Davey Moore (boxer, born 1959)

Davey Moore (June 9, 1959 – June 3, 1988) was an American professional boxer who held the WBA light middleweight title between February 1982 and June 1983, the second of two professional champions who shared the name in the second half of the 20th century. Each died around the age of thirty, the first, Davey S. Moore, as a result of punishment in a fight, the second in an accident at his home.

Davey Moore
Statistics
Real nameDavey Moore
Nickname(s)Sensational
Weight(s)Light middleweight
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Reach71 in (180 cm)
NationalityAmerican
Born(1959-06-09)June 9, 1959
Bronx, New York
DiedJune 3, 1988(1988-06-03) (aged 28)
Holmdel, New Jersey
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights23
Wins18
Wins by KO14
Losses5

The latter was born in New York during the championship reign of the first. As a boxer, he rose quickly through the light middleweight ranks—perhaps too quickly, according to some boxing writers and critics.

Notable amateur fights

Davey Moore won four New York Golden Gloves Championships. Moore won the 1976 135 lb Sub-Novice Championship. Moore also won the 1977, 1978 and 1979 147 lb Open Championships. He was defeated in the 1980 147 lb Open division by Pedro Vilella who was a three time New York Golden Gloves Champion. Moore was trained at the Morrisania Youth Center in the Bronx, New York by Leon Washington, a former professional Middleweight.

Professional career

Moore earned a spot on the 1980 US Olympic Team, but did not compete due to the US boycott of the Moscow Olympics.

One of Moore's early wins was in June 1981 over Kevin Rooney, who would later train Mike Tyson. Moore entered the fight with a 6–0 record, while Rooney was 15–0. Moore won by a TKO in the seventh round of an eight-round fight.

After winning eight professional fights, five by knockout, the WBA named him their No.10 challenger, and in February 1982, he traveled to Japan, where he knocked out defending champion Tadashi Mihara in six, winning the WBA world junior middleweight title.

In April 1982 he defended his world title against Charlie Weir in Johannesburg, South Africa, taking five rounds to knock him out. Then in July 1982 he fought former world champion Ayub Kalule, whom he stopped in the tenth round.

Moore started 1983 by beating challenger Gary Guiden, by knockout in the fourth round. He had been scheduled to fight Tony Ayala Jr. but Ayala was convicted of burglary and rape and sentenced to 35 years in prison. Next, Moore defended against former two-division world champion Roberto Durán. Moore appeared to be overconfident against an aging 'Hands of Stone' Duran but Duran totally outclassed him and dished out vicious punishment, hammering shut one of Moore's eyes and stopping him in eight brutal rounds at Madison Square Garden. The beating was so one-sided that Moore's mother and girlfriend were both said to have fainted at ringside. Many knowledgeable observers believed that referee Ernesto Magana should have stopped the fight far earlier. This was proven to be correct by the fact that Moore was never the same fighter after this contest. In 1992, Colombo crime family Caporegime Michael Franzese testified that Moore was handled by himself and other Colombo mobsters, and that although they knew that Moore was in poor physical condition because he had undergone oral surgery just 2 days before the fight, they decided to proceed with the fight due to the profitability of betting on Duran. Franzese believed that bribery may have taken place for Moore to pass the physical examination. [1]

Moore won his next two fights, the second in Monte Carlo over Wilfred Benítez but then he was disqualified in the ninth round against Louis Acaries in Paris. In 1985, he won one more fight and was in line to challenge Carlos Santos for the IBF World Junior Middleweight title. That fight did not materialize, but eventually he did get to challenge for the IBF title against Buster Drayton in August 1986. Moore lost by TKO in the tenth round and only fought 5 more times, winning 3 and losing 2.

Professional boxing record

23 fights 18 wins 5 losses
By knockout 14 3
By decision 4 1
By disqualification 0 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
23 Win 18–5 Gary Coates TKO 6 (10) Apr 30, 1988 Staten Island, New York City, New York, U.S.
22 Win 17–5 Hector Rosario TKO 4 (10) Mar 18, 1988 Meadowlands Sheraton, East Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.
21 Loss 16–5 John David Jackson UD 10 Jul 21, 1987 Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
20 Loss 16–4 Lupe Aquino TKO 5 (10) Apr 6, 1987 Caesars Palace, Outdoor Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
19 Win 16–3 Cecil Pettigrew UD 10 Mar 11, 1987 Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
18 Loss 15–3 Buster Drayton TKO 10 (15) Aug 24, 1986 La Pinede, Juan-les-Pins, France For IBF light middleweight title
17 Win 15–2 Victor Claudio TKO 2 (10) Apr 4, 1986 Caesars Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
16 Loss 14–2 Louis Acariès DQ 9 (12) Dec 10, 1984 Palais Omnisport de Paris-Bercy, Paris, France Moore disqualified for landing a punch after the bell to end round 9
15 Win 14–1 Wilfred Benítez TKO 2 (10) Jul 14, 1984 Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monaco
14 Win 13–1 Monte Oswald KO 3 (10) Mar 14, 1984 Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
13 Loss 12–1 Roberto Durán TKO 8 (15) Jun 16, 1983 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Lost WBA light middleweight title
12 Win 12–0 Gary Guiden KO 4 (15) Jan 29, 1983 Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA light middleweight title
11 Win 11–0 Ayub Kalule TKO 10 (15) Jul 17, 1982 Ballys Park Place Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. Retained WBA light middleweight title
10 Win 10–0 Charlie Weir KO 5 (15) Apr 26, 1982 Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa Retained WBA light middleweight title
9 Win 9–0 Tadashi Mihara KO 6 (15) Feb 2, 1982 Metropolitan Gym, Japan Won WBA light middleweight title
8 Win 8–0 Mike Herron TKO 7 (8) Oct 31, 1981 Sands Casino Hotel, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Kevin Rooney TKO 7 (8) Jun 1, 1981 Playboy Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Joseph Nsubuga TKO 1 (6) May 23, 1981 Teatro Ariston, San Remo, Italy
5 Win 5–0 Tony Suero TKO 4 (6) Mar 28, 1981 Carrier Dome, Syracuse, New York, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 Jeff Passero TKO 3 (6) Feb 8, 1981 Great Gorge Playboy Club, McAfee, New Jersey, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Felix Nance UD 6 Jan 17, 1981 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Teddy White PTS 6 Dec 20, 1980 Kingsbridge Armory, Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Jesus Saucedo PTS 6 Nov 1, 1980 Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S.

Death

Moore was killed at his home in Holmdel, New Jersey, one evening in early June 1988 when his four-wheel drive vehicle began to roll down the driveway. Caught off guard, he attempted to stop it but was dragged under and pinned. Paramedics arrived to find him lifeless, the official cause of death being blunt traumatic asphyxia. He left behind his wife Dria and their children Dira and David Moore Jr. [2]

See also

References

  1. Michael Franzese Testifies About Organized Crime and Professional Boxing - 1992, archived from the original on December 21, 2021, retrieved May 19, 2021
  2. "Davey Moore, 28, is Dead in Accident; Held Boxing Title". The New York Times. June 5, 1988.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.