Freddie Roach, the famous boxing trainer, says Michael Moorer was the strongest fighter he's ever trained. That's a big deal because Roach has worked with some of the best, including Mike Tyson.
In a chat with The Ring Magazine, Roach talked about his time with different boxers. He's trained big names like James Toney, Steve Collins, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, and Manny Pacquiao. But when it comes to raw power, Moorer stands out.
"Michael Moorer [was the strongest]. He was a bull and very talented. A southpaw with incredible power in his left hand. One left could end the evening for anyone when it connected."
Moorer's career backs up Roach's words. He won championships at light-heavyweight and heavyweight. In fact, he was the first southpaw to grab a heavyweight title. Moorer started his career with 35 wins in a row and beat Evander Holyfield. He ended up with 52 wins and 40 knockouts in 57 fights before he quit boxing in 2008.
Roach did train Mike Tyson, but it was near the end of Tyson's career. They worked together for two fights. Tyson knocked out Clifford Ettiene in the first round in 2003. But then he lost to Danny Williams when the ref stopped the fight in the fourth round.
"Mike's a great guy and I did train him for a couple of fights before the end of his career, but his heart wasn't really in it at that time. If he didn't knock you out in a couple of rounds he'd get a torn meniscus in his knee or an injury somewhere here or there."
Roach still thinks Tyson was one of the best punchers. But by the time they worked together, Tyson wasn't as focused on boxing. In his last fight, Tyson quit on his stool against Kevin McBride, saying his heart wasn't in fighting anymore.
After he stopped boxing, Moorer tried to learn how to be a trainer at Roach's Wildcard Boxing Club. Roach started the gym in 1995. But things didn't work out, and Roach asked Moorer to leave because they didn't get along.
Roach has seen a lot in boxing. He's known for taking hard shots on the pads when training fighters. But even with all that experience, he puts Moorer at the top of his list for strength.
