Fact File On Maurice ‘Mighty Mo’ Hooker; Eight Kids And A Vascetomy By 26!
Glynn Evans delivers all you need to know on the ‘potent’ punching Texan who challenges fellow unbeaten TerryFlanagan from Manchester for the vacant WBO Super-Lightweight crown on Frank Warren’s mega promotion at The Manchester Arena on June 9th.
- Maurice Dewayne Hooker was born in the downtrodden Dallas suburb of Oak Cliff, Texas on the 7thAugust 1989. He is 28 years old. The neighbourhood was a haven for crack houses and both his mother and only brother were addicts. Aged 12, Maurice witnessed local burglars rob the family apartment at gunpoint.
- Nevertheless, he graduated high school after his mother bribed him to attend with the promise of new sneakers!
- ‘Mighty Mo’ became an incorrigible street fighter and, prior to securing his pro licence in April 2011, Dutch born manager Arnie Verbeek – a wealth manager - informed the South Dallas Observerthat there were 32 outstanding warrants for 21 year old Hooker’s arrest!
- Never married, the Texan tearway had fathered eight children – seven sons and a daughter – by the tender age of 26 before manager Arnie Verbeek persuaded him to have the dreaded surgeon’s snip in 2016!
- In his early teens, ‘Mighty Mo’s’ step-father dragged him to the ‘House of Champions’ boxing gym - run by the city’s first world champion, welterweight Curtis Cokes – hoping the young thug might get taken down a pug or two. However, it was ‘Mo’ who started dispensing the beatings.
- Boxing out of Verbeek’s Maple Avenue Gym in the city’s Medical District, and coached by Sultan Ali, Hooker knocked up a 97-7 amateur slate and claimed a Dallas Golden Gloves title. After one disqualification loss, the young hothead removed his gloves and threw them at his opponent! Sixty-nine amateur wins came by stoppage with a raking right hand his favoured weapon of mass destruction.
- Hooker was held to draw on his April 2011 pro debut against 7-1 St Louis homeboy Tyrone Chatman but, over the ensuing seven years and 25 fights, the Vince Perra coached hotshot has remained unbeaten. (Arizona’s unbeaten Abel Ramos and Columbia’s one-time WBA Lightweight champion also contained him to ties in his 14thand 24thstarts respectively). His record lists 16 stoppage wins.
- In his fight after Perez, Maurice met another world champion, outpointing ex IBF Featherweight king Cristobal Cruz over ten rounds in the Mexican’s home city of Tijuana. Additionally, he has sparred extensively with global titlists Terence Crawford, Miguel Cotto, Errol Spence, Rey Beltran, Antonio DeMarco and Ruslan Provodnikov.
- Having operated without a promotional benefactor for his opening 21 gigs, in December 2015 Hooker penned a deal with New York rapper Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports agency. Consequently, he profited from invaluable HBO TV exposure featuring on the undercards of former two- weight world champion Andre Ward in 2016.
- Cool and cocksure, his signature ring walk involves him sucking on Charm Blow lollipops.
- Hooker is presently ranked second by the WBO with Flanagan holding pole position for the belt recently vacated by undisputed champion Terence Crawford.
- At 5ft 11in tall and with a frightening 80in wingspan, the Dallas dazzler – whose childhood ring hero was the similarly framed Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns - will enter with significant physical advantages over former WBO Lightweight king Flanagan who is fighting at 140lbs for the first time.
- However, this will be Hooker’s first fight outside North America and, while he has completed 10 rounds on four occasions (including each of his last three fights), he is yet to complete the full 12 round championship trip - a journey Flanagan has successfully navigated three times.
- While the Mancunian ‘Turbo’ holds Britain’s longest undefeated streak (33-0), Hooker has faced five unbeaten fighters previously and is yet to lose (one draw). An additional four foes had been beaten just once.
- And while Flanagan has shown an iron chin thus far, the mighty Manc needs to be forewarned that Hooker is prone to flying out of the traps. Fourteen of his 16 stoppage wins were executed in the opening two sessions and nine victims failed to beat the ‘ten count’!
- Recently, he warned BoxNation’s Steve Lillis: ‘Flanagan’s weak, soft, fights little guys. I can’t stand him. I hope he’s got a good mouthpiece. I’m gonna wake him up….punch him in the mouth!’ Should be lively!
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