Moorer’s Effort Goes to Waist

When Teddy Atlas was Michael Moorer’s trainer, Atlas said it was a constant struggle to get Moorer to work.

Moorer says he likes his new trainer, Freddie Roach, because “Freddie allows me to be me.”

Given such free rein, has Moorer been working hard enough?

The answer will come Saturday night when he meets Evander Holyfield in a heavyweight unification bout at the Thomas & Mack Center.

But based on the first clue, which came at Thursday’s weigh-in, Moorer probably should have been working harder.

He weighed in at 223 pounds, nine pounds heavier than he was when he faced Holyfield the first time three years ago, and 11 pounds heavier than in his last fight, in March, when he labored for 12 rounds to decision Vaughn Bean.

Holyfield weighed in at 214 pounds Thursday, the same weight at which he fought Moorer the first time, and four pounds less than Holyfield weighed last June when he beat Mike Tyson.

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Holyfield has been talking quite a bit recently about his first match against Moorer, a match that ended with Moorer winning a narrow majority decision. Holyfield has talked about the shoulder injury he suffered in the second round of that fight. He has talked about the heart problem discovered in the aftermath of that loss.

And John Davimos, Moorer’s manager, is frankly tired of hearing Holyfield talk.

“He’s the worst loser I’ve ever seen,” Davimos said. “He’s made more excuses about the first fight . . . from cardiac arrest to a heart problem to a shoulder problem, to being poisoned in the corner.”

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Who gets top billing when both fighters are heavyweight champions? You take turns.

So, Moorer (IBF) weighed in first Thursday and Holyfield (WBA) got his first choice of gloves. On Saturday, Moorer will enter the ring first and Holyfield will be introduced first.