Davey Moore (boxer, born 1933)


David Schultz "Davey" Moore was an American Undisputed Featherweight Champion boxer who fought professionally from 1953 to 1963. A resident of Springfield, Ohio, Moore was one of two world champions to share the name in the second half of the 20th century. The second, Davey Moore, boxed during the 1980s.
Moore died on March 25, 1963, aged 29, as a result of injuries sustained in a match against Sugar Ramos.

Career highlights

Moore first gained wide attention from his performance on the 1952 U.S. Olympic boxing team, as a bantamweight amateur.
Moore made his professional debut on May 11, 1953, aged 19, beating Willie Reece by a decision in six rounds. He boxed 8 times in 1953, with a total record that year of 6 wins, 1 loss and 1 no contest.
From the beginning of his career through 1956 Moore fought a total of 29 bouts, with a total record of 22–5–1, and 1 no contest. Beginning with his April 10, 1957 fight against Gil Cadilli, Moore had an 18-bout winning streak, ending when he lost to Carlos Morocho Hernández on March 14, 1960, with a TKO. It was during this period, on March 18, 1959, that Moore won the World Featherweight Title from Hogan "Kid" Bassey. Moore retained the title through the remainder of his career, defending it successfully 5 times, and losing it to Sugar Ramos on March 21, 1963.

1952 Olympic results

Below is the record of Davey Moore, an American bantamweight boxer who competed at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics:
  • Round of 32: bye
  • Round of 16: defeated Egon Schidan by decision, 3–0
  • Quarterfinal: lost to Kang Joon-Ho by decision, 1–2

Last fight and death

Moore was scheduled to face Cuban-Mexican Sugar Ramos in July 1962 at Dodger Stadium, but a torrential typhoon-like rainstorm hit Los Angeles on the night of the fight, so the fight was postponed until March 21, 1963. It was shown on national television in front of a crowd of 22,000. In the tenth round, Ramos staggered Moore with a left and then continued to pummel him with blows until he fell, striking the base of his neck on the bottom rope and injuring his brain stem.
Moore got to his feet for the eight-count and, despite Ramos' continuing attack, managed to finish the round on his feet, but the referee stopped the fight before the eleventh, and Ramos was declared the new World Featherweight Champion. Moore was able to give a clear-headed interview before he left the ring, but in the dressing room fell into a coma from which he never emerged. As Moore fought for life, Pope John XXIII made a statement calling the sport of boxing "barbaric", and "contrary to natural principles". Moore's condition deteriorated, and he died 75 hours after the fight on March 25 at 2:20 a.m. CST in White Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles. His body lay in state at a South Los Angeles funeral home on Tuesday, March 26 for 10 hours; over 10,000 people filed by to pay respects. He was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield, Ohio.

Legacy

Bob Dylan wrote a song about Davey Moore's death, posing the question of responsibility. It is titled "Who Killed Davey Moore?" and was also sung by Pete Seeger and Graeme Allwright.
Phil Ochs wrote a song titled "Davey Moore" which told the story of Davey Moore's death and placed the guilt on the managers, the boxing "money men", boxing fans, as well as Davey Moore himself for having too much “pride” to quit the sport.
On September 21, 2013, the 50th anniversary of Moore's final fight, his hometown of Springfield, Ohio, dedicated an 8-foot-tall bronze statue in his honor. Located in a public green space just south of downtown near his old neighborhood, the dedication attendees included Moore's widow Geraldine and Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos, visiting from Mexico City.
Moore, played by John Bosco Jr., is featured as a character in the movie The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki that won the 'Prize Un Certain Regard' in the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
68LossSugar RamosRTD10, 3:00Mar 21, 1963Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Lost WBA and The Ring featherweight titles;
For inaugural WBC featherweight title;
Moore dies two days later of a whiplash to his brain stem after his neck struck the bottom rope of a three-rope ring during this bout.
67Win59–6–1 Gil CadilliTKO5, 3:00Feb 18, 1963Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S.
55Win58–6–1 Fili NavaUD10Dec 11, 1962Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
65Win57–6–1 Olli MäkiTKO2, 2:31Aug 17, 1962Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, FinlandRetained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
64Win56–6–1 Mario DiazKO2, 1:21Jul 9, 1962Los Angeles, California, U.S.
63Win55–6–1 Cisco AndradeTKO7, 2:05Mar 9, 1962Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
62Win54–6–1 Kazuo TakayamaUD15Nov 13, 1961Kokugikan, Tokyo, JapanRetained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
61Win53–6–1 Felix CervantesKO5, 1:55Oct 12, 1961Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
60Win52–6–1 Kid IrapuatoTKO6 Sep 19, 1961Plaza de Toros, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico
59Win51–6–1 Felix CervantesUD10Jul 17, 1961Campo de Softball, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico
58Win50–6–1 Gil CadilliUD10Jul 6, 1961Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
57Win49–6–1 Danny ValdezKO1, 2:58Apr 8, 1961Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
56Win48–6–1 Ray NobilePTS10Feb 10, 1961Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Italy
55Win47–6–1 Fred GalianaTKO4 Jan 27, 1961Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid, Spain
54Win46–6–1 Gracieux LampertiPTS10Jan 9, 1961Palais de Sports, Paris, France
53Win45–6–1 Rudy CoronaKO7 Dec 3, 1960Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico
52Win44–6–1 David CamachoKO8 Nov 27, 1960Nogales, Sonora, Mexico
51Win43–6–1 Kazuo TakayamaUD15Aug 29, 1960Korakuen Baseball Stadium, Tokyo, JapanRetained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
50Win42–6–1 Kid IrapuatoUD10Aug 1, 1960Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
49Win41–6–1 Frank ValdezTKO6, 1:48Jul 20, 1960Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.
48Loss40–6–1 Carlos HernándezRTD7, 3:00Mar 17, 1960Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela
47Win40–5–1 Sergio CaprariTKO8 Feb 22, 1960Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela
46Win39–5–1 Hilario MoralesUD10Dec 14, 1959Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S.
45Win38–5–1 Bobby NeillTKO1, 2:55Oct 20, 1959Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England
44Win37–5–1 Hogan BasseyRTD11 Aug 19, 1959Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
43Win36–5–1 Hogan BasseyRTD13 Mar 18, 1959Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles
42Win35–5–1 Ricardo MorenoKO1, 2:58Dec 11, 1958Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
41Win34–5–1 Kid AnahuacUD10Sep 25, 1958Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
40Win33–5–1 Kid AnahuacSD10Jul 28, 1958Plaza de Toros, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico
39Win32–5–1 Lauro SalasUD10Jun 19, 1958Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
38Win31–5–1 Roberto GarciaUD10May 24, 1958El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico
37Win30–5–1 Vince DelgadoKO3, 0:08Mar 6, 1958Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
36Win29–5–1 Fili NavaUD10Feb 20, 1958Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
35Win28–5–1 Victor Manuel QuijanoTKO9, 1:57Jan 9, 1958Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
34Win27–5–1 Jose Luis CoteroUD10Nov 8, 1957 Capitol Arena, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.
33Win26–5–1 Victor Manuel QuijanoSD10Aug 14, 1957War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S.
32Win25–5–1 Isidro MartinezUD10Jul 5, 1957Capitol Arena, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S.
31Win24–5–1 Buddy McDonaldUD10Jun 13, 1957Interstate Fairgrounds, Spokane, Washington, U.S.
30Win23–5–1 Gil CadilliUD10Apr 10, 1957Biscayne Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S.
29Loss22–5–1 Bobby RogersPTS8Nov 7, 1956Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
28Win22–4–1 Jimmy DeMuraPTS6Oct 10, 1956Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
27Win21–4–1 Charlie SlaughterKO4, 0:48Jun 5, 1956Palais des Sports, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
26Win20–4–1 Jimmy HackneyDQ6, 1:34Dec 16, 1955Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.Hackney was disqualified on the sixth round for not trying his best.
25Win19–4–1 Nat JacksonKO2 Oct 17, 1955Coliseum Arenac New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
24Win18–4–1 Ray RiojasUD10Sep 19, 1955County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, U.S.
23Loss17–4–1 Santiago MartinezPTS10Jul 16, 1955Havana, Cuba
22Win17–3–1 Pedro TesisPTS10May 15, 1955Arena de Colon, Colon City, Colon, Panama
21Loss16–3–1 Isidro MartinezPTS10May 1, 1955Arena de Colon, Colon City, Colon, Panama
20Win16–2–1 John BarnesUD6Jan 18, 1955Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
19Win15–2–1 Eddie BurginTKO9, 0:48Dec 7, 1954 Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.Won Ohio featherweight title
18Win14–2–1 Dick ArmstrongTKO6 Oct 25, 1954 Gymnastic Club, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
17Win13–2–1 Herky KaminskyUD10Jun 29, 1954Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
16Draw12–2–1 Herky KaminskyPTS10May 18, 1954Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
15Win12–2 Charley RileyMD10Apr 20, 1954Kiel Auditorium, St Louis, Missouri, U.S.
14Win11–2 Jack IngramKO1 Apr 8, 1954Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio, U.S.
13Win10–2 Leo CarterTKO2, 1:20Apr 1, 1954Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
12Win9–2 Bob KeelingTKO3, 2:40Mar 13, 1954Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
11Loss8–2 Jackie BlairUD10Feb 4, 1954Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S.
10Win8–1 Eddie CrawfordTKO2 Jan 5, 1954Memorial Hall, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
9Win7–1 Eddie CooperKO3, 1:18Nov 20, 1953Gymnastic Club, Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
86–1 Raul PradoNC3 Oct 22, 1953Grand Rapids Stadium, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
7Loss6–1Russell TaguePTS6Oct 3, 1953 Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
6Win6–0Ed HughesKO4 Aug 29, 1953Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
5Win5–0Eddie GonzalesKO1Jul 10, 1953Fort Williams, Kentucky, U.S.
4Win4–0Dick ArmstrongTKO4, 2:40Jun 15, 1953Municipal Stadium, Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S.
3Win3–0Terry BookPTS6Jun 1, 1953Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
2Win2–0Ralph CaponePTS4May 25, 1953Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
1Win1–0Willie ReeceUD6May 11, 1953Municipal Stadium, Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

''The Ring'' magazine titles

The Ring featherweight champion

Regional/International titles

  • Ohio featherweight champion

Undisputed titles