Andre Ward vs Michael Moorer at light-heavyweight

Almost all of them if forced to weigh in below 175.

 

Them tools were far from developed at 175 though...

 

I don’t see that this goes against what I initially stated, unless your contention is that Michael would somehow walk through SOG. I think it would be close on the cards, hence the comprison.

I credit Kovalev as negotiating distance better, but Moorer was the superior fighting specimen. At the end of the day, resetting range on Ward was what lent Sergei success.

 

They were never better! He became sluggish as a heavyweight.

I know he couldn’t have realistically maintained the weight at light heavyweight for very long, but I think he lost something moving up.

 

My point was he had the ability to become heavyweight champion in the 90s but he won’t beat Ward?

 

Really? I saw a novice at 175. He undoubtedly had something, maybe even 'it'. But he relied on power, as, as expected, he lacked boxing intelligence, as he was so young.


He became frustrated against anyone who stood up to his initial assaults. But his tools were being developed with the help of maybe the most talented offensive trainer in boxing. He would not have beaten Williams or Hill at the time, indeed I think Harding may have outlasted him, in a pick'em.


That level of ability is not going to compete, let alone beat a physically primed Andre Ward.

 

If he's allowed to weigh in as HW then I'm sure he would beat Ward. But at a 175 pound limit, I doubt it.

 

Ward beat all of three opponents at lightheavy... and let's be honest he lost one of those four fights. Moorer was undefeated at lightheavy, not only undefeated but massively destructive. He went 35 fights, well into a heavyweight campaign, undefeated. This was not by accident.

 

Moorer couldn't even outbox Leslie Stewart for God sake. Ward schools him.

 

You could say the same for him as a heavyweight. It is only relevant if you think his boxing intelligence improved. His speed and work rate did not appear to.

 

Ward fought far superior opposition as a LHW.

It's like when people say Mosley was a beast at LW, even though he fought no one of note.

 

Wards competition at 168 seems like it should be a reasonable gauge as to how good he was at light heavyweight.

 

His intelligence obviously improved, as he gained experience. And relatively (having put on 40lbs+) his speed and work rate was more impressive as he reached his peak, although he was still patchy at times.