Boxing Classics. Clay vs. Moore. - kensoldtimeboxingchat.com

When Cassius Clay turned professional in 1960, his original trainer was the great veteran fighter Archie Moore. Clay left Moore because he didn’t agree with his training methods and hired Angelo Dundee, who would manage him his entire career. Clay moved up the heavyweight rankings and signed to meet the nearly 49 year Moore on November 15, 1962 at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles. The 20 year old Cassius Clay was a 3-1 favorite going in, with few giving the ancient Moore any chance at all.

As was his habit at the time, Clay predicted a 4th round knockout of Moore. The predictions had become part of his appeal, with fans tuning in to see if they would come true. Clay had also learned from the professional wrestler ‘Gorgeous George’ to talk about himself and how great he was. The idea was to get people to come to see you fight, even if meant then wanted to see you lose.

The fight itself was a one sided beatdown, with Cassius easily controlling the clearly over the hill Moore at will. Archie had no answer for Clay’s lightning speed and quick combinations and in the fourth round, Cassius knocked him out as he had predicted. Clay would go on to defeat Sonny Liston 15 months later to win the heavyweight championship, while Archie would fight just once more four months later, stopping Mike DiBiase in three rounds.

Cassius Clay would change his name to Muhammad Ali after his defeat of Sonny Liston, and go on to be the most famous and impactful heavyweight in history. Archie Moore would continue to train fighters, but also spent decades running youth programs in his hometown of San Diego and across the country. He was also the co-trainer of George Foreman before his comeback in 1987 and in his second career.

Both men are members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, the ‘Showplace of Boxing. Archie passed away on December 9, 1998, and Ali on June 3, 2016. Their meeting in 1962 was historic and will forever be one of ‘Boxing’s Classics’.