At now 38 years of age, Archie Moore went into 1952 seeking a world championship fight. His first bout of the year was a rematch win over Harold Johnson in ten rounds on January 29. He then decisioned Jimmy Slade on February 27, and knocked out Bob Dunlap in six rounds three months later in San Francisco.
A month later, Archie traveled to Memorial Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, to take home a ten round unanimous decision win over Clarence Henry. One more fight separated him from his title shot, so Moore took no chances by knocking out Clinton Bacon in four rounds in Denver, Colorado.
The ‘Old Mongoose’ finally got a shot at the light heavyweight championship just four days past his 39th birthday. He met the champion Joey Maxim at the St. Louis Arena on December 17, 1952 and didn’t waste his opportunity. He hurt Maxim throughout the bout with right hands, leaving no doubt on anyone’s mind who the clear winner was the fifteenth round bell was rung. I can only imagine the joy Archie felt when he finally achieved his dream, becoming Light-Heavyweight Champion of the World.
In 1953, Archie won all nine of his bouts, including a rematch over Maxim on June 24 in Ogden, Utah. The year 1954 saw Moore fight only four times, including a third win over Maxim on January 27 of that year at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Archie turned 41 that year, and set his sights on a shot at the heavyweight title in 1955.
Moore scored two wins in May and June of 1955, over Nino Valdes and Carl Olson. He then signed to fight the heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano on September 21 at Yankee Stadium in New York. Weighing in at 188 lbs., he floored Marciano in the second round, but wound up getting knocked down four times himself, before being stopped in the ninth. His courageous effort was appreciated by boxing fans at the time, and me as well when I watched it on VHS tape decades later.
Archie continued to campaign as a heavyweight in 1956, with his goal to secure a shot at the heavyweight crown now left vacant by the retired Marciano. Even at 42, Moore was an amazing fighter, and I sure wish I was living at the time so I could have seen him fight live.
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