Why is Michael Moorer in the Hall of Fame

Fury, Usyk, Wilder and Joshua are all going in.

There haven't been more non-lineal heavyweight champs voted in over the last half century because they don't deserve it. Like I pointed out, Wilder has more defenses himself than a lot of heavyweight champs had COMBINED.

Fans got really used to champions having a lot of defenses because Lennox and the Klitschko brothers racked up so many. So they tend to ignore it now. And they also got used to unifications.

But the vast majority of champions in history weren't champ for very long and didn't put together a lot of defenses. And a lot didn't unify. Or were stripped.

None of this is clean and clear.

Making a lot of defenses adds up, particularly in Hall of Fame voting. Palomino. Cuevas. Pedroza. Sanchez. Galindez. Foster. And on and on and on.

 

It's funny you brought up those two. When Ottke and Dariusz were fighting in the 90s and early 00s, if you didn't live in Germany, you probably didn't see them fight when they were champs. That greatly impacted how they were viewed, even now.

Hell, if HBO even bothered to post a graphic of them during a broadcast, they were usually dismissive and left it at that.

I had to order VHS tapes from a trader to keep up on what was going on back then. Most didn't bother.

I think they should be in. And you can see most of their fights on Youtube and other social media services now. There isn't much excuse for them not getting in today.

But they aren't favorites to voters because Hall of Fame voters tend to go with modern fighters they actually saw and watched live while growing up in the sport. The guys they liked to watch get preferential treatment.

And EVERYONE has watched Fury, Wilder, Joshua and Usyk. I doubt any of them will have much of a problem.

 

yeah but Fury and Joshua beat Wlad. And both fought Usyk. Wilder’s resume pales. He didn’t face their level of competition. He had a belt and made a bunch of soft defenses. If we gave butterbean a belt and he knocked out 15 club fighters with it does he get in.
No Wlad, Usyk, or Joshua on Wilder’s resume. The only one he fought is Fury and he’s 0-2-1 with that. I don’t think he makes it. And he certainly shouldn’t go in until guys like Dariusz and Sven go in. We’ll see. Only reason it matters to me is I like the precedent standard of the HW division. To let Wilder in would really lower the bar.

 

It is crazy that guys that won their belt in the late 90s and reigned into the early 00s are no longer considered a "modern" fighter. Not saying you're wrong but that just blows my mind. If those guys aren't current what chance do the 1910s and 1920s snubs have?

 

Filling a void for a country that’s on a down period shouldn’t automatically get you in, and had he won a fight in the Fury trilogy I would begrudgingly admit that maybe he gets in because of the popularity of those fights, but he didn’t win a single bout.
If Wilder gets in, it will be because he’s American and sells tickets for the induction day. It won’t be on merit. It will also be a slap in the face to Sven Ottke.

 

That’s hardly enough for induction. Ortiz was a twice popped steroid cheat and was around 40. Beating those two guys and getting a disputed draw with Fury does not make a HOF heavyweight champion.

 

Don't be ridiculous. Wilder is already on all-time lists for most defenses and length of reign with other Hall of Famers. He successfully defended against an undefeated lineal champ. He engaged in 13 WBC title fights. He had 17 fights with ranked heavyweights and former or reigning champs. He was involved in one of only four heavyweight Fight of the Year matchups in the last half century. It's all already happened. You can't do anything about it.

Throwing out insults like lumping him in with Butterbean is just being a hater. I think we've had enough of that, honestly.

He'll get in, and Joshua will get in, because they had far greater careers than all the non-lineal champs over the last half century you could mention, and better careers in some cases than lineal champs. And everyone who votes when they're eligible will have come up having watched them year after year.

 

Gatti is a unique case, I understand because of his tragic passing him gaining admittance. Paz shouldn’t be in. But the lower weight classes have always been more lenient. The HW class is the only class that has had a high standard. And yes I agree Moorer should not be in. But because he was lineal - I believe he made it.

 

Bottom line he faced garbage competition and was a manufactured champion. He shouldn’t be rewarded for that.

 

I'm not quite sure what the IBHOF considers modern anymore. I'm 60. I certainly don't consider guys who fought 50 years ago, like Quarry, as modern.

At least Ottke and Dariusz fought into the 2000s. But we're already 25 years into this century. Seems like if you don't get in when you're recently eligible, you kind of get passed over for an extended period, because so many are coming up behind you.

 

If its lineal or from the 4 alphabets 10 title defenses will get you in. It was never going any other way. If Wilder came from Papua New Guinea and didn't have KO power? Still going the same way.

Now then one can say "What about Darius"? A the WBO wasn't considered a major body during his day officially(and that officially bit probably matters) and B he has not been rejected from the Hall of Fame. He just hasn't made it yet. Very big difference. He will be a Hall of Famer. It will happen and it was always going to happen. Vinny Paz getting into the HOF over him might not have been on anyones bingo card but hes still going to make it.

 

We’ll see Ottke still isn’t in. He’s from a major country and has double the amount of defenses of Wilder. And nobody even mentions him. So far nobody that was not a lineal champion in the HW division has made the HOF, with the exception of Ken Norton. (And possibly Vitali based on different people’s criteria of lineal) 20 men are in since 1930 - 19 have had lineal claim. Wilder does not all I’m saying