Say this for Brandon Moore: He doesn’t lack for ambition.
Moore can’t be blamed for aiming high after his dominant performance Friday in Detroit, where the 31-year-old heavyweight nearly shut out the previously undefeated DeAndre Savage in a unanimous decision win.
In the main event of a DAZN-streamed card at the Fox Theatre, Moore dropped Savage for a knockdown in the fourth and coasted to a win of 100-89 (twice) and 99-90 on the judges’ scorecards. He kept the party going postfight, showing respect to the venue’s past performers while laying the groundwork for what would be a much bigger show.
“I am very happy with my performance,” said Moore, of Polk County, Florida. “I came out here and got a spectacular and graceful win. I knew he wouldn’t be able to move with me, and it was probably my easiest win. I would have liked to earn the stoppage, but I feel great about it. I boxed really well. And I loved being at the Fox Theatre. The Temptations, the Four Tops and now ‘OJ Bam’ Moore.”
Moore ran his winning streak to five in a row since his only career defeat – a May 2024 loss to Richard Torrez Jnr – improving to 19-1 (10 KOs). His two most recent wins (Savage and a stoppage of Stanley Wright in June) are arguably his best as a pro, but they’re small potatoes compared to what he has in mind.
“I am ready for what's next, and I want to fight Anthony Joshua,” Moore said. “I am going to speak it into existence.”
Joshua, 28-4 (25 KOs), a 35-year-old former unified heavyweight champion, would represent an enormous step up for Moore. But timing may be on Moore’s side.
It has been almost exactly a year since Joshua last fought, a knockout loss to then-heavyweight titleholder Daniel Dubois. After his previous defeat – Joshua actually lost back-to-back decisions to current undisputed heavyweight champ Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022 – he reset with a fight against Jermaine Franklin Jnr, an untested opponent with a solid record.
Moore fits that description, and he would almost certainly accept a fight (and a hefty payday) on or near Joshua’s London home turf, where he remains a big attraction.
