Moorer Back Atop IBF Heavyweights

Michael Moorer had started fast, then slowed, and his trainer, Teddy Atlas, had plenty to say about it, the lecture coming before the 11th round Saturday in Dortmund, Germany.

“I told him this is going to determine the next 20 years of your life,” Atlas said. “Some fighters you have to push--Michael’s one of those fighters.”

Moorer was pushed back into the heavyweight picture when he earned a split decision over Germany’s Axel Schulz that brought with it the vacant International Boxing Federation title.

The belt looked familiar. Moorer wore it until George Foreman took it away in 1994 with a right hand to the chin in the 10th round.

Saturday’s bout was held in a German soccer stadium. The judges had it 116-113 and 115-113 for Moorer and 115-113 for Schulz.

Moorer sounded more relieved than happy after the decision.

“Teddy pushed me real hard. It was a real tough fight--I just want to go home,” said Moorer, 28, who seemed more in control of the fight than the scoring showed.

“I think the decision was OK,” said Schulz, 27. “I can live with it, because I think Moorer’s one of the best fighters around.”

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James “Buster” Douglas returned from a 5 1/2-year layoff and a serious illness and beat outgunned Tony La Rosa in an undercard fight before Roberto Duran lost a 12-round unanimous decision to Hector Camacho at Atlantic City, N.J.

Douglas, the only man to beat Mike Tyson, dominated his fight from the outset, then almost closed La Rosa’s eye and knocked him down in the third round.

The referee stopped the fight after the third round on the advice of a doctor.

Douglas weighed 244 pounds, more than 100 pounds less than he weighed during his period of inactivity that included time in 1994 in which he was in a diabetic coma.

Maybe it really is no mas for the 45-year-old Duran now.

Duran tried to pressure the faster and younger Camacho throughout and actually came on in the final rounds to make the fight close in the eyes of some, but the three judges gave the match to Camacho by from two to six points.

“I thought I outboxed him, just like I wanted to,” Camacho, 34, said. “He put up a big effort. God bless him.”

Duran didn’t buy the accounting.

“He didn’t beat me, the judges did,” Duran said.