Michael Lee Moorer (born November 12, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2008. He won a world championship on four separate occasions in two weight classes, having held the WBO light heavyweight title from 1988 to 1991; compiling 22 straight KOs in 22 fights and the WBO heavyweight title from 1992 to 1993; the unified WBA, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles in 1994; and regained the IBF heavyweight title again from 1996 to 1997 becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion.[1] Michael Moorer was an undefeated southpaw in his first 35 professional bouts. He captured the WBO light heavyweight title in 1988 which he defended 9 times. In 1991, Moorer moved up to Heavyweight winning the vacant WBO heavyweight title from Bert Cooper via TKO in 1992. He went on to defeat Evander Holyfield for the unified WBA, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles in 1994. He remains the only southpaw to win the lineal world championship at heavyweight and the only light heavyweight world champion to win a heavyweight world title on more than one occasion. Moorer is only one of four boxers over the last century that has ever won a version of a world title at both light heavyweight and heavyweight along with Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks, and James Toney.
As I know not only toney didn't win a title in heavy (test positive of diuretic after winning against Ruiz) he also didn't win title as light heavy. The other one instead of toney is a boxer who fought in the beginning of 20 century (I don't recall his name)
@@drankyodrank I don't agree with the OP, but your statement is also incorrect. These guys fought the best-of-the-best, and they fought giants. Just because someone is bigger doesn't mean they would beat somebody. We know this through decades of boxing.
Moorer is so unappreciated. He deserves so much more respect. He went to battle with men so much morr larger than he was. He wasn’t a natural heavyweight. Moorer will always be in my top “greatest of all time” for his courage & pure talent. He was just never the same after the loss to Foreman. Much respect Michael ✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾✌🏾
But see later in the rounds 11,12 how EH misses shots and moorer showing his abilities to give reattack shots in split secs. Last but not least there are many wrong long throws from EH which could have ended him with a powerful uppercut from Moorer when both of them have all their stamina spent to the max . With that said It could have ended as KO instead of TKO
@@davelopez8097 George Foreman had a telephone pole for a jab. I wouldn't trade his jab for anyone else's. And for someone supposedly slow, Foreman's jab was quicker than most, and had a 35lb arm with a lot of muscle behind it. He floored Gerry Cooney with it on the first knockdown.....
Mike was an awesome fighter. He was an emotional wreck, however. Had he been able to work through his issues outside the ring he could've been one of the best ever
Hassan Syed. Lennox Lewis fought everyone except Riddick Bowe, and Riddick Bowe ducked Lennox Lewis. Lennox Lewis is the the closest boxer to Muhammad Ali.
@@anthonymcken6050 thats kind of true, ruddock had defeated ex champions and known names and almost everyone though he would be next in line for holyfield but holyfield choosed George Foreman
Has anybody ever noticed the way these commentators will be saying a person is landing when they are not and they will be saying a fighter isnt landing when they are? People dont be a follower because they believe if they just keep telling a lie over and over again it will become the truth to many people but that only works in the absence of the truth! believe your own eyes that the most high gave you to see what's landing and what's not who's winning and who's winning and who's not
Michael Moorer has major boxing skills, but the main reason he won is that he knew how to defend from Holyfield's headbutts. Every time Evander comes in with his head low, Moorer brings down his head too. A thing that Tyson didn't do.
What I saw as well to your point Mike head dont look soft, I'll even bet his skull is much thicker then holyfield, so holyfield head butts would of felt like peanuts to mike, battle of the heads.
@@michaelb4538 if you didn't see to peanut heads in this video, you never been in a fight a day of your life, would make sense to type away as you see fit.
@@FTKEPDTK what? You barely make any sense. Holyfield was our boxing Tyson as well as nutting the face off him. Basically bullying the bully, so Tyson bit his ear off, problem solved.
With all due respect every boxer that made it to the top fought hard to get there and had to fight hard to stay there, just saying. Love Holyfield, definitely one of the greatest!
Guys like... Michael Moorer Tim Witherspoon Riddick Bowe Zab Judah Buster Douglas ...and a select few others who had their names in the spotlight, had fights that largely depended on how motivated they were to fight all 10-12 rounds. Guys who were very gifted in boxing ability, but didn't always show up with everything on a given night. Guys who frustrated the hell out of their corner men, with all it took to keep them motivated in the ring, and sometimes in the gym.
You know who else was super talented but was never that dedicated or professional? Guys like Jimmy Young, Greg Page, Tony Tubbs and Tommy Morrison who had a lot but never capitalized on it.
@@Charismaniac i think Morrison was underrated. He was nicer than given credit for. I don't recall him coming in the ring out of shape. He was simply one of those guys who couldn't always make the leap on a big crucial fight. Sometimes he'd even be winning handily, but get knocked out. Page & Tubbs are definitely good mentions. They were right there with Witherspoon & Douglas as far as coming into the ring chubby. I've only seen about 4or5 of Jimmy Ellis' fights, and all i can recall is him reminding me of another boxer who was clearly motivated by Ali's style, but good at it, and coming up short. 7 of his 12 losses were against big heavyweight names who you'd have to respect who he loss to...guys like Ali, Frazier, Shavers, Lyle. And his 1st 5 losses were against top middleweights, before getting trained by Angelo Dundee. I've read about some seeing his skills declining as early as 1973, but i don't know of him having a rep for not being motivated or lazy.
@@B.Wayne88 Toney is a Great example! He was nice as a fat pudgy heavyweight...imagined if he trained better and did less relaxing on the ropes, waiting to counterpunch.
Holyfield developed a shoulder problem which affected his breathing, he didn't fight for over a year after this and his comeback fight was against RAY MERCER
That explains why as a relatively young man at 31 he looked exhausted by round 5. Later as an older man Holyfield beat Tyson twice, fought a draw with a huge Lennox Lewis and revenged his loss against Moorer. Holyfield was a true warrior
@@samotr7713 Don’t be ridiculous. Google it. Holyfield beat Tyson twice, the first time was in 1997, it was a tko in the 11th round and then Tyson was disqualified for disgustingly biting Holyfields ear in the 4th round in June 1997. Tyson recently admitted he knew he was getting beaten again by Holyfield and out of frustration he bit Holyfields ear. So don’t try to say it’s not a loss, otherwise all other disqualifications in boxing are not losses. Disqualifications are recorded as a loss. Too bad if you don’t like it
@@tomiglesiaspineiro8498 His style was very laid back and cool 😎 He was great with precision,good heart, and very savy fighter. Not a whole lot of speed or power, But decent power and again precision.
Its really hard to believe these guys could take these kind of punches and just continue on! 99.9% of the public could not take one of these punches and survive!!
@@discoveryman59 They're professional boxers. They're used to getting punched repeatedly. Their nerve endings on their face have gotten used to it. Their jaws have strengthened over time. They work out all the time, their body is strong. They're not invulnerable but they can withstand getting hit much more than the average person on the street would. This isn't any different than any other profession. A surgeon can cut open dying person, carefully use his tweezers to remove a lodged bullet in the patient's brain, sew him back up, leave the operating room, remove his mask and wash his hands off, then get in his car and meet his wife for dinner at some fancy restaurant.
Kinda sad honestly, Moorer was very good and would’ve had a great career ahead of him. His personality and style was cool and refreshing. But as much as I like to say that George Foreman at 45 knocked out a young champ, it’s also sad, that one fight really screwed his career. And his loss to Evander after cemented it.
Se prestar atenção como é a luta de como é a luta de Mike Tyson e Evander Holyfieldsua voz é muito um fugir lista porque você vai para o aniversário velho que é respeitado e provoca esse tipo de luta para mim não decepciona não tá dando não
Holyfield wasn't the best...but he did fought the best of his era,without a doubt, The man was a true Warrior,never in a boring fight..win,lose or draw. Respect!
If you’re impressed with Moorers performance here, watch his fight with Bert Cooper...initially a slug fest but eventually the ultimate masterclass in southpaw counter punching
para mim toda a carreira da vida de militar se a minha é a pior luta que eu já vi foi levando apesar de tá enfrentando muitos problemasmaquitacio a perder a paciência de um ponto de um ponto dele mordeu a orelha de Evander Holyfield porque é todo amor que vocêbaixar a guarda demais dava cabeçada beijando invejando é que tá as bactérias não mas tá se derrubar seu adversário do segundo e terceiro ano passava o que chegasse chegasse aos doze aldeias eram vencedor no campeão mais ainda para enfrentar um aniversário que eu ia matar minha menteimposto de uma pessoa que ensinava que se nada Box então vi ele brigar na rua então pegou ele viu que ele tinha talento pegou ele pronto e para completar não foi o treinador o empresário dele começou a roubar muitopor que acompanha a carreira dele eu falo porque eu sou de 1900 1968 e eu sempre eu sempre aí quebrou nem você sabe como é que é a briga da briga da década de 80 na década de trinta e seis que desce primeiro meu filho
MICHAEL MOORER WAS THE MOST DISLIKED HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THAT ERA . HE WAS VERY HOSTILE AND OFFENSIVE TO FANS AND THE PRESS . HE WANTED TO BE MORE POPULAR , LIKE OTHER CHAMPS ; BUT DID NOT POCCESS COMMON MANNERS AND RESPECT FOR FANS AND MEDIA .. HE JUST DIDN'T GET IT!
TRT stole most of Holyfield's hair by this point. Michael's jab was just like a piston, and had some real power on it.. Largely took this fight for the lad, and opened the door for Big George to attain his record breaking, true one-punch KO title acheivement. This was truly an awesome era in the heavyweight division, to be sure.
Michael.moor had one of the best jabs in boxing and if he had never stood in front of George Forman in that last fight where he lost his best he won from holyfield he never would've lost to Forman it was sad because I believe that messed him up mentally and he was never the same
Yet it was solely his mistake, but he probably did not took responsibility and learning from it. His trainer told him each round not to stand in front of Foreman.
@@chrisashley1550 Yes, you are right. I think that is one of the reasons Mike hates it when people mention that former life of his, as a boxer He says: "I hate that guy, who I used to be". I think now that he's older and wiser and realizes his mistakes, it hurts him a lot that he underachieved and never fulfilled his potential.
@@michaeltrumph121 agreed. As much as he has accomplished. Mike is a old fashion guy at heart and was taught all about the seriousness of boxing. So I’m sure he’s his own worst critic. What he did was unbelievable but i truly believe mike could have retired undefeated at the pace he was going. After cus died. The biggest mistake besides saying hello to Robin Givens and Desiree Washington was firing Kevin Rooney. Went to jail shortly after. The fighter that came out of jail was not the same. He was good but nowhere near peak form sharp Tyson!! Mike was a special fighter and the trainers that helped create him could only push those buttons that way. Mike was a programmed fighter. That’s what the Willy was about. Combos Cus, Rooney and atlas called out to mike.
@@marlowstanfield6815 make sure you check out him with those belts he went to war for. And beat arguably the best heavyweight in the history of boxing. He earned his strripes. Only a dumb fuck or someone that's just arguing for the sake of arguing would debate it.
again Hollyfield,s energy level dropped very sharply in the initial rounds.This troubled him throughout his career and yet he became such a legendary fighter
There was no knockdown rule so foreman didn't want to knock him down then have moorer stay on the outside with his jab the rest of the fight So he pretended he'd lost his power till the 10th round, then all those straight rights moorer had eaten all night and walked through dismissing them, were suddenly being thrown with foremans full power
Why isnt moorer in HOF Youngest lightheavy world champ in history 21 years. Most consecutive stoppages in world title fights in lightheavy history. The highest ring magazine ranking of any boxer in history after 1 year of pro debut #NO3 The first southpaw to win a heavy world title, Identical fight record to mike tyson on route to winning a lineal heavyweight championship. Mooer 35-0 31KOs vs holyfield Tyson 35-0 31KOS vs spinks. Joint with mike Tyson in having the 2nd highest ko% on route to winning a lineal heavyweight championship 88.3% ko The only southpaw that's won a lineal championship at heavy. Only southpaw at heavyweight that's became a unifed world champ. Only former lightheavy world champ to win and regain a heavyweight world title In 1996 became the first heavyweight to win a version of a world title 3 x separately champion since muhammed ali. Wins 3x world titles in only 16 fights of operating at heavy. I dont think we will see another boxer ever again make weight moves of 45lb straight from lightheavy and replicate moorers accolades at heavy.
probably because at lightheavy he was the first wbo champ but never unified against the top champions, and at heavyweight of his 3 title wins 2 where for vacant titles
He scraped out a win against Holyfield (i thought he won) got knocked out in his next fight and lost to Holyfield in the rematch. Greatly skilled fighter, but those three fights define his career as a champion and he was bested by both men. Also, of those vacant titles he won, the wbo meant literally nothing at the time he held it. Evander Holyfield was the undisputed heavyweight champion.
Good eye. Holyfield would crouch down to dodge a punch and then jerk up as the guy moves forward from the momentum and try to catch guy with the top/back of his head. Incredibly easy to miss because it looks like he's just shucking and jiving. The master of the "accidental/on-purpose" headbutt. He knew exactly what he was doing. That with his PED usage, the most skillful cheater of all time.
I was thinking the same thing - it took a little off his speed as well. But the power of the shots must have been beating the crap out of Moorer even when he blocked them.
Maybe that's when it happened and maybe not. I just know that all the cuff tears I've seen, you aren't holding your right hand up for more than two minutes, let alone throwing 200 right hooks after. It just plain isn't happening. You aren't turning the light switch on, you aren't grabbing the milk from the fridge. You aren't brushing your teeth.
I think.l speak for everyone when I say I can only wish we seen a Moore vs Tyson with Atlas training Moore. Would have loved to see how Atlas would train against the peek a boo which was embedded in Tyson.... 🥊
Any fighter that uses Steroids & steroids for endurance is a cheater!! Athletes who`s body changes drastically in size & muscle are VERY EASY TO SPOT!! Imagine if Tyson took PED`S--- no one would have stood any chance!!! Your NOT going to be bigger -stronger- faster at 30 than at 20!!! Jones in UFC is a prime example --he got caught.... There are a number of boxers who must be using performance enhancing drugs or who got away with it....... No one should be allowed to use them !!! Too unfair for other athletes in ALL SPORTS!!!
Can we just take moment to admire just how swole and ripped Holyfield is?? Just wow man. Lawd have mercy he literally makes Moore look like a middleweight.
@@waffle_burger8499 obviously it's PEDs holyfield got caught for it too He's the most disgusting cheater in boxing history He's a shame to boxing and he doesn't even count
