Kovalev, more proven at 175lbs, Moorer was more straight up then and could see him getting countered with right hands.
Moorer would be way too big and powerful for Kovalev who always had beyond awful punch resistance. Guy was badly hurt and stopped by non-puncher super middleweight Andre Ward, KFTOed by another non-puncher Eleider Alvarez and knocked out cold by former LMW Clenelo who couldn't put a dent on shot MW GGG in his very next fight
I'll take Moorer in this one even though the sample size was pretty incomplete at 175 for Moorer but that was due mostly to the landscape of the division at that time for him. Maske wasn't leaving Germany to fight Moorer and no way Manny was going to have Tommy go anywhere near him.
You're off in your timeline When Moorer was at 175 lbs, Virgil Hill was WBA champ for the greater part of Moorer's stay at 175. Prince Charles Williams was the iBF champ the whole time Maske beat Williams in 1993 Tommy beat Hill in mid 1991 Moorer started making waves at 175 lbs in 1988, We were all waiting for Moorer to step up and fight one of the champs. but for whatever reason it never happened. It sucked because the networks and boxing mags were hyping the hell out of Moorer, Anyway, I would still pick Moorer against Kovalev.
Yeah, that time was a weird for the division. Not really a dominant guy and it was in the middle of the promoter wars were unification fights were tough to come by. Moorer was very well thought of coming out of the amateurs. He was a wrecking machine and I was fortunate to see him in a regional amateur tournament about a year before he went pro. I like Kovalev as well but Moorer was able to move to Heavyweight where he was relevant for over a decade.
