Remembering Boxing Legend Archie “The Old Mongoose” Moore

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

Archie Moore…

Fought on over 200 occasions and lost on 23. He had 10 draws and one no contest, but no fewer than 186 wins.

Now that’s a record, Mr Mayweather, JR…

Born midway through the First World War, or was it before it started – nobody knew when it truly was – he survived long enough to see the fall of the Berlin Wall which was the final act of a decaying Empire that had its own birth around the time of his own – the Communist Russia that became the Soviet Union. He outlived an Empire and lives long in the memories who saw him fight at middleweight, light heavy and heavyweight in a career that spanned four decades.

For one of these decades he was the reigning world light heavyweight champion. 10 years – think of that dominance now.

Moore chalked up the most knockouts in history – a staggering 132 – though 3 are disputed because they were against wrestlers, he became a trainer of those who followed like Ali, Foreman and James “Quick” Tillis! His place in the annals of boxing history is more than assured – it’s cemented – in the books and chiselled on the hearts of those who follow boxing.

Like many legends his beginnings were humble and part of his legacy is that he returned to them to help others.

He became a professional boxer in 1935 and set about fighting whoever was placed squarely in front of himself. As a black boxer, Moore was ahead of himself insofar as he was a black man who could. There were forces out there that believed that black men never should – he burst that barrier with every punch he threw.

But by 1941 he had retired!

Suffering from stomach ulcers Moore took the decision to step away from the ring to have the operations.

He stayed away until 1942!

The Second World War was hardly the time to be making a presence across the globe in any sport though his fights were frequent and with varying degrees of success. Not for him protecting his record, but for him making records as he fought east and west until the armistice was called.

The names with which he tussled would make sense then, but make less sense now, though by 1946 he had moved into the light heavyweight division and he even took on a future World heavyweight champion, in Ezzard Charles – he lost in the 10th.

With the forties drawing to a close he was ready for an assault on the titles he claimed were being protected against him. Complaining bitterly that he was not being considered for shots at world level his complaining paid off eventually.

In 1952, at the age of 36 he got his first chance at a world title.

It came, 16 years after turning professional and with a 15 round unanimous decision he beat Joey Maxim to become the light heavyweight King of the World.

His rivalry with Maxim was to spawn a trilogy of fights – all of which Moore won.

Moore’s ambition was to be more than light heavyweight King, he wanted the big one – the heavyweight prize.

In 1954, he was to go into the ring with Rocky Marciano for that heavyweight title, whilst still being the light heavyweight champion AND defending it when he needed to, at Madison Square Garden.

Can you imagine? Two iconic boxers in an iconic venue was bound to bring a story – and it did. Moore sent Marciano to the canvas in the 2nd round, the referee did his job, but Moore always contended that he did A job, giving Marciano recovery time and led to Moore losing his attempt to win that much coveted heavyweight title. Unfortunately, the pictures of the time do not support Moore’s claim but hey, debate from a boxing ring? Controversial referee and judge’s decisions – don’t we just love em?

Moore was to try again to gain the heavyweight title in 1956 when he faced a 21 year old, Floyd Patterson and was again in the record books – as the opponent who lost to the youngest every heavyweight champion of the world, Patterson. That record held until 1986 and a certain Mr Mike Tyson came along to pinch it.

Moore’s light heavyweight title was still his and he fought throughout this time in defense of it. By 1960 though the National Boxing Association (NBA) decided to take it from him. Others, including the Ring Magazine still saw him as the champ and so he continued to hold that honor, until 1962 when they fell into line with the NBA and he became derecognized. His failing – who knows politics in the sport of boxing…

It was as a heavyweight that he continued to fight from then on and in 1962 he faced a man he had been training and fallen out of favor with – Mr Cassius Clay. Clay predicted that Archie Moore… must fall in four; and so, he did.
This makes him the only boxer to have faced both Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali.

In 1963, he finally did retire and though he was never far away from the limelight, it was his boxing prowess that kept his memory alive amongst those of us who follow boxing.

I confess never to have seen him live, but have caught a few moments of his career in retrospectives. What strikes me, apart from the athleticism is the vast array of experience he had and displayed. He was a man who had no fear of the losses that would make him a much better fighter.

Later in his life he went back into the gyms that had made him to help those less fortunate than himself. He gave back in recognition of the blessings it had given him with over 200 fights in countries around the world. True champions are humble and grateful to the sport that gave them their riches.

As we debate the 50-0 and TBE and all that, this was a guy who was a real champion, a true legend and a massive influence on the sport. Perhaps we have forgotten what it was like to feed hand to mouth in the square ring and take it all too much for perfection rather than experience. I don’t know but one thing I do know is that if Archie Moore was ever to walk into a ring again, it would make massive box office, be a tremendous event and make us all want more and not less of the spectacle.

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