| Date | September 21, 1955 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | Yankee Stadium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Title(s) on the line | NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Result | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Marciano won via 9th-round KO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rocky Marciano and Archie Moore fought for the world heavyweight boxing title on September 21, 1955. The fight pitted Marciano, the undefeated heavyweight champion against Moore, the light-heavyweight champion. Marciano knocked Moore out in the ninth round, winning his 49th and final fight before retiring. [1] [2]
Both men had won their respective championship titles in 1952. While Marciano defended his title, Moore climbed through the heavyweight ranks, defeating several top contenders (most notable was two victories over top contender Niño Valdés), and by 1955 was ranked #1 heavyweight contender, ultimately leading to him receiving a title shot later that year. The fight would be Marciano's sixth title defense. [3] [4]
The fight was one of the most anticipated sports events of the year, featuring two popular champions both with a large number of knockouts. Moore in particular created a lot of publicity by confidently claiming that he would be the first man to defeat Marciano. Although Moore was nine years older than Marciano, he was far more experienced, and after having studied film of Marciano's fights, believed he had crafted a successful plan to defeat him. [5]
The fight was held at Yankee Stadium in New York. It was originally scheduled for September 20, but it was postponed by one day due to Hurricane Ione.
Instead of a short slugfest, the fight was a very tactical match, with both men attempting to impose their respective styles upon the other. Marciano spent much of the fight on the offensive, trying to break through Moore's defense, while Moore cleverly boxed and moved. Moore began the fight well, using his jab and combinations at range, along with his defense to keep the ever approaching champion off balance, and did well in the fierce exchanges at close range. In the second round, Moore threw a counter right hand that dropped the champion. Marciano took a four count, but soon recovered.
As the fight progressed, Marciano's constant pressure began to wear Moore down, and found himself increasingly being cornered and forced to take punishment. In round six, Marciano dropped Moore twice, first with a right hook towards the beginning, and a second time after taking a barrage of punches at the end of the round. Moore survived the seventh round without being knocked down, but was knocked down a third time at the end of the eighth but was saved by the bell, though the end was near. In the ninth round, Marciano backed Moore up against the ropes, and after landing two consecutive left hooks to the head, dropped Moore for a fourth time and this time did not beat the referee's count. [6] [7]
The fight was Marciano's 49th and final professional boxing match, and he announced his retirement six months later in 1956. That year, following his retirement, Moore remained the top heavyweight contender, and following a brief tournament, ultimately fought Floyd Patterson for the vacant heavyweight title in November. Moore was defeated and never fought for the heavyweight title again, but retained his light-heavyweight title into the 1960s. [8]
Larry Holmes is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1973 to 2002 and was world heavyweight champion from 1978 until 1985. He is often considered to be one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He grew up in Easton, Pennsylvania, which led to his boxing nickname of the "Easton Assassin".
Michael Spinks is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 1988. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the undisputed light heavyweight title from 1983 to 1985, and the lineal heavyweight title from 1985 to 1988. As an amateur he won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Rocco Francis Marchegiano, better known as Rocky Marciano, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955. He held the world heavyweight championship from 1952 to 1956, and remains the only heavyweight champion to finish his career undefeated. His six title defenses were against Jersey Joe Walcott, Roland La Starza, Ezzard Charles (twice), Don Cockell and Archie Moore.
Archie Moore was an American catch wrestler and professional boxer and the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time. He had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport, competing from 1935 to 1963. Nicknamed "The Mongoose", and then "The Old Mongoose" in the latter half of his career, Moore was a highly strategic and defensive boxer. As of December 2020, BoxRec ranks Moore as the third greatest pound-for-pound boxer of all time. He also ranks fourth on The Ring's list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". Moore was also a trainer for a short time after retirement, training Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Bob Foster, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Earnie Shavers and James Tillis.
Floyd Patterson was an American professional boxer who competed from 1952 to 1972, and twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. At the age of 21, he became the youngest boxer in history to win the title, and was also the first heavyweight to regain the title after losing it. As an amateur, he won a gold medal in the middleweight division at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He has been named among the top 15 heavyweights of all time.
Arnold Raymond Cream, best known as Jersey Joe Walcott, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1930 to 1953. He held the NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles from 1951 to 1952, and broke the record for the oldest man to win the title, at the age of 37. That record would hold for over three decades until it was eventually broken in 1994 by 45-year-old George Foreman. Despite holding the world heavyweight title for a relatively short period of time, Walcott was regarded among the best heavyweights in the world during the 1940s and 1950s.
Ezzard Mack Charles, known as the Cincinnati Cobra, was an American professional boxer and world heavyweight champion, reigning from 1949 to 1951. Known for his slick defense and precision, Charles is often regarded as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, defeating numerous Hall of Fame fighters in three different weight classes.
During the 1950s, a couple of relatively new developments changed the world: World War II had only been over for five years when the 1950s began, and television was beginning to make a major impact internationally. In boxing, changes connected to these developments could be seen too, as boxers who fought at the 1940s conflict returned to their homes and many of them were back in the ring. Television producers were in love with sports, which provided the viewer with an opportunity to observe sporting events live, and boxing was not the exception to the rule; many television networks began to feature fights live during the weekends, and the Gillette Friday Night Fights proved to be one of the most popular boxing television series in American history.
Jack Sharkey was a Lithuanian-American boxer who held the NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles from 1932 to 1933.
Harold Johnson was a professional boxer. He held the NYSAC, NBA/WBA, and The Ring light heavyweight titles from 1962 to 1963.
Carl "Bobo" Olson was an American boxer. He was the World Middleweight champion between October 1953 and December 1955, the longest reign of any champion in that division during the 1950s. His nickname was based on his younger sister's mispronunciation of "brother".
Donald John Cockell was an English boxer who competed from 1946 to 1956. One of the most well known UK boxers of the era, Cockell held the British and European light heavyweight titles, and later moved up in weight to become the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion. He is best remembered for fighting against Rocky Marciano for the world heavyweight championship. Cockell defeated a number of top heavyweights in his career, including Roland La Starza, Harry Matthews, Tommy Farr, Freddie Beshore, Johnny Arthur, Johnny Williams and Uber Bacilieri. In his earlier incarnation as a Light Heavyweight he defeated top contenders such as Nick Barone, Albert Yvel, Lloyd Marshall and Albert Finch, holding regional titles in both weight incarnations.
Thomas "Tommy" Jackson, often known as "Hurricane" Jackson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1961. In July 1957, he fought Floyd Patterson for the heavyweight championship. Jackson was noted for his stamina, bravery, and unorthodox style as a fighter. He was trained and managed by Whitey Bimstein.
Robert "The Grinder" Baker was a heavyweight boxer whose professional career spanned from 1949 until 1960. Baker was born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania and originally fought out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Rex Gessel Layne was an American heavyweight professional boxer. Sometimes termed the "Lewiston Larruper" and later "Poor Ole Rex", Layne became a top contender in the early 1950s, although he never fought for the heavyweight title. Despite this he notched victories over many top rated boxers of his era, including heavyweight champions Ezzard Charles and Jersey Joe Walcott.
Lee Savold was an American heavyweight boxer who held the British and European (EBU) version of the World Heavyweight championship between 1950 and 1951 and was a leading contender in the 1940s and early 1950s. During his career he fought storied Heavyweight Champions Joe Louis and Rocky Marciano. Savold was inducted into the Minnesota Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012.
Harry "Kid" Matthews was an American professional boxer who competed from 1938 to 1956. He climbed to the top contender rank at both light-heavyweight and heavyweight, and at his peak, won 50 consecutive fights. Although he never fought for a world title, he scored victories over several top contenders along with former champions Al Hostak and Ezzard Charles.
Heavyweight champions Rocky Marciano and Jersey Joe Walcott fought two historic boxing matches in 1952 and 1953. The first fight saw Marciano, the undefeated challenger, take on the world heavyweight champion Jersey Joe in a hard-fought championship fight. The fight culminated in a 13th round knockout scored by Marciano, in a major comeback victory after Walcott stacked up a wide lead throughout the majority of the bout. The fight and the final round were ranked as 1952's fight and round of the year respectively by The Ring, and is considered one of the greatest heavyweight championship bouts of all time.
Leonard Morrow was an American professional boxer in the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, who was active from 1946 to 1954. He was ranked as a top contender in the light heavyweight division from 1948 to 1950. In 1948, he was the number two rated contender by The Ring (magazine) for Freddie Mills' light heavyweight world title. During his career, he defeated hall of fame fighters, champions, and top contenders such as Archie Moore, Jimmy Bivins, Bert Lytell, and Arturo Godoy. In 1989, Archie went on record saying that Morrow was one of only three men that ever really hit him alongside Rocky Marciano and Yvon Durelle.
Rocky Marciano and Roland La Starza fought each other on two separate occasions, the first time in 1950 both as undefeated contenders and the second in a heavyweight championship fight in 1953. Rocky won both fights, the first by a narrow split decision and the second via technical knockout. The first fight is regarded as one of Marciano's closest fights, and the second was declared 1953's Fight of the Year by The Ring.
