Many young sports fans, I’m certain, never heard of Archie Moore.
Born Archibald Lee Wright, he was one of America’s venerable boxing legends who reigned longest in the light heavyweight division..
He saw the light of day on December 13, 1913 in Benoit, Mississippi and fought the best from 1935 to 1963, a good 28 seasons.
Nicknamed “The (old) Mongoose,” Moore lost by KO to Muhammad Ali – then popularly known as Cassius Clay – in 1962 in
the latter’s first pro fight in the heavyweight class.
Moore was 36 years old when he became light heavyweight king and fifty when he hung up his gloves.
His record stood at 220 fights (186-23-10 (win-loss-draw, 1 no contest) with 132 KOs. Wow!
If I faintly remember, the 5-11 orthodox boxer fought once here in the Philippines at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in the late 50s.
Though only a light heavyweight,at 175 lbs, Moore would add more meat to his physique to challenge the heavyweight champions the likes of Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano, Ezzard Charles and Floyd Patterson.
If you compute the regularity of Moore’s fighting stints, he gets into the ring 8 times a year or once every 50 days or so. He did this to earn enough money because he grew up poor.
Anyway, I am recounting Moore’s boxing odyssey in relation to Nonito Donaire’s embarrassing second round knockout loss to Japan’s Naoye Inoue recently.
Donaire is already 39. By today’s boxing standards, that is a retirable age. While his boxing experience and the opponents he fought are difficult to compare to Moore’s because they are not of the same era, the latter’s list of opponents were the outstanding fighters at that time.
Moore died of heart failure in 1998 in San Diego, California. When he retired, he handled the training of Ali, George Foreman and James Tillis.
As an unsolicited advice to aging boxers who feel in their hearts that they still have it within, I would ask them to read biographies of boxing’s Hall of Famers.
Ali, for all his colorful career and excellent skills in the squared platform, suffered from Parkinson’s, a disease attributed to the bruising sport he made more popular during his prime.
Boxing is so cruel that a fighter must hurt his opponent and force him to submission by raining heavy blows on the head and body to get the win.
However, there is no legal legislation or impediment that disbars a fighter who is considered too old if he can pass the required physical and mental exams.
That is why Moore, Foreman, Larry Holmes, Roy Jones and Hopkins were still allowed to box even when they were in their late forties.
In the end, the physical punishment absorbed by the boxer’s body (and to the head) may surface only in later years as is usually the case among those who have retired.
To leave a lasting legacy is to quit while one is on top, hale and healthy. (Email your feedback to fredlumba@yahoo.com.) GOD BLESS THE PHILIPPINES!
