Michael Moorer

Michael Lee Moorer (born November 12, 1967) is a retired American boxer who is one of only four men (the others being Muhammad Ali, Evander Holyfield and Lennox Lewis) to win one or more versions of the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions, as well as being a former world light-heavyweight champion; he is 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.

Biography

Moorer is a native of Monessen, Pennsylvania, which is in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

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. He spent the year taking on a rather ambitious fight schedule, in terms of quantity if nothing else. 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.

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.

IBF champion

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.

Amateur Achievements

• 1986 United States Amateur Light Middleweight (156 pound) champion.

Professional boxing record

52 Wins (40 KOs), 4 Losses, 1 Draw
Res.	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	52-4-1	Shelby Gross	KO	1 (10)	08/02/2008	Shaikh Rashid Hall, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	51-4-1	Roderick Willis	SD	10	31/10/2007	Coliseo Jose Miguel Agrelot, San Juan, Puerto Rico
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	50-4-1	Rich Boruff	TKO	1 (8)	16/08/2007	Centro de Convenciones Figali, Panama City, Panama
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	49-4-1	Sedreck Fields	UD	10	16/03/2007	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	48-4-1	Cliff Couser	KO	1 (10)	09/12/2006	Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Hollywood, Florida, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	47-4-1	Vassiliy Jirov	TKO	9 (12)	09/12/2004	Pechanga Resort & Casino, Temecula, California, United States	Won vacant WBC Continental Americas & NABA heavyweight titles.
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	46-4-1	Eliseo Castillo	UD	10	03/07/2004	American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	46-3-1	Jose Arimatea Da Silva	TKO	7 (10)	17/01/2004	Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	45-3-1	Rogerio Lobo	KO	1 (10)	23/08/2003	Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	44-3-1	Otis Tisdale	UD	10	29/03/2003	Seminole Casino, Coconut Creek, Florida, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	43-3-1	David Tua	KO	1 (10)	17/08/2002	Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	43-2-1	Robert Davis	UD	10	16/02/2002	Mohegan Sun Casino, Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	42-2-1	Terry Porter	UD	10	09/12/2001	Great Plains Coliseum, Lawton, Oklahoma, United States
Draw	41-2-1	Dale Crowe	TD	5 (10)	27/07/2001	Soaring Eagle Casino, Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	41–2	Terrence Lewis	TKO	2 (10)	12/01/2001	Lucky Star Casino, Concho, Oklahoma, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	40–2	Lorenzo Boyd	TKO	4 (9)	17/11/2000	Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, Iowa, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	39–2	Evander Holyfield	RTD	8 (12)	08/11/1997	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost IBF heavyweight title. For WBA heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	39–1	Vaughn Bean	MD	12	29/03/1997	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained IBF heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	38–1	Francois Botha	TKO	12 (12)	09/11/1996	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Retained IBF heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	37–1	Axel Schulz	SD	12	22/06/1996	Westfalen Stadion, Dortmund, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany	Won vacant IBF heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	36–1	Melvin Foster	UD	10	13/05/1995	Arco Arena, Sacramento, California, United States
style="background: #ffdddd; color: black; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; " class="table-no2" |Loss	35–1	George Foreman	KO	10 (12)	05/11/1994	MGM Grand, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Lost Lineal/WBA/IBF heavyweight titles.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	35–0	Evander Holyfield	MD	12	24/04/1994	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Won Lineal/WBA/IBF heavyweight titles.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	34–0	Mike Evans	UD	10	04/12/1993	Reno-Sparks Convention Center, Reno, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	33–0	James Pritchard	TKO	3 (10)	22/06/1993	Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	32–0	Frankie Swindell	TKO	3 (10)	27/04/1993	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	31–0	James Smith	UD	10	27/02/1993	Showboat Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	30–0	Billy Wright	TKO	2 (10)	13/11/1992	Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	29–0	Bert Cooper	TKO	5 (12)	15/05/1992	Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Won vacant WBO heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	28–0	Everett Martin	UD	10	17/03/1992	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	27–0	Mike White	UD	10	01/02/1992	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	26–0	Bobby Crabtree	TKO	1 (10)	23/11/1991	The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	25–0	Alex Stewart	TKO	4 (10)	27/07/1991	The Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	24–0	Levi Billups	TKO	3 (10)	25/06/1991	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	23–0	Terry Davis	TKO	2 (10)	19/04/1991	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Debut at heavyweight.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	22–0	Danny Stonewalker	TKO	8 (12)	15/12/1990	Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	21–0	Jim MacDonald	TKO	3 (10)	21/08/1990	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	20–0	Mario Oscar Melo	KO	1 (12)	28/04/1990	Taj Mahal Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	19–0	Marcellus Allen	RTD	9 (12)	03/02/1990	Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	18–0	Mike Sedillo	TKO	6 (12)	12/12/1989	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	17–0	Jeff Thompson	TKO	1 (12)	16/11/1989	Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	16–0	Leslie Stewart	TKO	8 (12)	25/06/1989	Convention Center, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	15–0	Freddie Delgado	TKO	1 (12)	22/04/1989	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	14–0	Frankie Swindell	TKO	6 (12)	19/02/1989	Monessen High Gym, Monessen, Pennsylvania, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	13–0	Victor Claudio	TKO	2 (12)	14/01/1989	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States	Retained WBO light-heavyweight title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	12–0	Ramzi Hassan	TKO	5 (12)	03/12/1988	Brook Park, Ohio, United States	Won vacant WBO light-heavyweight title. Inaugural title.
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	11–0	Glenn Kennedy	KO	1 (?)	04/11/1988	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	10–0	Carl Williams	TKO	1 (?)	17/10/1988	Tucson, Arizona, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	9–0	Jorge Suero	TKO	2 (?)	07/10/1988	The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	8–0	Jordan Keepers	TKO	2 (?)	12/08/1988	Eagles Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	7–0	Terrence Walker	TKO	4 (10)	06/08/1988	Showboat Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	6–0	LaVelle Stanley	TKO	2 (?)	25/06/1988	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	5–0	Keith McMurray	TKO	2 (?)	06/06/1988	Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	4–0	Dennis Fikes	TKO	2 (?)	10/05/1988	Phoenix, Arizona, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	3–0	Brett Zwierzynski	KO	1 (6)	29/04/1988	Detroit, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	2–0	Bill Lee	TKO	1 (?)	25/03/1988	Cobo Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States
style="background:#bfd; color:black; vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; " class="table-yes2" |Win	1–0	Adrian Riggs	TKO	1 (4)	04/03/1988	Las Vegas, Nevada, United States	Professional debut.

See also

Book: Michael Moorer

• List of heavyweight boxing champions

References

External links

• Professional boxing record for Michael Moorer from BoxRec
• Boxing Scene: Michael Moorer Leads "Night of The Heavyweights"