Archie Moore’s Shining Light Heavyweight Moment
By Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media Head Boxing Correspondent
There are certain boxing historical moments which shatter the time barrier.
Jack Johnson standing over the fallen James Jeffries. Max Schmeling knocking out Joe Louis. Rocky Marciano’s knockout punch on Jersey Joe Walcott. Round one of Marvelous Marvin Hagler versus Thomas Hearns. Roberto Duran beating Sugar Ray Leonard in their first meeting. Diego Corrales coming off the canvas twice to stop Jose Luis Castillo in the tenth round of their first meeting. Juan Manuel Marquez knocking out Manny Pacquiao int he sixth round of their fourth meeting.
Muhammad Ali knocking out George Foreman in the eighth round in ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’. George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer in the tenth round to regain the world heavyweight title over 20 years later. Corrie Sanders knocking out Wladimir Klitschko in Germany in the second round. James Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson
Archie Moore was more than just an ‘Old Mongoose’. Archie Moore was old. He waited far past his prime to win the world light heavyweight championship. This was because blacks and minorities did not get the chance in professional sports which were open only to white a century ago, even to a great extent fifty years ago besides baseball (which began to become integrated after Larry Doby and Jackie Robinson were allowed to play).
Moore was 36 years old when he finally got a shot at the World Light Heavyweight title and beat Joey Maxim. Moore would beat Maxim by 15 round decision three times, decision Guilio Rinaldi in 15 rounds, stop Harold Johnson in the fourteenth round, and stop Yolande Pompey in the fourteenth round to keep his world title. Moore also fought many nontitle bouts at the light heavyweight and heavyweight limit and was an extremely active fighter.
Moore won the world heavyweight title as recognized by Nevada by decisioning Nino Valdes over 15 rounds, with former world heavyweight champion James Braddock as the referee. Archie failed to win the world heavyweight title against Rocky Marciano and Floyd Patterson, and also failed to beat the rising Cassius Clay (later known as Muhammad Ali).
On December 10, 1958, old Archie, now in his forties, and years past his failed attempts for the world heavyweight title, would have to defend his world light heavyweight title against Canadian and Commonwealth British Empire light heavyweight champion Yvon Durelle, ‘The Fighting Fisherman’, age 29.
Moore, 173-21-9 at the time, would have to do battle in Canada against Durelle, 78-19-2. Unlike other Moore opponents in the division he ‘owned’, Moore’s opponent had tremendous experience and had been around the block. Moore had 131 career knockouts, Durelle had 48 career knockouts. Moore was really old though, and this is over half a century before Bernard Hopkins would come along and shatter age records in the 175 pound weight class.
Archie Moore versus Yvon Durelle I on YouTube, Montreal, Canada, 1958
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTtzltIK2ng entire fight is presented here
With no three knockdown rule in effect, and no standing eight count, the younger Durelle battered Moore from pillar to post, knocking him down with vicious and brutal head shots three times in the first round, twice for counts of nine, and staggered old Archie around the ring on rubbery legs. Referee Jack Sharkey, the former world champion, could only watch the lopsided contest in dismay. Father time had caught up with old Archie, who looked an old man. Light years had passed since his battle with Marciano. Moore was still there. Whether he was in one piece or not was questionable, as Moore’s breathing corpse staggered to his corner at the end of round one. The worldwide black and white telecast did not go to commercial break after the end of round one, as the action was too incredible to leave the live telecast.
It was a modern miracle Moore, the ageless warrior, was even still alive. Despite the nightmare of his first round experience, Moore still winked and smiled at the referee, which appeared at the time to be an act seeking to continue the insanity.
The punishment Moore took in the first round was horrific, brutal and sadistic disaster. In the modern era any referee in his right mind would not have allowed a round two. But old Archie was still a famous name, had even knocked down Rocky Marciano years before, and got the benefit of the doubt for another round.
Moore entered the second round after losing what would have been a 10-6 round on a modern scorecard. In the prehistoric era of the five point must system. It would have been scored 5-3 on the old system. Durelle, who either punched himself in round one, or preferred not punch himself thereafter, and preferred at this point to walk Moore down and fight a technical fight. Moore would need to win the next four rounds for the bout to pull even. Moore would get knocked down again, digging a five point hole. Moore had weathered the worst of the storm.
Moore’s left and right jabs began to redden the face of Durelle, who punched and counterpunched with Archie toe-to-toe as what most observers thouht would be a short fight evolved into a long night. Durelle dropped Archie in his own corner in the fifth round with a hard right. Archie beat the count at seven, and staggered him around the ring. Durelle had scored 39 knockouts in his 98 pro bouts up to this time, and continued to try to make Archie number 40.
In the seventh round, Archie’s long jabs bloodied the nose of Durelle in round six.
Durelle was warned for rabbit punching. Durelle and Moore traded hooks on the inside, then slugged it out in center ring.
A gallant old warrior, Moore, boxing’s elder statesman, made Durelle miss a lot, and blocked most of his other punches. Durelle got warned for hitting and holding. Both fighters landed long overhand shots. The bout had evolved into a thriller. Archie landed some hard lefts and rights and dropped Durelle for a count of three, Archie’s first decisively won round of the bout.
The dramatic scene in The Forum in Montreal, Canada, because a strange question mark. Had Moore turned the bout in his favor? Moore’s overhand jabs were hitting Durelle from the outside, so Durelle tried to come inside and scrap it out. The pace was furious, making even the television commentator doubt so brutal a bout could go the distance. The two combatants went toe-to-toe at the end of the round.
Durelle, at 5’8″ and 172 pounds, seemed taller than Archie, who was 5’11” and 173 3/4 pounds. Archie’s low crouch cross arms defensive shell stance made him seem shorter. Archie came out of the stance to throw jabs, but Durelle countered fearlessly. Archie’s actual age was in fact much older than he claimed. This made the toe-to-toe exchanges in round nine all the more extraordinary. How could such an old man such as Moore get stronger as the bout progressed rather than weaker?
In the tenth round, Durelle was bleeding heavily from the nose. This would have forced Durelle to breathe through his mouth beyond a certain point. Durelle began to slow down. His punches lost their zip, but Durelle kept trying and landed some counters. Near the end of the round, Archie threw a right hand, followed by a right-left-right combination and then a left Durelle’s head. Durelle was down for a count of eight, but was saved by the bell. Observing archival footage of the knockdown, Durelle did beat the theoretical ten count and then went to his corner unassisted.
Archie’s straight punches came in hard and dropped Durelle along the ropes at the beginning of round 11. Durelle, blood streaming from his nose, took the count on one knee and beat the count at nine. Archie attacked a cut over Durelle’s right eye with a clubbing right, and knocked out Durelle for the count of ten on his back. at 0:49 of round eleven. Moore-Durelle I had an insane beginning, and Moore had to fight his way out of it, an would lead to an insane comeback ending. And so it was.
Knockout, the Yvon Durelle Story documentary, is a movie which covers the bout in part. Moore died in 1998 at age 85. Durelle died in 2007 at age 77. After losing a rematch to Archie in 1959 in three rounds, Moore and Durelle never met again.
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