Michael Moorer


Michael Lee Moorer is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008. He is a multiple-time world champion in two weight classes, 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. He became the world's first-ever southpaw heavyweight champion after defeating Evander Holyfield.
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.

Amateur career

Moorer was born in Brooklyn and raised in the small town of Monessen, Pennsylvania. From an early age, Moorer began playing football and was raised by a single mother, who noticed Moorer's unusual hyperactivity. At age 10, Moorer's, grandfather, a former New York Golden Gloves Champion who sparred with greats such as Archie Moore, encouraged Moorer to begin training at age 11. Moorer is naturally right-handed, but fought the entirety of his career as a southpaw. Moorer graduated from Monessen High School in 1987, where he starred in football as a linebacker and tight end.
As his amateur career developed, Moorer moved to Detroit, Michigan to train with the legendary Emanuel Steward. In 1986, Moorer was a National Champion for the 156 lb weight class. At Steward's Kronk Gym, Moorer was known for beating professionals while still an amateur. Moorer also won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games, and finished his amateur career with a record of 48-16.

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 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-Schulz 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 Schulz 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 Schulz for the vacant crown in Berlin. On June 22, 1996, Moorer won the IBF heavyweight crown once again, beating Schulz by a 12-round split decision.
He thus technically became a three-time heavyweight champion; WBO, WBA/IBF and IBF. 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. Moorer had begun drinking heavily and weighed 270 pounds. During his comeback, 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 a 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.

Personal life

Moorer was arrested in 1989 for taking part in a brawl in Charleroi, Pennsylvania.
In 1991, just days after his win over Alex Stewart, Moorer was arrested for assaulting a police officer. Moorer had reportedly been intoxicated at the time of his arrest. The officer he punched suffered a broken jaw. Moorer later was placed on probation and settled the case out of court.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
57Win52–4–1 Shelby GrossKO1, 0:32Feb 8, 2008 Sheikh Rashid Hall, Dubai, UAE
56Win51–4–1 Roderick WillisSD10Oct 31, 2007 José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico
55Win50–4–1 Rich BoruffTKO1, 1:34Aug 16, 2007 Figali Convention Center, Panama City, Panama
54Win49–4–1 Sedreck FieldsUD10Mar 16, 2007 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
53Win48–4–1 Cliff CouserKO1, 1:36Dec 9, 2006 Hard Rock Live, Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
52Win47–4–1 Vassiliy JirovTKO9, 2:08Dec 9, 2004 Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, U.S.Won vacant WBA–NABA and WBC Continental Americas heavyweight titles
51Loss46–4–1 Eliseo CastilloUD10Jul 3, 2004 American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S.
50Win46–3–1 Jose Arimatea da SilvaTKO7 Jan 17, 2004 Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S.
49Win45–3–1 Rogério LoboKO1, 1:04Aug 23, 2003 Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S.
48Win44–3–1 Otis TisdaleUD10Mar 29, 2003 Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, U.S.
47Loss43–3–1 David TuaKO1, 0:30Aug 17, 2002 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
46Win43–2–1 Robert DavisUD10Feb 16, 2002 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, U.S.
45Win42–2–1 Terry PorterTKO4, 1:11Dec 9, 2001 Great Plains Coliseum, Lawton, Oklahoma, U.S.
44Draw41–2–1 Dale Crowe5, 0:35Jul 27, 2001 Soaring Eagle Casino, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, U.S.TD after Crowe cut from accidental head clash
43Win41–2 Terrence LewisTKO2, 2:42Jan 12, 2001 Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma, U.S.
42Win40–2 Lorenzo BoydTKO4, 1:22Nov 17, 2000 Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, Iowa, U.S.
41Loss39–2 Evander HolyfieldRTD8, 3:00Nov 8, 1997 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost IBF heavyweight title;
For WBA heavyweight title
40Win39–1 Vaughn BeanMD12Mar 29, 1997 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.Retained IBF heavyweight title
39Win38–1 Francois BothaTKO12, 0:18Nov 9, 1996 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained IBF heavyweight title
38Win37–1 Axel Schulz12Jun 22, 1996 Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, GermanyWon vacant IBF heavyweight title
37Win36–1 Melvin FosterUD10May 13, 1995 ARCO Arena, Sacramento, California, U.S.
36Loss35–1 George ForemanKO10, 2:03Nov 5, 1994 MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles
35Win35–0 Evander Holyfield12Apr 22, 1994 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Won WBA, and IBF heavyweight titles
34Win34–0 Mike EvansUD10Dec 4, 1993 Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, U.S.
33Win33–0 James PritchardTKO3, 2:46Jun 22, 1993 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
32Win32–0 Frankie SwindellTKO3, 1:42Apr 27, 1993 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
31Win31–0 James SmithUD10Feb 27, 1993 Showboat, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
30Win30–0 Billy WrightTKO2, 1:26Nov 13, 1992 Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
29Win29–0 Bert CooperTKO5, 2:21May 15, 1992 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Won vacant WBO heavyweight title
28Win28–0 Everett MartinUD10Mar 17, 1992 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
27Win27–0 Mike White10Feb 1, 1992 Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
26Win26–0 Bobby CrabtreeRTD1, 3:00Nov 23, 1991 Omni Coliseum, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
25Win25–0 Alex StewartTKO4, 1:54Jul 27, 1991 The Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
24Win24–0 Levi BillupsTKO3, 2:49Jun 25, 1991 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
23Win23–0 Terry DavisTKO2, 1:52Apr 19, 1991 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
22Win22–0 Danny StonewalkerTKO8, 0:11Dec 15, 1990 Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
21Win21–0 Jim MacDonaldTKO3, 0:55Aug 21, 1990 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
20Win20–0 Mario Oscar MeloKO1, 1:52Apr 28, 1990 Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
19Win19–0 Marcellus AllenRTD9, 3:00Feb 3, 1990 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
18Win18–0 Mike SedilloTKO6, 2:07Dec 12, 1989 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
17Win17–0 Jeff ThompsonKO1, 1:46Nov 16, 1989 Steel Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
16Win16–0 Leslie StewartTKO8, 2:05Jun 25, 1989 Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
15Win15–0 Freddie DelgadoTKO1, 2:39Apr 22, 1989 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
14Win14–0 Frankie SwindellTKO6, 2:50Feb 19, 1989 High School Gym, Monessen, Pennsylvania, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
13Win13–0 Victor ClaudioTKO2 Jan 14, 1989 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.Retained WBO light heavyweight title
12Win12–0 Ramzi HassanTKO5, 2:37Dec 3, 1988 Brook Park, Ohio, U.S.Won inaugural WBO light heavyweight title
11Win11–0 Glenn KennedyKO1, 0:36Nov 4, 1988 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
10Win10–0 Carl WilliamsTKO1, 1:15Oct 17, 1988 Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
9Win9–0 Jorge SueroTKO2Oct 7, 1988 The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.
8Win8–0 Jordan KeepersTKO2Aug 12, 1988 The Eagles Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
7Win7–0 Terrence Walker5, 0:01Aug 6, 1988 Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
6Win6–0 LaVelle StanleyTKO2Jun 25, 1988 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
5Win5–0 Keith McMurrayTKO2 Jun 6, 1988 Las Vegas Hilton, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
4Win4–0 Dennis FikesTKO2May 10, 1988 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
3Win3–0 Brett Zwierzynski1 Apr 29, 1988 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
2Win2–0 Bill LeeTKO1Mar 25, 1988 Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
1Win1–0 Adrian Riggs1, 2:26Mar 4, 1988 Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.