Michael Moorer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael Moorer
Moorer in 2009
Statistics
Nickname(s)	Double M
Rated at	Light heavyweight Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 2 in
Reach	76 in
Nationality	American
Born	(1967-11-12) November 12, 1967 (age 57) 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 a famous American former professional boxer. He competed in boxing 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 won 22 fights in a row by knockout. Later, he won the WBO heavyweight title from 1992 to 1993. In 1994, he became the unified champion, holding the WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight titles. He won the IBF heavyweight title again from 1996 to 1997. This made him a three-time heavyweight world champion.

Michael Moorer was a southpaw boxer, meaning he fought with his right hand and foot forward. He was undefeated in his first 35 professional fights. He won the WBO light heavyweight title in 1988 and defended it nine times. In 1991, Moorer moved up to the heavyweight division. He won the vacant WBO heavyweight title by beating Bert Cooper in 1992.

In 1994, he defeated Evander Holyfield to win the unified WBA, IBF, and lineal heavyweight titles. Moorer is one of only two southpaws to win the lineal world championship at heavyweight. The other is Oleksandr Usyk. 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 light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. The others are Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks, and James Toney. After retiring from boxing, Moorer became a boxing trainer. In 2009, he worked with famous trainer Freddie Roach. Michael Moorer was honored by being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2024.

Early Life and Amateur Boxing

Michael Moorer was born in Brooklyn, New York. He grew up in a small town called Monessen, Pennsylvania. From a young age, Michael played football. His mother noticed he was very energetic.

When he was 10, his grandfather, who was a former New York Golden Gloves Champion, encouraged him. His grandfather had even trained with boxing legends like Archie Moore. At age 11, Michael started training in boxing. Even though he is naturally right-handed, he fought his entire career as a southpaw. He finished high school in Monessen in 1987. He was a star football player there, playing as a linebacker and tight end.

As he continued his amateur boxing, Moorer moved to Detroit, Michigan. There, he trained with the legendary 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 while he was still an amateur. Moorer also won a bronze medal at the Goodwill Games. He ended his amateur career with a record of 48 wins and 16 losses.

Professional Boxing Career

Michael Moorer quickly rose through the professional boxing ranks. 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 round knockouts. He then got his first chance to fight for a world title.

Light Heavyweight Champion

In December 1988, Michael Moorer won the new WBO light heavyweight title. He defeated Ramzi Hassan with a knockout in the fifth round. In 1989, he defended his title six times. He beat boxers like Freddie Delgado, Frankie Swindell, Mike Sedillo, and former WBA champion Leslie Stewart. In 1990, he defended the title three more times. He defeated Mario Melo and Jim McDonald, who had challenged Michael Spinks.

Moving to Heavyweight

In 1991, Moorer decided to move up to the heavyweight division. He easily defeated his opponents, which led him to a chance to fight for the vacant WBO heavyweight championship. This fight was against Bert Cooper in 1992. Moorer stopped Cooper in the fifth round. Both fighters were knocked down and hurt during this exciting match.

After the Cooper fight, Moorer and his trainer Emanuel Steward stopped working together. Moorer then joined Lou Duva's team. Georgie Benton trained him for three fights in 1993. This included a 10-round decision win against former champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith. Moorer later left the Duva team and hired trainer Teddy Atlas in late 1993. He ended that year with a 10-round decision win over Mike Evans.

Becoming Unified Heavyweight Champion

On April 22, 1994, Michael Moorer challenged Evander Holyfield for the lineal, IBF, and WBA heavyweight titles. 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.

For his first defense of these titles, Moorer faced 45-year-old George Foreman on November 5, 1994. Foreman had lost his last fight for the WBO heavyweight title to Tommy Morrison. For nine rounds, Moorer easily outboxed Foreman. He hit Foreman and moved away, while 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 that caught Moorer on his chin. Moorer collapsed to the canvas and was knocked out. He lost his world championship and his undefeated record. George Foreman, at 45, became the oldest fighter ever to win the world heavyweight title.

The next year, Moorer bounced back by winning against Melvin Foster. Meanwhile, Foreman kept his title with a close win against Axel Schulz. Because that fight was controversial, the IBF ordered a rematch in Germany. But Foreman refused and gave up the IBF belt. Francois Botha then fought Schulz for the title and won, but he was stripped of it after testing positive for illegal substances.

Third Heavyweight Title Reign

Michael Moorer then got another chance to fight Schulz for the vacant IBF crown in Berlin. On June 22, 1996, Moorer won the IBF heavyweight title again. He beat Schulz by a 12-round split decision. This made him a three-time heavyweight champion. He held the WBO title (1992), the WBA/IBF titles (1994), and the IBF title again (1996–1997).

Moorer's first defense of his third title was against Botha on November 9, 1996. Moorer was leading on the scorecards. In the 12th and final round, he knocked Botha out just 18 seconds in. In March 1997, Moorer kept his belt by winning a 12-round decision against Vaughn Bean, who had been undefeated. After this fight, he stopped working with trainer Teddy Atlas and began training with Freddie Roach.

Holyfield vs. Moorer II

On November 8, 1997, Moorer lost his IBF title in a unification match against WBA champion Evander Holyfield. Moorer was knocked down five times. The ringside doctor advised the referee to stop the fight in the eighth round.

Later Career

After this loss, Michael Moorer retired from boxing for three years. He then returned in 2000 with a knockout win. He won three more fights during his comeback. Then, he was knocked out by David Tua in only 30 seconds of the first round on August 17, 2002. However, he returned to the ring again on March 29, 2003. He beat Otis Tisdale on points over 10 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, winning all his bouts against less experienced opponents. His last fight was a knockout win over Shelby Gross in 2008. After this fight, Moorer officially retired from professional boxing.

Professional Boxing Record

See also

In Spanish: Michael Moorer para niños

• List of WBA world champions
• List of IBF world champions
• List of WBO world champions
• List of light heavyweight boxing champions
• List of heavyweight boxing champions