Michael Moorer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Michael Moorer |
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Moorer in 2009
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | Double M |
| Rated at |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in |
| Reach | 76 in |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | November 12, 1967 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| 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. He competed from 1988 to 2008. Michael Moorer won world championships four times in two different weight classes. He held the WBO light heavyweight title from 1988 to 1991. During this time, he had 22 straight knockouts in 22 fights.
He also won the WBO heavyweight title from 1992 to 1993. In 1994, he became the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight champion. He won the IBF heavyweight title again from 1996 to 1997. This made him a three-time heavyweight world champion. Michael Moorer was undefeated in his first 35 professional fights. He is one of only two southpaw boxers to win the lineal world championship at heavyweight. He is also the only light heavyweight world champion to win a heavyweight world title more than once.
Moorer is one of only four boxers in the last century to win a world title in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. The others are Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks, and James Toney. After he stopped boxing, Moorer worked as a boxing trainer. He also worked as a private investigator. In 2009, he trained alongside Freddie Roach in Los Angeles. Michael Moorer was added to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Amateur Boxing
Michael Moorer was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania called Monessen. From a young age, Michael enjoyed playing football. His mother noticed he had a lot of energy. When he was 10, his grandfather, who was a former boxer, encouraged him to start training. Michael began boxing training at age 11. Even though he is naturally right-handed, he fought as a southpaw (left-handed) throughout his career. He finished high school in Monessen in 1987. He was a star football player there.
As he got better at boxing, Moorer moved to Detroit, Michigan. He trained with the famous coach Emanuel Steward. In 1986, Michael Moorer became a National Champion in the 156 lb (light middleweight) weight class. At Steward's Kronk Gym, he was known for beating professional boxers even when he was still an amateur. Moorer also won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games. He had a good record of 48 wins and 16 losses as an amateur.
Professional Boxing Career
Michael Moorer quickly became a top professional boxer. He had his first professional fight on March 4, 1988. He won by knocking out Adrian Riggs in the first round. By the end of that year, he was undefeated in eleven fights. All of these wins were by early knockouts. He then fought for a world title for the first time. He won the new WBO light heavyweight title by knocking out Ramzi Hassan in five rounds.
In 1989, he defended his title six times. He beat boxers like Freddie Delgado, Frankie Swindell, and former WBA champion Leslie Stewart. In 1990, he defended his title three more times. He defeated Mario Melo and Jim McDonald, who had once challenged Michael Spinks.
Moving to Heavyweight
In 1991, Michael Moorer decided to move up to the heavyweight division. He won against many opponents. This led him to a chance to fight for the vacant WBO heavyweight championship the next year. He fought Bert Cooper and stopped him in the fifth round. Both fighters were hurt during the fight.
After the Cooper fight, Moorer and his trainer Emanuel Steward stopped working together. Moorer then joined Lou Duva's team. He was trained by Georgie Benton for three fights in 1993. This included a 10-round win against former champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith. Moorer then left the Duvas and Benton. He hired a new trainer, Teddy Atlas, in late 1993. He ended that year with a 10-round win over Mike Evans.
Becoming Unified Heavyweight Champion
On April 22, 1994, Michael Moorer challenged Evander Holyfield. Holyfield held the lineal, IBF, and WBA heavyweight title belts. In the second round, Holyfield knocked Moorer down. But Moorer recovered and went on to win the fight by a majority decision. This made him the first-ever southpaw heavyweight champion.
In his first defense of these titles, on November 5, 1994, Moorer fought 45-year-old George Foreman. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed Foreman. He hit and moved away, while Foreman kept moving forward. Foreman seemed unable to land his punches. Moorer was ahead on all three judges' scorecards going into the 10th round. Then, Foreman hit him with a short right hand. It caught Moorer on his chin, and he fell to the canvas. Moorer was knocked out and lost his world championship. He also lost his undefeated record. George Foreman, at 45, became the oldest fighter to win the world heavyweight title.
The next year, Moorer won against Melvin Foster. Meanwhile, Foreman kept his title with a close win against Axel Schulz. Because of how close the Foreman-Schulz fight was, the IBF ordered a rematch in Germany. But Foreman refused and gave up his IBF belt. Francois Botha then fought Schulz for the title and won. However, Botha was stripped of the title after testing positive for illegal substances.
Third Heavyweight Title Win
Michael Moorer then got another chance to fight Axel Schulz for the vacant IBF title in Berlin. On June 22, 1996, Moorer won the IBF heavyweight crown again. He beat Schulz by a 12-round split decision. This made him a three-time heavyweight champion. He had won the WBO title in 1992, the WBA/IBF titles in 1994, and the IBF title again from 1996 to 1997.
Moorer's first defense of his third title was against Francois Botha on November 9, 1996. Moorer was leading on the scorecards. He knocked Botha out 18 seconds into the final round. In March 1997, Moorer kept his belt by winning a 12-round decision over Vaughn Bean. After this fight, he stopped working with trainer Teddy Atlas. He then started training with Freddie Roach.
Holyfield vs. Moorer II
On November 8, 1997, Moorer lost his IBF title. He fought Evander Holyfield, who was the WBA champion, to unify the titles. Moorer was knocked down five times. The ringside doctor advised the referee to stop the fight in round eight.
Later Career
After this loss, Michael Moorer retired from boxing for three years. He then returned with a knockout win over Lorenzo Boyd. During his comeback, he won three more fights. He then seemed to retire again after being knocked out by David Tua in only 30 seconds on August 17, 2002. However, he returned to the ring again on March 29, 2003. He beat Otis Tisdale by points over ten rounds. On August 23, 2003, he knocked out Brazil's Rodolfo Lobo in just 64 seconds.
After almost a year away, he returned on July 3, 2004. He lost a 10-round decision to Eliseo Castillo. In December of that year, Moorer came back from being far behind on the scorecards. He gave former cruiserweight champion Vassiliy Jirov his first knockout loss. He continued fighting and won all his bouts against less experienced opponents. His last fight was a knockout win over Shelby Gross in 2008. After this fight, Moorer retired from professional boxing for good.
Images for kids
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Moorer in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Michael Moorer para niños
