September 21, 1955: 60 Years Ago, It Was Marciano's Last Fight

[elmersalsa]

On that day, sixty years ago, on Sep 21, 1955 at Yankee Stadium in New York, for the World Heavyweight Championship, the great Rocky Marciano made his sixth and last title defense of his crown against the great Archie Moore, the World's Light-heavyweight Champion.

It was a brutal and savage contest. The Blows by blows from each fighter were frightening to see. Marciano went down in the second round. But, when he got up, The Ol' Mongoose paid the price going down 5 times. I even kind of felt those punches. Marciano was a relentless machine against a ring veteran of 171 fights, with an astonishing record of 144-20-7!. That is some record that I won't see today, maybe never.

Moore, 42, (Some say he was 39), was so game and cagey, but, couldn't keep off The Rock from him. It was too much. The fight was over in the 9th round. But, I believe that it should've been stopped rounds earlier. Moore took too much punishment in that fight. It was the end of Marciano 's era of the heavyweight division.

Marciano retired with a record of 49-0, with 43KOs. Where do you rank this great champion among the heavyweights and p4p among the p4p greats? Let's discuss the career of both greats, Moore and Marciano.

[Scypion]

I would say that Marciano was right up there.

As for Archie Moore; when Patterson beat him so easily, I thought that Moore had slipped due to the beating that Rocky had given him. A little bit later, Moore defended his Light Heavyweight title against Tony Anthony. The fight seemed similar to the Moore-Patterson match up. Anthony was 23 years old and had won about 30 fights, many by KO. I thought that it looked like Patterson-Moore all over again with Anthony winning by a KO. How wrong I was. The old mongoose knocked out Anthony in the 5th or 6th round. Archie was not finished.

Looking closer at his record, Tony Anthony's record was not as similar to Patterson's as I thought. Anthony had won about as many fights as Patterson had when he fought Moore, but he had lost 4 fights by KO. When Patterson fought Moore, he had lost but once to Joey Maxim, and many thought that Floyd was robbed in that one.

[Caractacus]

well to begin with was Archie Moore really 42 years old or was he not when he fought Marciano?
because Boxrec has his DOB listed as
December-13-1916
which if my HS remedial math is correct, would have made him
38 years old in September of 1955.

[Caractacus]

and just to put this fight in a historical perspective both in time &Space.
one week after that fight on September-30th.,1955 this happened....
so check this cool song out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7guzEuV7j9c

[evrenb]

I enjoy watching the rocks home movies of his fights that were filmed in colour. Adds a different perspective as their isn't that much footage available on the Rock.
He certainly was a ferocious animal in the ring...a gentleman outside it.

[Caractacus]

BTW wanna see President Ronald Reagan TKO James Dean back in 1954?
on a once thought lost kinescope that turned up in 2010.
then check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTxXXSQVBPk

[Caractacus]

Just think if that vicious right uppercut(the rattlesnake punch?) that Moore had thrown a mere seven seconds after the Rock had hit the canvas,
would that have knocked out Marciano?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pPfPUQopfg