Hooker to move to Welterweight

Former WBO Junior Welterweight champion Maurice Hooker has decided to move to welterweight, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.

“I want to give my fans the best possible performances and, therefore, after careful deliberations with my manager (Arnie Verbeek) and promoter (Dino Duva of Roc Nation Sports), I have decided to move up to the 147-pound limit,” Hooker said in a statement.

“We’ve talked about it. I let him relax and take a vacation after the Ramirez fight,” Duva told ESPN. “Everybody knows he struggled with the weight. If there was a really big fight for him at 140 pounds right away he would probably consider giving it one more shot but I don’t think there’s anything like that on the horizon.

“So with Maurice not having the belt anymore we just figured this was the right move for him. There are some big potential fights for him if he makes the move. Welterweight is a loaded division. He feels he will be stronger and more comfortable at 147 pounds. This move makes sense.”

“I’m already looking at possible opponents,” Duva said. “I want him to fight a credible guy in his first fight at 147, somebody in the rankings. We think one or two wins and then we can position Maurice for a big fight at welterweight, so this is the move that makes sense for him.”