Michael Moorer will forever be associated with George Foreman following their historic meeting in 1994, but there was far more to his résumé than one night in Las Vegas.
Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in history when he knocked out Moorer to end the southpaw’s seven-month reign. Earlier in his career, at light-heavyweight, Moorer had been regarded as one of the most feared punchers in the sport, though that destructive edge did not always translate at heavyweight.
That said, he did stop Bert Cooper to win the WBO heavyweight title and become a two-weight world champion. In a thrilling contest, both men were knocked down twice, yet Moorer later chose to vacate the belt rather than defend it.
He moved on to face Evander Holyfield, who had been plotting future bouts with Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and another showdown with Riddick Bowe, only to see those plans unravel when Moorer claimed a points victory.
Yet neither Holyfield nor Foreman earned Moorer’s vote as the hardest puncher he faced. Instead, that distinction went to a man who needed just 30 seconds to defeat him in 2002: David Tua. Speaking to The Ring for their Best I Faced series, Moorer said:
“There was a lot of big punchers. Francois Botha hit hard. Foreman hit hard — at that time he caught me with a good punch. Holyfield hit hard. Anyone, if they get hit the right way, will go.
“Tua knew how to deliver the power, being more flatfooted than being on his toes, and he kept his fist tight. Most boxers keep their hands open, and he knew the way he came in — short, stocky — and he had a good chin, but he could do the hitting as well.”
Unlike Moorer, Tua never won a world title, though he did challenge Lennox Lewis for the heavyweight crown in November 2000. On that occasion, the Samoan wrecking ball came up short, losing on points after going the full 12 rounds with the champion. He hung up the gloves with a record of 52 wins from 59 bouts, and 43 of those victories came by knockout.
