainer. In 2009, he worked alongside Freddie Roach at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles.[2]
Professional career
Light heavyweight
Moorer had a fast rise through the professional boxing ranks. He debuted on March 4, 1988, knocking out Adrian Riggs in the first round. Before the year's end, he was undefeated in eleven bouts (winning all by way of early round knockouts) and fighting for the world title for the first time. He acquired the newly created WBO light heavyweight title with a five-round knockout of Ramzi Hassan.
In 1989, he retained the title six times, beating Freddie Delgado, Frankie Swindell, Mike Sedillo and former WBA champion Leslie Stewart, among others.
In 1990, he retained the title three times before the end of the year, beating Mario Melo and former Michael Spinks challenger Jim McDonald, among others.
Heavyweight
1991 saw Moorer move up to the heavyweight division. He rolled through the competition en route to securing an opportunity to fight for the vacant WBO heavyweight championship the following year against Bert Cooper. Moorer stopped Cooper in the fifth round after both fighters were down and hurt during the bout.
He did not defend the lesser regarded WBO heavyweight belt. Moorer and trainer Emanuel Steward parted ways after the Cooper fight. Moorer eventually joined Lou Duva's team, and was trained by Georgie Benton for three fights in 1993, including a 10-round decision win over former champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith.
Moorer then parted ways with the Duvas and Benton, and hired New York-based trainer Teddy Atlas in late 1993. Moorer closed the year with a 10-round decision over Mike Evans.
Unified heavyweight champion
On April 22, 1994, Moorer challenged Evander Holyfield for the Lineal, IBF, and WBA title belts. In round 2 Holyfield sent Moorer down on the canvas, but Moorer overcame and went on to win a majority decision. As a result, he became the first-ever southpaw heavyweight champion.
In his first defense of those belts, on November 5, 1994, Moorer faced 45-year-old George Foreman, who lost his last fight for the vacant WBO heavyweight title to Tommy Morrison. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed him, hitting and moving away, while Foreman moving forward, seemingly unable to "pull the trigger" on his punches. Moorer was ahead on all three judges' scorecards entering the 10th round, when Foreman hit him with a number of long-range jabs. Then, suddenly, a short right hand caught Moorer on the tip of his chin, gashing open his bottom lip, and he collapsed to the canvas. Moorer was knocked out and lost the world championship. He also lost his undefeated record. Foreman, at age 45, became the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight title.
The following year, Moorer re-grouped by winning against fringe contender Melvin Foster. Meanwhile, Foreman retained the title with a close and controversial decision against German fighter Axel Schulz.
Because of the controversial nature of the Foreman-Schultz bout, the IBF ordered Foreman to travel to Germany for a rematch, but Foreman refused, choosing to leave the IBF belt vacant instead. South African Francois Botha travelled to Germany instead and beat Schultz with another close decision to claim the title, but he was stripped of it when he tested positive for illegal substances shortly after.
Second heavyweight title reign
Moorer was then given the opportunity to fight Schultz for the vacant crown in Berlin. On June 22, 1996, Moorer won the IBF heavyweight crown once again, beating Schultz by a 12-round split decision.
He thus technically became a three-time heavyweight champion; WBO (1992), WBA/IBF (1994) and IBF (1996–1997). It should be noted that when Moorer held the WBO heavyweight title, it wasn't considered an authentic heavyweight title. Ironically, Moorer has always been recognized as a former light heavyweight champion despite only ever holding the WBO title at that weight.
Moorer's first defense came against Botha on November 9, 1996. In a brutal one-sided bout, Moorer, leading on the cards going into the 12th, ended with a flourish, knocking Botha out with 18 seconds left in the bout.
In March 1997, Moorer retained his belt with a 12-round decision over previously undefeated Vaughn Bean before parting ways with trainer Teddy Atlas, with whom he'd been experiencing increasing tension since the beginning of their professional relationship. He replaced him with Freddie Roach.
Holyfield vs. Moorer II
On November 8, Moorer lost his IBF title in a unification match with WBA champion Evander Holyfield. Moorer was knocked down five times before ringside doctor Flip Homansky advised referee Mitch Halpern to stop the bout in round eight.
Comeback
After this, he retired from boxing for three years before returning with a knockout of journeyman Lorenzo Boyd. He won three more fights, then seemingly retired again when he was knocked out only 30 seconds into round one by David Tua on August 17, 2002. However, he returned to the ring once again on March 29, 2003, beating Otis Tisdale on points over 10 rounds. On August 23, 2003, he beat Brazil's Rodolfo Lobo by knockout in only 64 seconds.
After a layoff of almost one year, he returned on July 3, 2004, losing a ten-round unanimous decision to Eliseo Castillo in Miami, Florida. In December of that year, Moorer rallied from a severe deficit on the scorecards to hand former cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov his first knockout loss. He continued fighting, winning all of his bouts against limited opposition. His last fight was a KO win over Shelby Gross in 2008. Following the fight Moorer retired from professional boxing.
Professional boxing record
Professional record summary | ||
57 fights | 52 wins | 4 losses |
By knockout | 40 | 3 |
By decision | 12 | 1 |
Draws | 1 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
57 | Win | 52–4–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10), 0:32 | Feb 8, 2008 | ![]() |
|
56 | Win | 51–4–1 | ![]() |
SD | 10 | Oct 31, 2007 | ![]() |
|
55 | Win | 50–4–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (8), 1:34 | Aug 16, 2007 | ![]() |
|
54 | Win | 49–4–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 16, 2007 | ![]() |
|
53 | Win | 48–4–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10), 1:36 | Dec 9, 2006 | ![]() |
|
52 | Win | 47–4–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 9 (12), 2:08 | Dec 9, 2004 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBA–NABA and WBC Continental Americas heavyweight titles |
51 | Loss | 46–4–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Jul 3, 2004 | ![]() |
|
50 | Win | 46–3–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 7 (10) | Jan 17, 2004 | ![]() |
|
49 | Win | 45–3–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10), 1:04 | Aug 23, 2003 | ![]() |
|
48 | Win | 44–3–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 29, 2003 | ![]() |
|
47 | Loss | 43–3–1 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10), 0:30 | Aug 17, 2002 | ![]() |
|
46 | Win | 43–2–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 16, 2002 | ![]() |
|
45 | Win | 42–2–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10), 1:11 | Dec 9, 2001 | ![]() |
|
44 | Draw | 41–2–1 | ![]() |
TD | 5 (10), 0:35 | Jul 27, 2001 | ![]() |
TD after Crowe sustained a cut from an accidental head clash |
43 | Win | 41–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10), 2:42 | Jan 12, 2001 | ![]() |
|
42 | Win | 40–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (9), 1:22 | Nov 17, 2000 | ![]() |
|
41 | Loss | 39–2 | ![]() |
RTD | 8 (12), 3:00 | Nov 8, 1997 | ![]() |
Lost IBF heavyweight title; For WBA heavyweight title |
40 | Win | 39–1 | ![]() |
MD | 12 | Mar 29, 1997 | ![]() |
Retained IBF heavyweight title |
39 | Win | 38–1 | ![]() |
TKO | 12 (12), 0:18 | Nov 9, 1996 | ![]() |
Retained IBF heavyweight title |
38 | Win | 37–1 | ![]() |
SD | 12 | Jun 22, 1996 | ![]() |
Won vacant IBF heavyweight title |
37 | Win | 36–1 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | May 13, 1995 | ![]() |
|
36 | Loss | 35–1 | ![]() |
KO | 10 (12), 2:03 | Nov 5, 1994 | ![]() |
Lost WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight titles |
35 | Win | 35–0 | ![]() |
MD | 12 | Apr 24, 1994 | ![]() |
Won WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight titles |
34 | Win | 34–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Dec 4, 1993 | ![]() |
|
33 | Win | 33–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10), 2:46 | Jun 22, 1993 | ![]() |
|
32 | Win | 32–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10), 1:42 | Apr 27, 1993 | ![]() |
|
31 | Win | 31–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 27, 1993 | ![]() |
|
30 | Win | 30–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10), 1:26 | Nov 13, 1992 | ![]() |
|
29 | Win | 29–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (12), 2:21 | May 15, 1992 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBO heavyweight title |
28 | Win | 28–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Mar 17, 1992 | ![]() |
|
27 | Win | 27–0 | ![]() |
UD | 10 | Feb 1, 1992 | ![]() |
|
26 | Win | 26–0 | ![]() |
RTD | 1 (10), 3:00 | Nov 23, 1991 | ![]() |
|
25 | Win | 25–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 4 (10), 1:54 | Jul 27, 1991 | ![]() |
|
24 | Win | 24–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10), 2:49 | Jun 25, 1991 | ![]() |
|
23 | Win | 23–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10), 1:52 | Apr 19, 1991 | ![]() |
|
22 | Win | 22–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (12), 0:11 | Dec 15, 1990 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
21 | Win | 21–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10), 0:55 | Aug 21, 1990 | ![]() |
|
20 | Win | 20–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12), 1:52 | Apr 28, 1990 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
19 | Win | 19–0 | ![]() |
RTD | 9 (12), 3:00 | Feb 3, 1990 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
18 | Win | 18–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (12), 2:07 | Dec 12, 1989 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
17 | Win | 17–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12), 1:46 | Nov 16, 1989 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
16 | Win | 16–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 8 (12), 2:05 | Jun 25, 1989 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
15 | Win | 15–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (12), 2:39 | Apr 22, 1989 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
14 | Win | 14–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 6 (12), 2:50 | Feb 19, 1989 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
13 | Win | 13–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (12) | Jan 14, 1989 | ![]() |
Retained WBO light heavyweight title |
12 | Win | 12–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (12), 2:37 | Dec 3, 1988 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBO light heavyweight title |
11 | Win | 11–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1, 0:36 | Nov 4, 1988 | ![]() |
|
10 | Win | 10–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1, 1:15 | Oct 17, 1988 | ![]() |
|
9 | Win | 9–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | Oct 7, 1988 | ![]() |
|
8 | Win | 8–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | Aug 12, 1988 | ![]() |
|
7 | Win | 7–0 | ![]() |
RTD | 5 (10), 0:01 | Aug 6, 1988 | ![]() |
|
6 | Win | 6–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | Jun 25, 1988 | ![]() |
|
5 | Win | 5–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (4) | Jun 6, 1988 | ![]() |
|
4 | Win | 4–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 | May 10, 1988 | ![]() |
|
3 | Win | 3–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (6) | Apr 29, 1988 | ![]() |
|
2 | Win | 2–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 | Mar 25, 1988 | ![]() |
|
1 | Win | 1–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (4), 2:26 | Mar 4, 1988 | ![]() |
Professional debut |
Titles in boxing
Amateur titles | ||
---|---|---|
Previous: Tim Littles |
United States light middleweight champion 1986 |
Next: Joe Bir |
Regional titles | ||
Vacant Title last held by Lance Whitaker |
WBA–NABA heavyweight champion December 9, 2004 – March 2005 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Taurus Sykes |
Vacant Title last held by James Toney |
WBC Continental Americas heavyweight champion December 9, 2004 – April 2005 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by DaVarryl Williamson |
World titles | ||
New title | WBO light heavyweight champion December 3, 1988 – April 1991 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Leeonzer Barber |
Vacant Title last held by Ray Mercer |
WBO heavyweight champion May 15, 1992 – February 2, 1993 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Tommy Morrison |
Preceded by Evander Holyfield |
WBA heavyweight champion April 24, 1994 – November 5, 1994 |
Succeeded by George Foreman |
IBF heavyweight champion April 24, 1994 – November 5, 1994 | ||
Lineal heavyweight champion April 24, 1994 – November 5, 1994 | ||
Vacant Title last held by George Foremanstripped |
IBF heavyweight champion June 22, 1996 – November 8, 1997 |
Succeeded by Evander Holyfield |
See also
- List of lineal boxing world champions
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
- List of WBA world champions
- List of IBF world champions
- List of WBO world champions
References
- ↑ "Michael Moorer". Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ↑ "Roach fires Moorer--report". ABS-CBN News. ABS-CBN Corporation. June 22, 2009. Retrieved October 6, 2016.