Moorer Rallies to Win WBO Title

Michael Moorer, knocked down in the first and third rounds, came back to stop Bert Cooper in the fifth round to win the vacant World Boxing Organization heavyweight title Friday night.

Moorer (29-0 with 27 knockouts) won with a fifth-round effort capped by a right upper cut and left cross. Cooper, driven partially through the ropes, stumbled to his feet just after the count of nine, but referee Joe O’Neill stopped it at 57 seconds of the fifth.

The fight was marked by four knockdowns. Cooper hurt Moorer with a left-right combination followed by a flurry that dropped the Detroit native midway through the opening round. Moorer then knocked Copper down with a right hook late in the opening round. Cooper nearly won in the third round when he knocked Moorer down for a count of seven.