Michael Moorer would have given Iron Mike some problems because he did not have the classic skills that he had in 1987-1988, but Tyson would stop him late by attrition. Riddick Bowe would out box Michael to win this encounter on points, comfortably, long reach, constantly tagging him with the right hand.
Moorer had a far weaker chin than either of these two, no way could he have taken Bowe or Tyson`s power.
A prime Moorer boxes circles around 95-96 Tyson... BUT, if Moorer decides to get into a slugfest he might get knocked out. A 92-93 Bowe easily outpoints Moorer. BUT 94-96 Bowe Would lose about 20 pounds a week before the fight and lose a UD.
By mid-1992 we knew Moorer's chin was a little suspect. He was very good, with solid fundamentals, but I think both Bowe and Tyson would have blown him out early. He was one of those guys who you knew could be caught by a big, fast, aggressive puncher. The Tua fight was no surprise whatsoever - there may be an old post on a forum somewhere in which I called the KO 1, and you even knew Foreman had a chance of catching him before twelve rounds were done.
Moorer had world class boxing skills. The problem was that his chin wasn't world class at HW. Moorer also tended to brawl sometimes against fighter with sturdier chins. That's not a good idea against hard hitting guys with sturdy chins like Tyson or Bowe. Moorer loses both fights by KO.
Moorer would lose to Bowe, but with a good effort. Very close fight. I think their fight could end in a draw but I favor Bowe slightly. Against Tyson it's 50/ 50. If he fights Tyson the way Holyfield did the first time, Moorer would win. If its fought on a toe-to-toe basis, Tyson takes it, but might get floored. Moorer often got up from knockdowns, which is in his favor against Tyson who never won a fight he was floored in. Moorer was never floored by anyone who hit like Tyson, but Tyson was never floored by any big punchers other than Lewis either.
Exactly. Moorer was brilliant boxer, especially his offensive skills (jab, uppercuts, right hook, straight left, combinations, counterpunching skills), but he was vulnerable against hard-hitting HWs. That's why he had so much trouble against Bert Cooper. Tyson and Bowe were much better than Cooper.
I love a good fight where a fighter gets up from a truly awesome knockdown and wins in a brutal fashion, it is one of the high points of boxing to be sure.
