Remember When?: Moorer returns, settles for decision

For the Valley Independent

The return of Monessen’s Michael Moorer to the ring Saturday night wasn’t pretty but at least he didn’t come out a loser. 

Moorer took a lopsided decision in a 10-round fight against a game but outclassed Melvin Foster at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, Calif. 

In November, Moorer spurned the advice of trainer Teddy Atlas in November, then watched George Foreman leave the ring carrying two title belts. Atlas had his own ideas for Moorer’s return to the ring, but Moorer settled for a decision. 

“I was trying to listen to what Teddy was telling me,” claimed Moorer. “It sounded like he wanted me to do more. Maybe I just couldn’t do it to his perfection.” 

Moorer, 36-1 with 30 knockouts, battered Foster for 10 rounds, but did not drop him and twice stepped back when he seemed to have his opponent in trouble. The three judges gave him nine rounds to one for Foster. 

“I guess some people think I could have done better, but sometimes it looks different when you’re in the ring,” Moorer said. “I didn’t have to prove anything with a knockout, I wasn’t listening to the crowd.” 

The crowd he said he didn’t hear booed him in the ninth round as he left the ring. 

Foreman, who took away Moorer’s WBA and IBF titles in November with a right hand that ended the fight in the 10th with the champion leading on all judges’ cards, was a spectator on Saturday, doing commentary for HBO.

“He looks like he’s ready to make another run at the title,” Foreman said.

Moorer has been promised one against Foreman.

Foster, 19-2-1, said he was hurt both by Moorer’s left and by having to fight on short notice.

“He broke my rib in the second round. I was not able to get off the first punch,” he said.

To read the rest of this story, please see a copy of Friday’s Mon Valley Independent, call 724-314-0035 to subscribe or subscribe to our online edition at https://e.monvalleyindependent.com.