I fancy Moorer in this. He's like McClellan on here losing every match up but I see a wide points win here.
I remember feeling kind of aggravated at Ellis because I liked his style...he just didn't have the chin. Moorer might have actually gotten floored by an underrated Ellis right, but rallied for a decision win in what would have probably been not-the-most-thrilling fight.
I not only lean toward Jimmy Ellis in this one, I think Michael Moorer was made to order for him. Ellis was a very busy puncher. Moorer, as a heavyweight, tended to just get stuck in jab mode. Ellis was also an underrated puncher. Moorer was kind of chinny. Ellis was a good mover. Moorer did better against stationary opponents and wasn't great at cutting off the ring (because he usually didn't have to, guys stood right in front of him). Ellis could stay busy for a full 15. Moorer tended to slow down the longer the fight went and had to be URGED to get busy. If it was scheduled for 12, I think Ellis scores a knockdown or two and wins a wide unanimous decision. If it's scheduled for 15, which Moorer never fought, I think Ellis stops Moorer late.
Jimmy Ellis by comfortable decision. Quicker hands, quicker feet. I think he puts Moorer down at least once. Tactical fight.
Jimmy Ellis takes this one, by unanimous decision over Michael Moorer. Ellis has taken punches in his wins over Oscar Bonavena, Leotis Martin, and Jerry Quarry. He would stick and move peppering the face of Moorer with his left jab. He would often land his right counter to the head of southpaw Michael Moorer.
Ellis fought the caucasian trio of the 60's, Quarry, Bonavena and Chuvalo (well he fought Chuvalo in the 70's)...all three more rugged and dangerous than the chinny Moorer...and he battered Chuvalo silly and brutally treated Oscar...decking him three times...not merely twice. He also took the best an injured Quarry could reach him with as well and scored some hard, accurate right hands to earn Jerry's respect. I think that some of you only think of Jimmy getting ko'ed by Frazier, and stopped late by Ali, and just maybe you're saddling Jimmy with that 1st round Shavers defeat,...but those 3 stoppages were fairly atypical in the career of Ellis. Just imagine what Frazier, Shavers and even Ali would have done to MM. Moorer vs Ellis, I'll submit, would have been decked at least 3 or maybe 4 times by that hard, sneaky right hand of Jimmy's en route to a wide decision loss, (remember, Moorer didn't have the punch resistance of Ringo Bonavena IMO..and Ellis would have endured anything that Moorer would have been able to field Jimmy's way. Remember, Moorer terrorized and ko'ed lightheavies with impunity...not heavyweights...and it's in the heavyweight class that Jimmy Ellis demonstrated quite often that he had a chin made of sterner stuff than Mr. Moorer.
