The Moorer, the better

MANILA, Philippines – As Freddie Roach’s newly hired assistant trainer, former world heavyweight champion Michael Moorer makes sure that nobody bothers the Wild Card Gym’s most popular fighter when Manny Pacquiao’s working out in the sweat shop.

Writer Kevin Mitchell once described Moorer as “a loyal gatekeeper of the Pacman legend.”

“Moorer brings a certain order to the maelstrom that swirls around Pacquiao, a man the promoter Bob Arum calls ‘a global phenomenon’ and is fiercely protective of the world’s best little fighting man,” wrote Mitchell.

“You are not going to get an objective assessment from the hired help, obviously, but it is easy to believe Moorer when he says in that knowing manner that intelligent boxers have: ‘It’s in his eyes. You can see it. I can see it. You might not. He’s calm. He’s ready. Just look in his eyes. You might see it. You might not.”

Moorer, 41, hasn’t formally retired from boxing. His most recent bout was in February last year when he knocked out Shelby Gross in a single round in Dubai to raise his record to 52-4-1, with 40 KOs.

But if he remains as Roach’s chief lieutenant, Moorer might just find it more rewarding and less taxing to work corners instead of trading blows in the ring.

A recent shake-up in Roach’s camp opened the opportunity for Moorer to join. Justin Fortune, the former Australian heavyweight, was the first to go after engaging Roach in a squabble over money. Then exited Eric Brown, another trainer who was rumored to be shipping Wild Card clients over to Fortune’s newly opened gym. Security chief Rob Peters was absent during Pacquaio’s recent fight against Ricky Hatton in Las Vegas but is reportedly coming back to work.

Moorer has held the WBO lightheavyweight and heavyweight titles. In 1994, he scored a majority 12-round decision over Evander Holyfield to win the WBA and IBF heavyweight crowns. Moorer later lost both titles to George Foreman on a 10th round knockout. But two years later, he regained the IBF diadem via a decision over Germany’s Axel Schulz. In 1997, Moorer – a southpaw like Pacquiao – was stopped by Holyfield in eight and in 2002, was knocked out by David Tua in one.

Moorer has won his last six assignments and his fans insist he’s far from over the hill.

What Roach likes about Moorer is his teaching skills.

“Michael’s a pretty good teacher,” said Roach, quoted by James Slater. “He told me he was going to come down to the gym one day. So I said, why don’t you come and help me? He’s a really, really different person now he’s a trainer, he wasn’t always a nice person as a fighter.”

Moorer is involved in helping out Roach with Pacquiao and his other marquee fighters, like England’s Amir Khan who takes on WBA lightwelterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik in London on June 27.

“Everything’s good, I love what I do,” said Moorer. “I love being a teacher. I’m trying to teach mental toughness because you have to have that in boxing. I know I was difficult to train at times but I don’t carry that around with me now. If fighters are receptive to what I’m teaching them, then they’ll amount to something I believe, because I had great teachers.”

There’s nobody more capable of teaching Moorer the ropes in training than Roach.

Like Moorer, Roach learned the trade from experience. He turned pro in 1978 and posted a 39-13 record, with 15 KOs and a no-contest. Roach, 49, battled some of the world’s best, including Bobby Chacon, Hector Camacho, Darryl Tyson and Greg Haugen. Curiously, his last victory came at the expense of a Filipino, Arnel Arrozal, whom he stopped in the fifth round in Lynnwood, Washington, in 1986. Roach retired after losing a majority decision to David Rivello that same year.

Unlike Moorer, Roach never won a world title. But he’s evolved into a living legend in boxing as a three-time Trainer of the Year awardee by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

If Moorer found the right teacher in Roach, Roach had the best teacher in the late Eddie Futch.

“Eddie told me that I could never expect people to be like me,” said Roach. “My first world champion Virgil Hill was about as different from me as a guy could be. He was a beautiful boxer. I’ve known plenty of guys who weren’t fighters but they were great trainers. The guys I work with know that I’ve done it and they trust what I say. But not everyone I’ve worked with has seen me fight. Manny’s one of those guys who’s not really a boxing fan. His idol growing up was Oscar so that’s why he did it but he doesn’t know the history. We older guys have more stories to tell but I’m so busy now that I can’t even watch fights anymore.”

Roach told IBOBoxing.com what he expects next for Pacquiao.

“Business-wise, the biggest fights to be made are with Floyd Mayweather, Jr. or with Juan Manuel Marquez,” he said. “There are a lot of options and we want to wait to see the possibilities. As far as whom else, we hear that Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. has been making some noise about a fight but the weight might be too big a difference. Bottom line, though, Manny will fight anyone. He just wants to be a champion.”