Moran, 41, is one of the more interesting characters in British combat sports. A highly-ranked karate stylist in his youth, he did not start boxing until he was 26 years old. Incredibly, he started his career as a professional boxer without a single amateur bout to his name.
He was strongly advised against the move but the British Boxing Board of Control watched him in action and decided to grant him a license, confident in his abilities. That decision was more than vindicated; Moran went on to fight for British and Commonwealth titles.
Later in his career he switched to MMA and joined the Wolfslair MMA Academy near his native Liverpool. It was through that association that he came into contact with Jackson, who has been part of the Wolfslair team since 2008.
But fighting is only one side to Moran. For the past twenty years he has worked with homeless people and vulnerable youth in his home city and he is also a dedicated prison visitor. The socially-conscious Moran is also has a keen intellect, as readers of his Facebook feed and its poetry outpourings will know.
“Moran is in the frame to face Jones later in the year, and man he deserves it. Jones Jr escaped me, but I’m hoping he won’t escape Tony and I plan on flying to Liverpool to be ringside for the fight to cheer him on.
“I would have destroyed Roy Jones had we fought in the ring, but I’ll happily watch Tony do to him what I had in mind and I’m confident he’ll get the victory he deserves.”
“As well as fighting, Tony has spent 20 years working with homeless people in Liverpool and you won’t find a man with a bigger heart than him. He truly is one of the nicest dudes there is,” Rampage adds. “That is until you get in there and spar with him.
“The dude is tough, man. And he can punch too. If these guys want someone who’s gonna give Jones one hell of a fight, then they’ve got their man. And hell, if Tony doesn’t manage to get the job done then maybe I’ll get in there myself!”
Widely considered one of the best boxers of all time, the 46-year-old Jones Jr. won numerous world titles in the middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. He is the only boxer in history to start his career as a light-middleweight (154 lbs) and go on to win a heavyweight title.
His winning of the WBA heavyweight championship in 2003 was also the first time that a former middleweight champion had gone on to win a heavyweight belt in 106 years, according to boxing historians.
Jones, voted ‘Fighter of the Decade’ for the 1990s by the Boxing Writers Association of America, recently signed a deal with the Liverpool-based Vaughan Boxing promotion for a fight at the famous Aintree Racecourse on September 12th.
According to Vaughan Boxing several opponents are under consideration and an announcement is expected in the coming week. Jones Jr. is currently riding a seven-fight win streak while Moran is coming off a unanimous decision win in May.