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As we know, Moorer became the first southpaw HW champion ever in 1994 when he dethroned via MD an Evander who just had his revenge over Bowe, making him a 2 time HW champion.
During the bout (or prior to the bout, I don't recall), Holyfield hurt his left shoulder. So he was somewhat a diminished fighter in that bout. Moorer, as tentative as he may have been, and no matter all the drama Atlas created between rounds, came back from an early KD to secure the win on 2 judges scorecards, even battering Holyfield with his strong right hand using the jab, uppercutt and hook on some occasions. Both Holyfield and Moorer officially weighed 214. Here is a pic of Moorer at 214.
Some people think Evander should have won. I thought Moorer deserved the win, but it was a close call. Anyway, it is not the topic.
In the rematch bout, in 1997, Holyfield was coming off his 2 back to back wins over Tyson, and he wished to unify all the titles and avenge his loss to Moorer. He officially weighed 214, again. Moorer, on the other hand, was 223 this time, and he looked flabby. The commentators noticed it right away and questionned the work Moorer put in for the rematch.
Right after winning the titles from Holy, Moorer gained 8 pounds and was ko'ed by Foreman. He went on to win his next 4, weighing 221, 223, 219, and 212. So when Moorer entered the ring for his remtach with Holy, he had gained 11 pounds. Since his weight fluctuated a lot compared to a very consistant Holyfield, it shows Moorer dedication wasn't always as strong as he said it was. Atlas questionned his discipline and his will to work hard in the gym. They also had a fallout between the first fight and the rematch. So the likely scenario is that he didn't train as hard as he should have before facing Holy for the second time. This time, Holy had a healthy shoulder, and Moorer didn't have the undefeated factor in his favor, and maybe not the drive or hunger either. Moorer had Roach in his corner.
Given the circumstances, what had to happen happened. Holyfield, although he was again put on the defensive and looked uncomfortable when Moorer sticked his jab in his face, scored multiple KD en route to a TKO8. Holy was well ahead on all 3 scorecards at the time of the stoppage (almost a shut-out).
My point is, in the end, a case can be made that we have never seen the best possible Evander vs the best possible Moorer all in one night despite the fact that they had 2 fights. So what would have really happened if the Holyfield of the second fight had fought the Moorer of the first fight ? Would Moorer's jab have off-set Holy's offense anyway ? Would Holy's healthy shoulder have let him mount a good attack ?
Who wins, and why ?
During the bout (or prior to the bout, I don't recall), Holyfield hurt his left shoulder. So he was somewhat a diminished fighter in that bout. Moorer, as tentative as he may have been, and no matter all the drama Atlas created between rounds, came back from an early KD to secure the win on 2 judges scorecards, even battering Holyfield with his strong right hand using the jab, uppercutt and hook on some occasions. Both Holyfield and Moorer officially weighed 214. Here is a pic of Moorer at 214.
Some people think Evander should have won. I thought Moorer deserved the win, but it was a close call. Anyway, it is not the topic.
In the rematch bout, in 1997, Holyfield was coming off his 2 back to back wins over Tyson, and he wished to unify all the titles and avenge his loss to Moorer. He officially weighed 214, again. Moorer, on the other hand, was 223 this time, and he looked flabby. The commentators noticed it right away and questionned the work Moorer put in for the rematch.
Right after winning the titles from Holy, Moorer gained 8 pounds and was ko'ed by Foreman. He went on to win his next 4, weighing 221, 223, 219, and 212. So when Moorer entered the ring for his remtach with Holy, he had gained 11 pounds. Since his weight fluctuated a lot compared to a very consistant Holyfield, it shows Moorer dedication wasn't always as strong as he said it was. Atlas questionned his discipline and his will to work hard in the gym. They also had a fallout between the first fight and the rematch. So the likely scenario is that he didn't train as hard as he should have before facing Holy for the second time. This time, Holy had a healthy shoulder, and Moorer didn't have the undefeated factor in his favor, and maybe not the drive or hunger either. Moorer had Roach in his corner.
Given the circumstances, what had to happen happened. Holyfield, although he was again put on the defensive and looked uncomfortable when Moorer sticked his jab in his face, scored multiple KD en route to a TKO8. Holy was well ahead on all 3 scorecards at the time of the stoppage (almost a shut-out).
My point is, in the end, a case can be made that we have never seen the best possible Evander vs the best possible Moorer all in one night despite the fact that they had 2 fights. So what would have really happened if the Holyfield of the second fight had fought the Moorer of the first fight ? Would Moorer's jab have off-set Holy's offense anyway ? Would Holy's healthy shoulder have let him mount a good attack ?
Who wins, and why ?