Davey Moore (boxer, born 1959)

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Davey Moore (boxer, born 1959) bigraphy, stories - American boxer

Davey Moore (boxer, born 1959) : biography

9 June 1959 – 1 June 1988

Davey Moore (9 June 1959 – 1 June 1988) was an American world champion boxer, the second of two boxers who shared the name in the late 20th century, and whose respective careers each ended with death by trauma around the age of thirty.

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

Death

One morning in early June 1988, as Moore was leaving his home, he stepped out of his car to open his garage door. The car lurched backwards, pinning him against the door of his garage.

His brake released on his SUV, I believe a Montero, and he threw his back against the vechile in an effort to keep it from rolling down hill. The car rolled over him, jack knifing his body, literally breaking him in two.

Professional career

After winning eight professional fights, five by knockout, the WBA named him their No. 1 challenger, and in February 1982, he travelled to Japan, where he knocked out defending champion Tadashi Mihara in six, winning the WBA world junior middleweight title.

One of his early wins was over future training great Kevin Rooney. The same Kevin Rooney who trained Mike Tyson. Moore came in with a 6-0 record. Rooney came into that fight 15-0. Moore won by a TKO.

In April of that year he defended it against Charlie Weir, taking five rounds to knock him out, and in July former world champion Ayub Kalule, whom he stopped in ten.

Moore started 1983 by beating challenger Gary Guiden, again by knockout, in four. He had been scheduled to fight Tony Ayala Jr., however Ayala was convicted of burglary and rape, he was sentenced the 35 years in prison. Next, he defended against former two-time world champion Roberto Durán. Moore was perhaps overconfident, against an aging ‘Hands of Stone’ Duran, but experience proved the key with Duran hammering shut one of Moore’s eyes and stopping him in eight rounds at Madison Square Garden. Moore won his next two fights, the first 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, going against Buster Drayton in August 1986. Moore lost by TKO in the tenth and only fought 5 more times, winning 3 and losing 2.

Amateur Highlights

Davey Moore won five 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 himself 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.