Michael Moorer

Michael Moorer is a retired American professional boxer known for his achievements in the heavyweight division. Competing over two decades, Moorer became a world champion in two weight classes, holding the WBO light heavyweight title, the WBO heavyweight title, the unified WBA, IBF and lineal heavyweight titles, and the IBF heavyweight title a second time. Moorer, naturally right-handed, fought his entire career as a southpaw, a distinction that contributed to his legacy in boxing history.

Moorer began his professional boxing career at age 19 under the guidance of Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward in Detroit. He won his first 24 fights by knockout and, after just 11 professional bouts, knocked out Ramzi Hassan to become the inaugural WBO Light Heavyweight Champion. Moorer scored knockouts in each of his first 26 bouts, joining a select group of boxers who have won at least 20 consecutive fights by knockout, including George Foreman, Wilfredo Gómez, Carlos Zarate, John Mugabi, Aaron Pryor, and Edwin Valero. After dominating the light heavyweight division, Moorer knocked out Bert Cooper in five rounds to win the vacant WBO Heavyweight Championship, becoming the first southpaw world heavyweight champion in boxing history.

A defining moment in Moorer's career occurred when he challenged Evander Holyfield for the lineal, IBF, and WBA heavyweight titles. Despite being knocked down in the second round, Moorer recovered and secured a majority decision victory, becoming the first southpaw heavyweight champion. His reign was interrupted in his first title defense against George Foreman. Moorer led on all three judges' scorecards entering the 10th round, but Foreman landed a decisive right hand, resulting in Moorer losing the world championship. The bout, billed as "One for the Ages," is considered one of the most notable upsets in boxing history.

Moorer returned to championship status by defeating Axel Schulz for the vacant IBF Heavyweight Championship. He is one of only two southpaws to win the lineal world championship at heavyweight and one of four boxers in the past century to win a version of a world title at both light heavyweight and heavyweight, alongside Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks, and James Toney.

Following his retirement, Moorer remained active in the boxing industry as a trainer and private investigator, working alongside trainer Freddie Roach at the Wild Card gym in Los Angeles. His contributions to boxing were recognized with induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Moorer's career is noted for his knockout streaks, historic title victories, and his impact on the sport as a southpaw heavyweight champion.