Michael Moorer

His chin wasn't that bad. He was iced by megapunchers Foreman and Tua, but they destroyed a lot of fighters with decent chins.

Moorer was a very good heavyweight who would have thrived in many eras of the division.

 

Comebacking Foreman did not destroy a lot of fighters with good chins at all. In fact, Moorer is the only good fighter that he stopped his comeback, despite fighting guys like Grimsley, Morrison, Stewart, etc. Add that he was nearly stopped by Cooper, down five times and stopped Holyfield and out in 30 seconds from 2 Tua punches, and you have one of the weakest jaws of heavyweight champions. He did have to compete in an era of big punching heavyweights though.

 

He was knocked down two times by Cooper, he was hurt by Botha, he was destroyed by Holyfield in the rematch knocked down in the first fight, knocked out by Tua in 30 seconds, and was knocked cold by one slow motion right hand from Foreman. I would say his chin wasnt that great.

 

i think your underestimating the power those guys carried. particularly cooper and tua..

 

How many other former light heavyweights (excluding fights before they were world class)have actualy established themselves as the lineal heavyweight champion?

Bob Fitzimmons

Tommy Burns (should have been LHW champion)

Gene Tunney

Jimmy Braddock

Ezzard Charles

Michael Spinks

Perhaps we should make more of Moorers acomplishment in winning the title.

 

Sure as hell did........... Moorer trained for Jirov, but age and excess baggage slowed him down...... Moorer was lucky to hit paydirt against Jirov in '04......

MR.BILL

 

Well it has to be put in to proper perspetive. Tyson is the one who actually unified the three titles in three separate title fights based on a tournament which involved all the best available fighters fighting each other for a shot at the title. Then he defended it six times. Douglas took it from Tyson. Holy took it from Douglas and defended three times. Bowe took it from Holy defended twice. Holy took it back from Bowe, and Moorer won it in a fight many peopl felt he lost. He then lost the title in his first defense.
I would say Moorer bottoms out this list. Impressive that he won the title yes. Did he do it in any spectacular fashion or have longevity as a champion? No, he lost the title in a voluntary defense against a guy he was supposed to easily beat for a nice payday.

 

Your criticisms are noted but it is still an achievment that not many fighters have matched.

If Moorer bottoms out this list then it is a prety good list to bottom out.

 

Problems.. Michael liked a brawl.. he would take on a football team if he felt the need.. He was tough, and strong.. He was one hell of a moody individual, and i know from first hand how bad he could get , especially with press members.. After he beat Evander he went to his room at caesars and some press members said something about his desire after getting dropped in the fight and not looking as urgent as he might have, he hit the roof and when he came back down in the elevator he was cussing at everyone moving.. Mike today is different, he is a lovely guy and has all the time in the world for everyone fans , kids , anyone at all.. He had a great fast jab and at light heavy could have remained champ for years......

 

So, in almost 60 fights, Moorer was knocked out twice by two of the hardest punches ever in the division's history, survived against another monster puncher (this "nearly stopped" is in support of your argument?!), and then was stopped by a boxer who also stopped Tyson, Qwai, Douglas, and other top fighters, and he has one of the weakest jaws of heavyweight champions? You have to be kidding us.

And I'm guessing the man who was knocked out six times that SuzieQ goes ga-ga over didn't have a weak chin. Right?

 

Agreed there. In fact, I've always thought the decision over Holy was a gift (Holy should've got at least a draw IMO), and then he was slaughtered in a rematch with a much older and more faded Holy.

As a heavyweight, he was a very quick and sharp puncher, and a decent technician, but the extra weight appeared to only slow him down, without gaining anything in the way of power or durability, and he was inconsistent with his intensity and conditioning. IMO he was one of the most mediocre lineal heavyweight champs.

As a light-heavyweight, he was generally quicker and more aggressive, but even there, he still sometimes showed a tendency to be slightly sluggish or tentative. Given how weak his overall competition was, it's hard to fully gauge how good he was or wasn't.

 

Moorer was coming off of a major surgery going into the second Holyfield fight, which made it almost impossible to train, resulting in coming in heavy.

And yet everyone gives Holyfield a free pass for the first Moorer fight...

 

I was at a lot of training sessions with Michael for the second Holyfield fight and was quite shocked as to how overweight he looked, he wasn't cut at all and his body was fat. The surgery was hard on him but he never looked urgent to show any sparks in the gym, He put in great work but didn't set the gym alight for a man going into a world heavyweight title bout.. I watched him hit mitts with Freddie and his co ordination was amazing, but his zip was not there, i don't know if Michael loved the game any more.. He was incredibly moody when the press asked him any questions.. For that 1st Holyfield fight he was edgy and almost looked superhuman as he prepared, he walked around the casino in a dark pair of oakleys and looked untouchable, he was hard as Ebony..........

 

He was knocked out three times, and was hurt on several occasions, including the light hitting Frans Botha. Moorer was a solid fighter, but his chin got in the way of his accomplishments. He wasnt an on his toes boxer. He plodded forward flat footed behind an excellent jab and liked to counter punch as he moved forward. Against the better opponents that style proved not to suit his chin, as he was hurt or knocked out consistently by the better fighters he faced.

 

I remember being incredibly impressed on how he adjusted to becoming a heavyweight of top drawer status.. the names were improving.. Alex Stewart, Terry Davis, Mike White , Smith , Billups etc.. Then i remember my heart sinking when i saw the first flaw surface , the first time Mike was dropped.. It spelled OH OHhhh...!!!

It was in a routine time filler fight in Michigan at the Palace in Aubern Hills when he walked onto a straight shot from Everrett Bigfoot Martin, he slumped backwards and looked up at Martin who was standing over him, as if to say.. WTF u hit me with man..?

I was wary from that day on, then he always seemed to know he could be caught and put down, it became something Michael always had to deal with and get over... He was dropped a furthr 2 times against Cooper, and again he was dropped against Holyfield in the first encounter to his defences he won on every occasion he was hurt.. against George he did a stupid thing... He was fighting a punch perfect execution against George and showing how father time had caught up with George, then he decided to do a tragic thing.. Stand right in front of a despairate Foreman late in the fight, It became his demise !! being dropped was one thing being KO'd was another , his psyche was damaged for a long time, Moorer v Holyfield 2 was the same thing , he was dropped and eventually made to look inept and finally suffer his second KO loss... The Tua loss and the Castillo loss were both after he should have hung em up but again he was dropped and looked sloppy..... Regrets , he never had a brawl with Tyson when he was again IBF champ, i suppose if Mike Tyson had beaten Holyfield , he would have face Tyson in a unification match, it may have been interesting as they could both hit and both werent in exact primes of thier careers but , it may have been a bit more colourful than a Tyson v Seldon..... The grateful part of Mikes career was a nice win over Jirov late in his career along with a win over a less than stellar Couser... Mike was haunted by a nasty chin , but at Light heavy he knows deep down he could have handled everyone they threw at him......