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Grandfather got fair share, boxer Moorer tells court
Tuesday, December 21, 1999 By Torsten Ove, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
As a 12-year-old boy growing up in Monessen, Michael Moorer used to pester his grandfather to take him to the Charleroi gym where he trained amateur boxers.
Finally, Henry Lee Smith relented.
Smith taught the future heavyweight champion of the world to throw his southpaw punches and to spin and move in the ring and instilled in him a mental tenacity that has served him in later years.
For all of that, Moorer said yesterday in federal court, Smith deserves "all the credit in the world."
But what Smith doesn't deserve, Moorer maintains, is a bigger cut of the $27 million he has earned during his career as a professional fighting out of Detroit.
Moorer took the stand in U.S. District Court for the first time to defend himself against his grandfather's claim that he has been shortchanged in payments as Moorer's trainer.
Moorer said Smith, 79, served as his trainer only during his amateur years. After the boxer turned pro in 1988, he said, his grandfather was mostly along for the ride.
Moorer's 1988 contract, written by famed Detroit trainer Emanuel Steward, included a handwritten provision that promised Smith 10 percent of fight purses if he worked as an assistant trainer. If he didn't, he would still get 5 percent, an agreement that Moorer said was included out of respect for his grandfather.
"I didn't have no trouble with them doing that for my grandfather," he said. "Steward put it in there, but I wanted my grandfather to be taken care of, so I agreed."
Moorer said it was understood at the time that Smith would no longer be his full-time trainer and that he would be moving to Detroit to train at Steward's Kronk Gym.
Even after a new contract cut off Smith's income beginning in 1993, Moorer said his grandfather would repeatedly ask him for money. He handed it over, usually $400 at a time. He also bought him a Ford Tempo in 1994, the year he beat Evander Holyfield to claim the world title.
"It was, 'Hey boy, give me a couple dollars,' " Moorer said. "That's how he is."
Steward wasn't able to testify yesterday, but in his videotaped deposition he said the original plan in 1988 was to have Smith continue to train Moorer in the Monongahela Valley.
But when Smith, who was suffering from high-blood pressure, said he felt he couldn't train Moorer properly for a pro career in Charleroi and Monessen, Steward said the decision was made to move the boxer to Detroit.
After that, he said, the standard 10 percent trainer's fee no longer applied because Smith wouldn't be involved in day-to-day training, which included running, sparring, bag work and reviewing videotaped matches. The 5 percent provision, Steward said, was established to "protect Henry" because Smith's only true role at Moorer's pro fights was to simply be there for his grandson.
Last week, Moorer's manager, John Davimos, testified that his company paid Smith $64,850 between 1988 and 1992, or about 5 five percent of the $1.3 million Moorer earned during those years.
"I don't ever remember Henry assisting me in training Michael," Steward said. "Basically, he was brought in as a courtesy, because he was Michael's grandfather ... He has never expressed dissatisfaction with that role, which was basically to enjoy himself."
The trial has boiled down to determining if Smith should have received the full 10 percent or the 5 percent that he ended up getting.
In his original lawsuit, Smith said he was owed nearly $7 million under a 1986 contract he said he and Moorer signed promising Smith a quarter of the fighter's lifetime earnings. But U.S. District Judge William Standish instructed the jury last week to ignore that contract and focus on the 1988 deal.
Smith, who at one point last week fell asleep and began snoring loudly during testimony, was not in court yesterday because of illness.
Closing arguments are scheduled for this morning.
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