Archie Moore

Archie Moore (born Archibald Lee Wright; December 13, 1913 – December 9, 1998) was an American professional boxer and the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time (1952 – 1962). He had one of the longest professional careers in the history of the sport, competing from 1935 to 1963. Nicknamed "the Mongoose", and then "the Old Mongoose" in the latter half of his career, Moore was a highly strategic and defensive boxer. As of September 2025, BoxRec ranks Moore as the greatest light heavyweight boxer of all time.

Moore was named the greatest light heavyweight of all time by the Associated Press in 1999, and his 132 career knockouts remain the all-time record. He also ranks fourth on The Rings list of "100 greatest punchers of all time". Moore was also a trainer for a short time after retirement, training Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Bob Foster, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, Earnie Shavers and James Tillis.

Born in Benoit, Mississippi, Moore was raised in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in poverty. Moore was denied a shot at the world title for 15 years, and spent many of those years fighting on the road with little to show for it. An important figure in the American Black community, he became involved in African American causes once his days as a fighter were over. He also established himself as a successful character actor in television and film. Moore died in his adopted home of San Diego, California; he was 84 years old.

Early life

Moore was born Archibald Lee Wright, the son of Thomas Wright, a farm laborer and drifter, and Lorena Wright. Though he always insisted that he was born in 1916 in Collinsville, Illinois, his mother told reporters that he was actually born in 1913 in Benoit, Mississippi. His father abandoned the family when Archie was an infant. Unable to provide for him and his older sister, his mother gave them into the care of an uncle and aunt, Cleveland and Willie Pearl Moore, who lived in St. Louis. Archie later explained why he was given their surname: "It was less questions to be called Moore."

He attended segregated all-Black schools in St. Louis, including Lincoln High School, although he never graduated. His uncle and aunt provided him with a stable upbringing, but after his uncle died in a freak accident around 1928, Moore began running with a street gang. One of his first thefts was a pair of oil lamps from his home, which he sold so that he would have money to buy boxing gloves. He later recalled of his stealing: "It was inevitable that I would be caught. I think I knew this even before I started, but somehow the urge to have a few cents in my pocket made me overlook this eventuality". After he was arrested for attempting to steal change from a motorman's box on a streetcar, he was sentenced to a three-year term at a reform school in Booneville, Missouri. He was released early from the school for good behavior after serving twenty-two months.

Around 1933 Moore joined the Civilian Conservation Corps, working for the forestry division at a camp in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Determined to become a boxer, he decided to make his work at the camp a form of training. He later recalled that the other boys constantly kidded him about one daily exercise—standing upright in the bed of a truck as it drove along primitive forest roads, waiting until the last possible moment before ducking or weaving away from tree branches.

Boxing career

thumb|Archie Moore boxer, Sydney, 2 May 1940

The captain of the camp permitted him to organize a boxing team, which competed in Golden Gloves tournaments in southern Missouri and Illinois. Many of his fights occurred in a racially charged atmosphere; he later described one of them, against a white boxer named Bill Richardson in Poplar Bluff:<blockquote>I knocked him down with a volley of head punches about one minute into round one. His brother ... was the referee. He was furious at me and told me to keep my punches up. Since I had been hitting Bill in the head I would have missed him altogether if I threw my punches any higher. But the referee said I had fouled him. ... I got steamed at this and offered to fight [the referee], too. I resolved not to hit Bill any place but his head. ... In the second round I dropped him with a left hook that spun his head like a top. ... I heard a man at ringside say, "For two cents I'd shoot that nigger."</blockquote>

First retirement and comeback

Moore had four fights in 1941, during which he went 2–1–1, with the draw against Eddie Booker. By then, however, he had suffered through several stomach ulcers and the resulting operations, and had announced his retirement from boxing.

His retirement was brief. By 1942 he was back in the ring. He won his first six bouts that year, including a second-round knockout of Hogue in a rematch, and a ten-round decision over Jack Chase. He met Booker in a rematch, and reached the same conclusion as their first meeting had: another 10-round draw. It was in this fight Archie came closest to wearing the belt. A Moore surprise right hand in the 2nd round sent Marciano down for the second and final time in his career, setting the stage for a legendary battle, but also creating controversy as far as shared memory. In subsequent years Moore made much of Referee Harry Kessler's handling of the pivotal moment. A half-decade on, in Archie's autobiography, The Archie Moore Story (1960), he describes in detail the referee, though Rocky arose at "two", continuing a superfluous mandatory eight-count: "...Kessler went on, three, four. The mandatory count does not apply in championship bouts (1955)...My seconds were screaming for me to finish him and I moved to do so, but Kessler...carefully wiped off Rocky's gloves, giving him another few seconds...he gave him a sort of stiff jerk, which may have helped Rocky clear his head." Moore admits to being angry enough at what he saw as interference, he went recklessly, "blind and stupid with rage", going for the knockout, toe-to-toe. This resentment toward referee Kessler appears only to have grown more entrenched. By the time of a recorded interview with Peter Heller, in October, 1970, Archie had this to say: "(Kessler) had no business refereeing that match because he was too excitable. He didn't know what to do...He grabbed Marciano's gloves and began to wipe Marciano's gloves and look over his shoulder...I'll never forget it. It cost me the heavyweight title."

This grudge, however, was not mutual. In his own autobiography, Harry Kessler indeed recounts Marciano-Moore with a great excitement, frequently employing exclamation marks in his punctuation, going so far as a direct comparison to the donnybrook between Jack Dempsey and Luis Firpo. Yet, the third man is evenhanded in his praise, taking time over most of a chapter on the bout, to laud Moore. His praise for Moore include the following quotes:

"Archie had exuded a stalwart confidence from his training camp..."

"Archie Moore had more punches in his arsenal than Robin Hood and all his Merry Men had arrows in their quivers..."

"Archie Moore was probably as sure a fighter as ever set foot in the ring..."

"No one ever questioned Archie Moore's courage...".

As for the knockdown, described here also in detail, Kessler offers a perspective directly contradicting Moore's, saying "I didn't bother to wipe Marciano's gloves on my shirt before I waved them back to combat; that early in the drama, there was no resin on the canvas." As opposed to any blind rage, Kessler states that "Archie hesitated a couple of seconds before he came in." With humor and without malice, Kessler even recounts the 41-year-old Moore poo-pooing any talk of retirement at the postfight press conference, then sitting in on bass fiddle at a hotspot in Greenwich Village until 5 a.m.!

thumb|upright=1.2|Archie Moore and Onyx Roach in 1956

In 1956, Moore fought mostly as a heavyweight but did retain his Light Heavyweight title with a ten-round knockout over Yolande Pompey in London. Moore won three of his four bouts in 1960, one by decision against Buddy Turman in Dallas, his lone loss coming in a ten-round decision versus Giulio Rinaldi in Rome. Moore later taught this to George Foreman who used it extensively during his comeback. All three matches are officially listed as third-round TKO stoppages. The second-highest amount of knockouts in boxing history is 128, which belongs to Sam Langford.

During the 1960s he founded an organization called Any Boy Can, which taught boxing to underprivileged youth in the San Diego area. In 1974 he helped train heavyweight boxer George Foreman for his famous "Rumble in the Jungle" title bout in Zaire against Muhammad Ali. In 1976 he served as an assistant coach for the Nigerian Olympic boxing team. Actively involved in efforts to teach children about the dangers of drug abuse, he worked during the 1980s as a youth boxing instructor for the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, assigned largely to ghettos in San Diego and Los Angeles. "I try to pass on the arts I know: self-control, self-reliance, self-defense," he told a reporter. In the early 1990s he again worked as a trainer for George Foreman.

In 1960 he ran as a Democrat for the California State Assembly but was defeated.

Acting career

In 1960, Moore was chosen to play the role of the runaway slave Jim in Michael Curtiz's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, based on the Mark Twain novel, opposite Eddie Hodges as Huck. Moore garnered positive reviews for his sympathetic portrayal of Jim, which some viewers still consider the best interpretation of this much-filmed role.

Moore did not choose to pursue a full-time career as an actor, but he did appear in films such as The Carpetbaggers (1964), The Hanged Man (1964) and The Fortune Cookie (1966), and on television in episodes of Family Affair, Perry Mason, Wagon Train, The Reporter, Batman (episode 35) and the soap opera One Life to Live. He also appeared in the critically acclaimed TV movie My Sweet Charlie. His later film appearances included the crime film The Outfit (1973), as a chef in Breakheart Pass (1975) with Charles Bronson, and a cameo role as himself in the 1982 film Penitentiary II, along with Leon Isaac Kennedy and Mr. T.

Humanitarian

Boxing took Moore all over the world as a fighter, a civil rights activist, and a leader in the fight to influence the minds of the nation's youth. He arrived in Argentina in June 1951 for a rematch with the champion Abel Cestac. Moore's victory made headlines and caught the attention of the Argentinian President Juan Perón and his wife Eva for his selfless act helping children, buying them shoes, clothing, and building their confidence. Moore was invited to stay in Argentina and accept an appointment as the Minister of Welfare of Children. He declined the offer to continue his road to winning title fights.

In 1957, Moore founded Any Boy Can, a non-profit organization based in San Diego, California. ABC, as it was known, provides services to all who seek help regardless of age, race, creed, religion or national origin. Moore stated that the mission of ABC is to help the youth to "step off in life with their best foot forward." The students were taught good sportsmanship, respect, and confidence. They were instructed to look a person in the eye and give them a firm handshake. They addressed him as Instructor Moore. Word traveled fast about Moore's ABC program. He was invited to Jamaica and sponsored by the Jamaican Boxing Board of Control to train boys for the Olympics. He trained 600 boys using his ABC methods. In 1968, the ABC Foundation received the Freedom Foundation's Patriotism Award, a special citation for providing a challenge for youth to become contributing members of their communities and upholding the ideals and ideas that were present at the founding of our great nation. This recognition is one of many.

Based on his work with the youth, in 1981, Moore became the Presidential Appointee of Ronald Reagan to work under Samuel R. Pierce, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Under the national heading, Project Build, Moore taught boxing to underprivileged youth in and around the housing projects in California.

Personal life

thumb|upright=1.2|Archie Moore and Joan Hardy in 1956

Archie Moore had three daughters, Reena, J'Marie and Elizabeth Moore-Stump, and four sons, Archie Jr., Hardy, Anthony and D'Angelo. The marriage of Archie Moore and Elizabeth Thorton produced Archie Jr. and Elizabeth. In 1956, he married Joan Hardy and had five children: Reena, J'Marie, Hardy, Anthony and D'Angelo. They were married until his death in 1998.

Moore joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church later in life.

In 1997, J'Marie Moore became the first daughter of a famous boxer to herself become a professional boxer.

Death

Moore died of heart failure on December 9, 1998, four days short of his 85th birthday. He was cremated and is interred in a niche at Cypress View Mausoleum and Crematory, in San Diego.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

|1960|| The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn || Jim ||

|1964|| The Carpetbaggers || Jedediah ||

|1964|| The Hanged Man || Xavier || TV movie

|1966|| The Fortune Cookie || Mr. Jackson ||

|1970|| My Sweet Charlie || || TV movie

|1973|| The Outfit || Packard ||

|1975|| Breakheart Pass || Carlos ||

|1993|| The Adventures of Huck Finn || cameo role

Legacy

In 1965, Moore was also inducted by the San Diego Hall of Champions into the .
In 1980, he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 1990, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
In 2002, Archie Moore was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
In 2006, Moore was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame.
The Ring ranked Moore #4 on its "Best Punchers of all time" list in 2003 and #14 on its list of the "80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years."
Moore was ranked as the #1 light heavyweight of all time by the International Boxing Research Organization in 2005.
Moore was voted as the #1 light heavyweight of the 20th century by the Associated Press in 1999.
Moore is rated the number sixth pound for pound fighter of all time by BoxRec.
In 2025, US Rep. Darrell Issa introduced a bill to name a post office in Ramona, California after Moore.

Professional boxing record

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible" style="text-align:center"

!Result

!Record

!Opponent

!Type

!Round

!Date

!Age

!Location

!Notes

|220

|Win

|style="text-align:left;"|Mike DiBiase

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Mar 15, 1963

|style="text-align:left;"|

|219

|Loss

|185–23–10

|style="text-align:left;"|Cassius Clay

|TKO

|4 (12)

|Nov 15, 1962

|style="text-align:left;"|

|218

|Draw

|185–22–10

|style="text-align:left;"|Willie Pastrano

|MD

|10

|May 28, 1962

|style="text-align:left;"|

|217

|Win

|185–22–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Howard King

|KO

|1 (10)

|May 7, 1962

|style="text-align:left;"|

|216

|Win

|184–22–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Alejandro Lavorante

|TKO

|10 (10)

|Mar 30, 1962

|style="text-align:left;"|

|215

|Win

|183–22–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Pete Rademacher

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Oct 23, 1961

|style="text-align:left;"|

|214

|Win

|182–22–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Giulio Rinaldi

|UD

|15

|Jun 10, 1961

|style="text-align:left;"|

|213

|Win

|181–22–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Buddy Turman

|UD

|10

|Mar 25, 1961

|style="text-align:left;"|

|212

|Win

|180–22–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Buddy Turman

|UD

|10

|Nov 28, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|211

|Loss

|179–22–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Giulio Rinaldi

|PTS

|10

|Oct 29, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|210

|Win

|179–21–9

|style="text-align:left;"|George Abinet

|RTD

|3 (10)

|Sep 13, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|209

|Win

|178–21–9

|align=left|Willi Besmanoff

|TKO

|10 (15)

|May 25, 1960

|style="text-align:left;"|

|208

|Win

|177–21–9

|align=left|Yvon Durelle

|KO

|3 (15)

|Aug 12, 1959

|style="text-align:left;"|

|207

|Win

|176–21–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Sterling Davis

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Mar 9, 1959

|style="text-align:left;"|

|206

|Win

|175–21–9

|align=left|Yvon Durelle

|KO

|11 (15)

|Dec 10, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|205

|Draw

|174–21–9

|style="text-align:left;"|Howard King

|PTS

|10

|Aug 4, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|204

|Win

|174–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Howard King

|UD

|10

|Jun 9, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|203

|Win

|173–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Norkus

|UD

|10

|May 26, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|202

|Win

|172–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Howard King

|UD

|10

|May 17, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|201

|Win

|171–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Willi Besmanoff

|SD

|10

|May 2, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|200

|Win

|170–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Albright

|TKO

|7 (10)

|Mar 10, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|199

|Win

|169–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Bert Whitehurst

|TKO

|10 (10)

|Mar 4, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|198

|Win

|168–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Julio Neves

|KO

|3 (10)

|Feb 1, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|197

|Win

|167–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Luis Ignacio

|PTS

|10

|Jan 18, 1958

|style="text-align:left;"|

|196

|Win

|166–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Roger Rischer

|KO

|4 (10)

|Nov 29, 1957

|style="text-align:left;"|

|195

|Win

|165–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Eddie Cotton

|UD

|10

|Nov 5, 1957

|style="text-align:left;"|

|194

|Win

|164–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Ralph Hooker

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Oct 31, 1957

|style="text-align:left;"|

|193

|Win

|163–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Tony Anthony

|KO

|7 (15)

|Sep 20, 1957

|style="text-align:left;"|

|192

|Win

|162–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Alain Cherville

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Jun 2, 1957

|style="text-align:left;"|

|191

|Win

|161–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Hans Kalbfell

|UD

|10

|May 1, 1957

|style="text-align:left;"|

|190

|Loss

|160–21–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Floyd Patterson

|KO

|5 (15)

|Nov 30, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|189

|Win

|160–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Roy Shire

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Sep 8, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|188

|Win

|159–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|James J. Parker

|TKO

|9 (15)

|Jul 25, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|187

|Win

|158–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Yolande Pompey

|TKO

|10 (15)

|Jun 5, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|186

|Win

|157–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Gene Thompson

|KO

|3 (10)

|Apr 30, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|185

|Win

|156–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Sonny Andrews

|KO

|4 (10)

|Apr 26, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|184

|Win

|155–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|George Parmentier

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Apr 16, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|183

|Win

|154–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Willie Bean

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Apr 10, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|182

|Win

|153–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Howard King

|UD

|10

|Mar 27, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|181

|Win

|152–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Frankie Daniels

|UD

|10

|Mar 17, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|180

|Win

|151–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Dunlap

|KO

|1 (10)

|Feb 27, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|179

|Win

|150–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"| Howard King

|UD

|10

|Feb 20, 1956

|style="text-align:left;"|

|178

|Loss

|149–20–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Rocky Marciano

|KO

|9 (15)

|Sep 21, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|177

|Win

|149–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Bobo Olson

|KO

|3 (15)

|Jun 22, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|176

|Win

|148–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Niño Valdés

|PTS

|15

|May 2, 1955

|style="text-align:left;"|

|175

|Win

|147–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Harold Johnson

|TKO

|14 (15)

|Aug 11, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|174

|Win

|146–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Bert Whitehurst

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Jun 7, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|173

|Win

|145–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Baker

|TKO

|9 (10)

|Mar 9, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|172

|Win

|144–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Joey Maxim

|UD

|15

|Jan 27, 1954

|style="text-align:left;"|

|171

|Win

|143–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Dogomar Martinez

|PTS

|10

|Sep 12, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|170

|Win

|142–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Rinaldo Ansaloni

|TKO

|4 (10)

|Aug 22, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|169

|Win

|141–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Joey Maxim

|UD

|15

|Jun 24, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|168

|Win

|140–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Frank Buford

|TKO

|9 (10)

|Mar 30, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|167

|Win

|139–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Al Spaulding

|KO

|3 (10)

|Mar 17, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|166

|Win

|138–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Niño Valdés

|UD

|10

|Mar 11, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|165

|Win

|137–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Sonny Andrews

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Mar 3, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|164

|Win

|136–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Leonard Dugan

|TKO

|8 (10)

|Feb 16, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|163

|Win

|135–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Toxie Hall

|KO

|4 (10)

|Jan 27, 1953

|style="text-align:left;"|

|162

|Win

|134–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Joey Maxim

|UD

|15

|Dec 17, 1952

|style="text-align:left;"|

|align=left|

|161

|Win

|133–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Clinton Bacon

|TKO

|4 (10)

|Jul 25, 1952

|style="text-align:left;"|

|160

|Win

|132–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Clarence Henry

|UD

|10

|Jun 26, 1952

|style="text-align:left;"|

|159

|Win

|131–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Dunlap

|KO

|6 (10)

|May 19, 1952

|style="text-align:left;"|

|158

|Win

|130–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Slade

|UD

|10

|Feb 27, 1952

|style="text-align:left;"|

|157

|Win

|129–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Harold Johnson

|UD

|10

|Jan 29, 1952

|style="text-align:left;"|

|156

|Loss

|128–19–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Harold Johnson

|UD

|10

|Dec 10, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|155

|Win

|128–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Chubby Wright

|TKO

|7 (10)

|Oct 29, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|154

|Win

|127–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Harold Johnson

|UD

|10

|Sep 25, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|153

|Win

|126–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Embrel Davidson

|KO

|1 (10)

|Sep 5, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|152

|Win

|125–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Alfredo Lagay

|KO

|3 (10)

|Aug 17, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|151

|Win

|124–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Rafael Miranda

|TKO

|4 (10)

|Aug 5, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|150

|Win

|123–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Americo Capitanelli

|KO

|3 (10)

|Jul 28, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|149

|Win

|122–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Victor Carabajal

|KO

|3 (12)

|Jul 26, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|148

|Win

|121–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Vicente Quiroz

|RTD

|6 (10)

|Jul 14, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|147

|Win

|120–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Alberto Santiago Lovell

|KO

|1 (12)

|Jul 7, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|146

|Draw

|119–18–8

|style="text-align:left;"|Karel Sys

|PTS

|12

|Jun 23, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|145

|Win

|119–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Abel Cestac

|RTD

|9 (12)

|Jun 9, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|144

|Win

|118–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Art Henri

|TKO

|4 (10)

|May 14, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|143

|Win

|117–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Herman Harris

|TKO

|4 (10)

|Apr 26, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|142

|Win

|116–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Abel Cestac

|UD

|10

|Mar 13, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|141

|Win

|115–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Bivins

|TKO

|9 (10)

|Feb 21, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|140

|Win

|114–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|John Thomas

|KO

|1 (10)

|Jan 28, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|139

|Win

|113–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Oakland Billy Smith

|TKO

|8 (10)

|Jan 2, 1951

|style="text-align:left;"|

|138

|Win

|112–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Vernon Williams

|KO

|2 (10)

|Jul 31, 1950

|style="text-align:left;"|

|137

|Win

|111–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Bert Lytell

|UD

|10

|Jan 31, 1950

|style="text-align:left;"|

|136

|Win

|110–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Leonard Morrow

|KO

|10 (15)

|Dec 13, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|135

|Win

|109–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Williams

|KO

|8 (10)

|Dec 6, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|134

|Win

|108–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Phil Muscato

|KO

|6 (10)

|Oct 24, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|133

|Win

|107–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Amos

|UD

|10

|Oct 4, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|132

|Win

|106–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Esco Greenwood

|TKO

|2 (10)

|Jul 29, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|131

|Win

|105–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Sikes

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Jun 27, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|130

|Loss

|104–18–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Clinton Bacon

|DQ

|6 (10)

|Jun 13, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|129

|Win

|104–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Harold Johnson

|UD

|10

|Apr 26, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|128

|Win

|103–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Bivins

|KO

|8 (10)

|Apr 11, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|127

|Win

|102–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Dusty Wilkerson

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Mar 23, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|126

|Win

|101–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Alabama Kid

|KO

|3 (10)

|Mar 4, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|125

|Win

|100–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Satterfield

|KO

|3 (10)

|Jan 31, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|124

|Win

|99–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Alabama Kid

|KO

|4 (10)

|Jan 10, 1949

|style="text-align:left;"|

|123

|Win

|98–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Williams

|KO

|7 (10)

|Dec 27, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|122

|Win

|97–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Amos

|UD

|10

|Dec 6, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|121

|Win

|96–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Henry Hall

|UD

|10

|Nov 15, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|120

|Loss

|95–17–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Lloyd Gibson

|DQ

|4 (10)

|Nov 1, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|119

|Loss

|95–16–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Henry Hall

|PTS

|10

|Oct 15, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|118

|Win

|95–15–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Oakland Billy Smith

|KO

|4 (10)

|Sep 20, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|117

|Win

|94–15–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Ted Lowry

|UD

|10

|Aug 2, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|116

|Win

|93–15–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Bivins

|MD

|10

|Jun 28, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|115

|Loss

|92–15–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Leonard Morrow

|KO

|1 (12)

|Jun 2, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|114

|Win

|92–14–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Oakland Billy Smith

|UD

|10

|May 5, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|113

|Win

|91–14–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Williams

|KO

|7 (10)

|Apr 19, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|112

|Win

|90–14–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Dusty Wilkerson

|TKO

|7 (10)

|Apr 12, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|111

|Loss

|89–14–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Ezzard Charles

|KO

|8 (15)

|Jan 13, 1948

|style="text-align:left;"|

|110

|Win

|89–13–7

|style="text-align:left;"|George Fitch

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Nov 10, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|109

|Win

|88–13–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Bivins

|TKO

|8 (10)

|Sep 8, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|108

|Win

|87–13–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Bobby Zander

|PTS

|12

|Jul 30, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|107

|Win

|86–13–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Bert Lytell

|UD

|10

|Jul 14, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|106

|Win

|85–13–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Curtis Sheppard

|UD

|10

|Jun 16, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|105

|Loss

|84–13–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Ezzard Charles

|MD

|10

|May 5, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|104

|Win

|84–12–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Rusty Payne

|PTS

|10

|Apr 11, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|103

|Win

|83–12–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Chase

|KO

|9 (10)

|Mar 18, 1947

|style="text-align:left;"|

|102

|Draw

|82–12–7

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Chase

|PTS

|10

|Nov 6, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|101

|Draw

|82–12–6

|style="text-align:left;"|Oakland Billy Smith

|PTS

|12

|Oct 23, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|100

|Win

|82–12–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy O'Brien

|TKO

|2 (10)

|Sep 9, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|99

|Win

|81–12–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Buddy Walker

|KO

|4 (10)

|Aug 19, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|98

|Loss

|80–12–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Ezzard Charles

|UD

|10

|May 20, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|97

|Win

|80–11–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Vern Escoe

|TKO

|7 (10)

|May 2, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|96

|Win

|79–11–5

|style="text-align:left;"|George Parks

|KO

|1 (10)

|Feb 5, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|95

|Win

|78–11–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Curtis Sheppard

|UD

|12

|Jan 28, 1946

|style="text-align:left;"|

|94

|Win

|77–11–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Colion Chaney

|KO

|5 (10)

|Dec 13, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|93

|Win

|76–11–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Holman Williams

|TKO

|11 (12)

|Nov 26, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|92

|Win

|75–11–5

|style="text-align:left;"|O'Dell Riley

|KO

|6 (10)

|Nov 12, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|91

|Loss

|74–11–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Holman Williams

|MD

|10

|Oct 22, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|90

|Win

|74–10–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Cocoa Kid

|KO

|8 (10)

|Sep 17, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|89

|Loss

|73–10–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Bivins

|KO

|6 (10)

|Aug 22, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|88

|Win

|73–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Lloyd Marshall

|TKO

|10 (10)

|Jun 26, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|87

|Win

|72–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|George Kochan

|TKO

|6 (10)

|Jun 18, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|86

|Win

|71–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Lloyd Marshall

|UD

|10

|May 21, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|85

|Win

|70–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Teddy Randolph

|TKO

|9 (10)

|Apr 23, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|84

|Win

|69–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Nate Bolden

|UD

|10

|Apr 2, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|83

|Win

|68–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Napoleon Mitchell

|KO

|6 (8)

|Feb 12, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|82

|Win

|67–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Jacobs

|TKO

|9 (10)

|Jan 29, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|81

|Win

|66–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Joey Jones

|TKO

|2 (8)

|Jan 11, 1945

|style="text-align:left;"|

|80

|Win

|65–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Nate Bolden

|UD

|10

|Dec 18, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|79

|Win

|64–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Battling Monroe

|KO

|6 (10)

|Sep 1, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|78

|Win

|63–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Hayden

|KO

|5 (10)

|Aug 18, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|77

|Win

|62–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Lloyd Kip Mays

|KO

|3 (10)

|Aug 11, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|76

|Win

|61–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Kenny LaSalle

|PTS

|10

|May 19, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|75

|Loss

|60–9–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Burley

|PTS

|10

|Apr 21, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|74

|Win

|60–8–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Roman Starr

|TKO

|2 (10)

|Mar 24, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|73

|Loss

|59–8–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Eddie Booker

|TKO

|8 (10)

|Jan 21, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|72

|Win

|59–7–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Amado Rodriguez

|KO

|1 (10)

|Jan 7, 1944

|style="text-align:left;"|

|71

|Win

|58–7–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Chase

|MD

|10

|Nov 26, 1943

|style="text-align:left;"|

|70

|Win

|57–7–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Kid Hermosillo

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Nov 4, 1943

|style="text-align:left;"|

|69

|Loss

|56–7–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Aaron Wade

|PTS

|10

|Aug 16, 1943

|style="text-align:left;"|

|68

|Loss

|56–6–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Chase

|UD

|15

|Aug 2, 1943

|style="text-align:left;"|

|67

|Win

|56–5–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Eddie Cerda

|KO

|3 (10)

|Jul 28, 1943

|style="text-align:left;"|

|66

|Win

|55–5–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Big Boy Hogue

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Jul 22, 1943

|style="text-align:left;"|

|65

|Win

|54–5–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Chase

|UD

|15

|May 8, 1943

|style="text-align:left;"|

|64

|Draw

|53–5–5

|style="text-align:left;"|Eddie Booker

|PTS

|12

|Dec 11, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|63

|Win

|53–5–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Chase

|UD

|10

|Nov 27, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|62

|Win

|52–5–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Tabby Romero

|KO

|2 (10)

|Nov 6, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|61

|Win

|51–5–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Shorty Hogue

|TKO

|2 (10)

|Oct 30, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|60

|Win

|50–5–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Casino

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Mar 18, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|59

|Win

|49–5–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Al Globe

|TKO

|2 (10)

|Feb 27, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|58

|Win

|48–5–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Bobby Britt

|KO

|3 (10)

|Jan 28, 1942

|style="text-align:left;"|

|57

|Draw

|47–5–4

|style="text-align:left;"|Eddie Booker

|PTS

|10

|Feb 20, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|56

|Loss

|47–5–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Shorty Hogue

|PTS

|10

|Jan 31, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|55

|Win

|47–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Clay Rowan

|KO

|1 (10)

|Jan 17, 1941

|style="text-align:left;"|

|54

|Win

|46–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Pancho Ramirez

|TKO

|5 (10)

|Oct 18, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|53

|Win

|45–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Ron Richards

|PTS

|12

|Jul 11, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|52

|Win

|44–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Fred Henneberry

|TKO

|7 (12)

|Jun 27, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|51

|Win

|43–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Frank Lindsay

|KO

|4 (12)

|May 27, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|50

|Win

|42–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Joe Delaney

|KO

|2 (12)

|May 18, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|49

|Win

|41–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Atilio Sabatino

|TKO

|5 (12)

|May 9, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|48

|Win

|40–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Ron Richards

|TKO

|10 (12)

|Apr 18, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|47

|Win

|39–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack McNamee

|TKO

|4 (12)

|Mar 30, 1940

|style="text-align:left;"|

|46

|Loss

|38–4–3

|style="text-align:left;"| Shorty Hogue

|PTS

|Dec 29, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|45

|Win

|38–3–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Honeyboy Jones

|PTS

|10

|Dec 7, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|44

|Win

|37–3–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Day

|KO

|1 (10)

|Nov 27, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|43

|Draw

|36–3–3

|style="text-align:left;"|Freddie Dixon

|TD

|8 (10)

|Nov 13, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|align=left|

|42

|Win

|36–3–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Bobby Seaman

|TKO

|7 (10)

|Sep 22, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|41

|Win

|35–3–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Coggins

|PTS

|10

|Sep 1, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|40

|style="background:#DDD"|

|34–3–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Jack Coggins

|NC

|8 (10)

|Jul 21, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|39

|Loss

|34–3–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Teddy Yarosz

|UD

|10

|Apr 20, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|38

|Win

|34–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Marty Simmons

|UD

|10

|Mar 16, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|37

|Win

|33–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Domenico Ceccarelli

|KO

|1 (10)

|Mar 2, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|36

|Win

|32–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"| Jack Moran

|KO

|1 (10)

|Jan 20, 1939

|style="text-align:left;"|

|35

|Win

|31–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Bob Turner

|KO

|2 (8)

|Dec 7, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|34

|Win

|30–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Ray Lyle

|KO

|2 (10)

|Nov 22, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|33

|Win

|29–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Bobby Yannes

|TKO

|2 (10)

|Oct 19, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|32

|Win

|28–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Tom Henry

|TKO

|4 (6)

|Sep 27, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|31

|Win

|27–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Frank Rowsey

|TKO

|3 (10)

|Sep 16, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|30

|Win

|26–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Romero

|KO

|8 (10)

|Sep 2, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|29

|Win

|25–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Lorenzo Pedro

|PTS

|10

|Aug 5, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|28

|Win

|24–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Sikes

|KO

|1 (10)

|Jul 22, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|27

|Loss

|23–2–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Romero

|PTS

|10

|Jun 24, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|26

|Win

|23–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Ray Vargas

|KO

|3 (10)

|May 27, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|25

|Win

|22–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Jimmy Brent

|KO

|1 (6)

|May 20, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|24

|Win

|21–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Karl Lautenschlager

|TKO

|2 (5)

|Jan 7, 1938

|style="text-align:left;"|

|23

|Win

|20–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Sammy Jackson

|KO

|8 (10)

|Dec 1, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|22

|Win

|19–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Sammy Christian

|PTS

|Nov 16, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|21

|Win

|18–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Chuck Vickers

|KO

|2 (10)

|Nov 9, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|20

|Win

|17–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Dawson

|TKO

|5 (5)

|Sep 17, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|19

|Win

|16–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Sammy Slaughter

|PTS

|10

|Sep 9, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|18

|Loss

|15–1–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Adams

|PTS

|Sep 1, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|17

|Win

|15–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Deacon Logan

|KO

|3 (5)

|Aug 19, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|16

|Win

|14–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Frank Hatfield

|KO

|1 (8)

|Jul 21, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|15

|Win

|13–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Al Dublinsky

|KO

|3 (?)

|Jun 1, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|14

|Win

|12–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Doty Turner

|KO

|1 (8)

|May 28, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|13

|Win

|11–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Carl Martin

|RTD

|1 (8)

|Apr 23, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|12

|Win

|10–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Charley Dawson

|PTS

|Apr 9, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|11

|Win

|9–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Ham Pounder

|KO

|2 (8)

|Mar 23, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|10

|Win

|8–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Joe Huff

|KO

|3 (5)

|Feb 2, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Draw

|7–0–2

|style="text-align:left;"|Sammy Jackson

|PTS

|Jan 29, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|7–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Johnny Davis

|KO

|4 (8)

|Jan 18, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|6–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Mack Payne

|KO

|1 (8)

|Jan 5, 1937

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|5–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Sammy Jackson

|PTS

|Oct 9, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|4–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Murray Allen

|KO

|2 (6)

|Sep 30, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Draw

|3–0–1

|style="text-align:left;"|Sammy Christian

|PTS

|Aug 4, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|3–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Murray Allen

|PTS

|Jul 14, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|2–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Kid Pocahuntas

|KO

|3 (8)

|Jan 1, 1936

|style="text-align:left;"|

|Win

|1–0

|style="text-align:left;"|Billy Simms

|KO

|2 (4)

|Sep 3, 1935

|style="text-align:left;"|

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

NYSAC light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)
NBA (WBA) light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

The Ring light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)

Regional/International titles

California State middleweight champion (160 lbs)
California State light heavyweight champion (175 lbs)

Undisputed titles

Undisputed light heavyweight champion

Honorary titles

World heavyweight champion of Nevada
American heavyweight champion

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

Archie Moore – CBZ Profile

Early life

Boxing career

First retirement and comeback

Acting career

Humanitarian

Personal life

Death

Filmography

Legacy

Professional boxing record

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

The Ring magazine titles

Regional/International titles

Undisputed titles

Honorary titles

See also

Notes and references

Notes

References

Further reading

External links