Archie Moore
| align="center" colspan="3" | ||
| Career Snapshot | ||
| Born | December 13, 1913 or 1916 | |
| Died | December 9, 1998 | |
| Total Fights | 221* (1 No Decision) | |
| Won | 194* | |
| Draw | 8* | |
| Knockouts | 145* (* Varied figures) | |
| Titles Won | Light Heavyweight | |
Archie Moore, forn Archibald Wright (December 13, 1913 or 1916 – December 9, 1998), was a light heavyweight world boxing champion. He was also a social figure, a television actor, and a man who became involved in African-American causes once his days as a fighter were finally over. His nickname was "The Old Mongoose." He holds the record for the most knockouts by any boxer, at 145.
Moore was possibly the greatest light heavyweight of all time, with a career spanning from 1936 to 1963. He never lost his crown in the ring, but he unsuccessfully challenged twice for the heavyweight title. In 228 recorded bouts, Moore was only stopped seven times, a stunning testimony to his determination, courage, and uncanny defensive ability. Moore fought nine world champions and seven Hall-of-Fame boxers. He had multi-fight series with some of the game's top fighters.
In 1960, Moore began acting, with the role of the runaway slave Jim in Michael Curtiz's film of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He won positive reviews for his sympathetic portrayal of Jim, which some viewers still consider the best interpretation of this much-filmed role. Moore would go one to other roles in a variety of television shows and films, thus maintaining his contact with the public which has admired his ringwork over the years.
In later life, Moore was an active trainer of many top fighters. A native of Benoit, Mississippi, raised in St. Louis, Missouri, he died four days short of his eighty-fifth (or eighty-second) birthday, in his adopted home of San Diego, California.
Early years
Moore often found himself in trouble as a youngster, and he was in a reformatory until 1934. In 1935, he began his amateur boxing career. and had nine fights, winning five and losing four. But he reportly boxed some additional fights under the name of "Fourth of July Kid."
He turned professional in 1938, and boxed all but one of his 12 bouts in San Diego that year. Moore had eight bouts in 1939, going 5-2 during that span, with one no contest. He lost to fringe contender Teddy Yarosz during that time, and his no contest was against Jack Coggins, in eight rounds. In 1940, Moore went on a tour of Australia, fighting in Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide, and Sydney. He won all of his seven bouts there, including six by knockout. Upon returning to the United States, he defeated Pancho Ramirez by a knockout in five, but lost to Shorty Hogue on a six-round decision.
Moore had four fights in 1941, in a period during which he went 2-1-1, and he drew with Eddie Booker. By then, however, he had suffered several stomach ulcers, with their resulting operations. He then announced his retirement from boxing.
Comeback
In 1942, Moore was back in the ring. He won his first six bouts that year, including a second-round knockout over Hogue in a rematch, and a 10-round decision over Jack Chase. Then, he met Booker in a rematch, and they had the same result as in their previous meeting: a 10-round draw.
In 1943, Moore fought seven more bouts, winning five and losing two. He both won and lost the California State Middleweight title against Chase, both by 15-round decisions, and then beat Chase again in his last bout of that year, by a 10-round decision. He also lost a decision to Aaron Wade that year.
In 1944, he had nine bouts, going 7-2. His last bout marked his debut on the Atlantic Coast. That year, his opposition level began to improve, and he beat Jimmy Hayden by a knockout in five, lost to Charlie Burley by a decision, and lost to Booker by a knockout in eight.
He won his first eight bouts of 1945, impressing Atlantic-Coast boxing experts, and earning a fight with fringe contender Jimmy Bivins, who defeated Moore by a knockout in six at Cleveland. He returned to the Eastern Seaboard, and fought five more times before that year was over. He met, among others, Holman Williams during that span, losing a ten-round decision, and knocking him out in eleven in the rematch.
Light-heavyweight division
By 1946, Moore had moved to the light-heavyweight division, and he went 5-2-1 that year, beating contender Curtis Sheppard, but losing to future world heavyweight champion Ezzard Charles by a decision in 10, and drawing with old nemesis, Chase. By then, Moore began complaining that none of boxing's world champions would risk their titles against him.
The year 1947 wintessed several rematches for Moore. He went 7-1 for the year; his lone loss being to Charles. He beat Chase by a knockout in nine, Sheppard by a decision in 10 and Bivins by a knockout in nine. He also defeated Bert Lydell, by a decision in 10. He had 14 fights in 1948, losing again to Charles by a knockout in nine, losing to Leonard Morrow by a knockout in the first, to Henry Hall by a decision in 10, and to Lloyd Gibson by a disqualification in four. But he also beat Ted Lowry, by a decision in 10, and Hall in a rematch, also by decision.
In 1949 Moore had 13 bouts, going 12-1. He defeated Alabama Kid twice; by knockout in four and by knockout in three, Bob Satterfeld by a knockout in three, Bivins by a knockout in eight, future world Light Heavyweight champion Harold Johnson by a decision, Bob Sikes by a knockout in three, and Phil Muscato by a decision. He lost to Clinton Bacon by a disqualification in six. In 1949 Moore only had two fights, winning both, including a 10-round decision in a rematch with Lydell.
In 1951, Moore boxed 18 times with a record of 16-1-1. He knocked out Bivins in nine, and split two decisions with Johnson. Several of these fights were held in Argentina on one was in Montevideo, Uruguay, where he defeated Vicente Quiroz by a knockout in six.
World champion at 39
In 1952, Moore reach the top of his game. After beating Johnson, Jimmy Slade and Clinton Bacon, Moore was finally given an opportunity for the world title by light-heavyweight champion Joey Maxim, who had just defeated Sugar Ray Robinson, after Robinson was forced to quit in his corner due to heat exhaustion after the fouurteenth round. Moore became world champion by beating Maxim by a decision in 15 rounds, consistently landing powerful right hands throughout the fight, hurting Maxim several times. At the age of 39, Moore had finally reached his dream of becoming a world boxing champion, 16 years after beginning his professional-boxing career.
He won all nine of his bouts in 1953, including a 10-round, non-title win against heavyweight contender Nino Valdes of Cuba, and a 15-round decision over Maxim in a rematch to retain the belt. He made two more bouts in Argentina before the end of the year.
In 1954, Moore had four more fights, retaining the title in a third fight with Maxim; who once again went the 15-round distance, and versus Harold Johnson, whom he knocked out in 14. He also beat Bob Baker that year. In 1955, he beat Valdes again, and Bobo Olson by a knockout in three, to retain the title. Olson, the world-middleweight champion, was coming off a decision victory over Joey Maxim, but was unsuccessful in challenging Moore.
Moore then moved up in weight and challenged the great Rocky Marciano, the world heavyweight champion. Moore dropped Marciano in the second round, but Marciano recovered and knocked Moore down five times, knocking him out in the ninth to retain the belt. Marciano would retire after this fight, which was his sixth title defense.
In 1956, Moore went back to the light-heavyweight division, and won 13 fights in a row, including a ten-round knockout to retain the world's crown against Yolande Pompey in London. He then moved up in weight once again, and challenging for the vacant world heavyweight crown. Moore lost to Floyd Patterson by a knockout in five. Patterson made history that night, becoming, at the age of 21, the youngest world heavyweight champion in history, record which he would hold until 1986.
Later career
Moore went down to the light-heavyweight once again, and won all six of his bouts during 1957. He retained the title against Tony Anthony by a knockout in seven, and had two fights in Germany and one in Canada. In 1958, Moore had 10 fights, going 9-0-1 during that span. His fight with Yvon Durelle in particular, was of note. Defending his world light-heavyweight title in Montreal, he was dropped three times in round one, and once in round five, but receoved to drop Durelle in round 10 and won by a knockout in the eleventh.
In 1959, he only had two bouts, beating Sterling Davis by a knockout in three, and then beating Durelle, also by a knockout in three, in a rematch, to once again retain his light-heavyweight title.
In 1960, he was stripped of his world, light-heavyweight title by the National Boxing Association (NBA), but he won three of his four bouts that year, his lone loss coming versus Giulio Rinaldi by a decision in 10 at Rome. The NBA re-instated him as world, light-heavyweight champion in 1961, and he won two fights before defending his crown for what would turn out to be his last time. He beat Rinaldi by a 15-round decision to retain the belt. In his last fight that year, he once again ventured into the heavyweights, and met Pete Rademacher, who earlier had challenged Patterson for the world title in his first professional bout. Moore beat Rademacher by a knockout in nine.
In 1962, he was stripped again of his world light heavyweight title, this time for good. He decided to campaign exclusively as a heavyweight from there on, and beat Alejandro Lavorante by a knockout in 10 and Howard King by a knockout in one at Tijuana. Then he drew with former world light-heavyweight champion Willie Pastrano in 10, and, in his last fight of note, he faced Cassius Clay, then a young heavyweight out of Louisville. Moore had been Clay's trainer for a time, but Clay became dissatisfied and left Moore because of Moore's attempts to change his style, and his insistence that Clay do the dishes and help clean gym floors.
In the days before the fight Clay predicted that "Archie Moore/Must fall in four." Moore replied by saying that he had perfected a new punch for the match: The Lip-Buttoner. Just as Clay predicted, however, Moore was beaten by a knockout in four rounds.
After one more fight, in 1963 against Mike DiBiase in Phoenix, which Moore won by a knockout in the third round, Moore announced his retirement for good.
Boxing style
Many think of Moore because of his longevity; 27 years in the ring. After all, he began his fight career during the Depression and ended it when Beatlemania struck the United States. But his unique, perfected style was far more noteworthy to those who saw him fight. Instead of fighting with fists raised at his opponents as was the overwhelming style of his day, Moore often would cross his arms—such as a mongoose in attack mode would do—and form his famed "armadillo curtain," a precursor to Muhammad Ali's 1970s "rope-a-dope." Moore would feign nonchalance, weave and bob, and then punish an opponent with a punishing right jab. Moore was a one-of-a-kind even in his attire, wearing long shorts decades before today's NBA players made them popular.
After taking off the gloves
In 1960, Moore was chosen to play the role of the runaway slave Jim in Michael Curtiz's film of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, opposite Eddie Hodges as Huck. Moore won positive reviews for his sympathetic portrayal of Jim, which some viewers still consider the best interpretation of this much-filmed role. Moore did not choose to pursue a full career as an actor, but he did appear in a number of small roles on television, including episodes of Family Affair, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, Batman, and the soap opera One Life To Live. Moore once played a boxer in a TV skit with Red Skelton. He made a brief return to film in 1975, playing a chef in Breakheart Pass with Charles Bronson, and had a cameo role as himself in the 1982 Jamaa Fanaka film Penitentiary II, along with Leon Issac Kennedy and Mr.T.
Moore remained active in the boxing game as a trainer in the 1960s and 1970s. Moore invested in his own training camp located just northwest of San Diego, California, which he christened "The Salt Mine." His most well-known client was George Foreman, whom Moore accompanied to the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" fight with Muhammad Ali in 1974.
Besides his work as a trainer at the Salt Mine, Moore also devoted much of his time to philanthropic work after he retired from the ring. In 1967, he founded the Any Boy Can (ABC) program in San Diego to give underprivileged youth the opportunity to participate in sports programs. Moore played a vital role in the ABC program as a mentor, coach, and inspirational speaker to its participants. In 1968, Moore received the Key to the City from the mayor of San Diego in recognition of his work through the ABC program. Along with Leonard B. Pearl, Moore wrote a book detailing the ABC program, published in 1971 as Any Boy Can: The Archie Moore Story.
Personal life
In 1997, Moore's daughter, J'Marie, became the first daughter of a famous boxer to become a professional boxer. Moore and wife Joan, had five children: Reena Marie, J'Marie, Hardy(deceased), D'Angelo, and Anthony. Moore and his first wife, Elizabeth A. Thorton, had two children: Archie Moore, Jr. and Elizabeth Moore of City Heights, California.
Death
Archie Moore died of heart failure in 1998 at age 84. He was cremated and is interred in a niche at Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory, San Diego, California.
Legacy
- Received the key to the city of San Diego, in 1965.
- Inducted into the United States Boxing Hall of Fame, in 1966.
- Chosen as the "Man of The Year" by Listen Magazine, in 1970.
- Elected to the St. Louis City Boxing Hall of Fame, in 1985.
- Received the Rocky Marciano Memorial Award in the city of New York, in 1988.
- Inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 1990, being one of the original members of that institution
- The oldest boxer to win the world, light-heavyweight crown.
- Believed to be the only boxer to have fought professionally in the eras of Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, and Muhammad Ali.
- One of a handful of boxers whose careers spanned four decades, with a final record of 199 wins, 24 losses, 9 draws, and 1 no contest, with 145 official knockout wins.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Fitzgerald, Mike. The Ageless Warrior: The Life of Boxing Legend Archie Moore, Sports Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1582612553
- Cayton, Bill. Archie Moore versus Floyd Patterson, Cayton Sports., Inc., 2001. ISBN 978-0970837189
- Gale Reference Team. Biography—Archie Moore (1916-1998), Thomas Gale, 2007. (HTML-Digital)
- Moore, Archie. The Archie Moore Story, The Sportsmans Book Club, 1962. B000SB32ZJY
- Moore, Archie, & Pearl, Leonard B. Any Boy Can: The Archie Moore Story, Prentice-Hall, 1971. ISBN 978-0130385628
External links
- http://www.boxing-memorabilia.com/biomoore.htm - Muhammad Ali vs Archie Moore
Accolades
- In 2002, Archie Moore was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
- Has more known knockouts than any other boxer in history
- 2006 California Boxing Hall of Fame Inductee
- Ring Magazine named Moore boxing's fourth Ring Magazine Best Punchers of all time in 2003.
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