Undefeated heavyweight Rocky Marciano battled ageless Archie Moore for the New York State Athletic Commission world heavyweight title at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York on September 21, 1955.
The Marciano-Moore fight will be featured on the increasingly popular ?Super Fights? telecast on January 31 at 9:00 p.m. over AKTV IBC 13 where the action is.
Moore stunned the hard-hitting Marciano by dropping him in the second round but Marciano quickl;y got up at the count of two and then battered Moore the rest of the fight dropping the gallant Moore five times en route to a 9th round of a scheduled 15 round bout.
Referee Harry Kessler counted Moore out at 1:19 of round nine.
At the time of the stoppage Marciano was clearly ahead on the scorecards of all three judges.
The referee who was also a scoring judge had Marciano winning 5 rounds to 2 while judge Harold Barnes had Marciano ahead 5-3.
Artie Aidala had Marciano way ahead by 7 rounds to 1 as in those days fights were scored by rounds and not on points as they are today.
Marciano weighed 188 ? pounds while Moore came in at 188.
Marciano ended his career with an unblemished record of 49-0 while Moore whenhe entered the ring was announced as having a record of 120-19-5.
Murray Rose of the Associated Press in a story on the fight said
Marciano?s ? awesome meat-grinder destruction of gallant, ancient Archie Moore in one of boxing's great battles may have been the invincible Brockton Blaster's last fight.?
Rose wrote ?_ This was the one the indomitable Rock of Brockton wanted to win more than any other since he knocked down the crown off Jersey Joe Walcott's brow three years ago in Philadelphia. And he won it in typical fashion with a relentless, bulldozing attack that smashed Archie's crumbling defenses with a knockout in 1:19 of the 9th round.
_ Now, with the light heavyweight king out of the way, there were
no more, worlds for boxing's Caesar to conquer and he mulled over retirement.
_ "There is a lot of pressure from my family for me to retire," said the 32-year-old victor in his dressing room. "My mother wants me to quit. So does my dad, and my wife. It has been a pretty bad ordeal for them. I don't know what I should do."
_ Then Rocky added: "Personally, at this point, I don't feel I should retire."
_ Last night Rocky came off the floor like he did in the memorable first fight with Walcott, and ground down the crafty, cocky Moore with a relentless assault.
_ A smashing left hook to the jaw ended the 38-year-old master crafts- man's fierce resistance, leaving him a collapsed heap in his own corner.?
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