Archie Moore Quotes on the Marciano fight

Don't have the book in front of me, but Bob Bearden, a big Marciano fan, sent me an Archie Moore quote from the book 'The Rock of His Times' (Russell Sullivan):


"He doesn't let you fight your fight... It's like fighting an airplane
propeller. The blades keep whirling past your ear and over your head... He
kept changing the speed and rhythm of his propellers. That threw me off."

 

Yep, I recall something like that. Like fighting Marciano was fighting a windmill.

Later in life older Moore said something like, "I thought I could beat any man that I could hit and Marciano wasn't too difficult to hit. But he was just a hard hitting, slam bam, didn't give a damn."

Foreman said Moore said "My arms... he punched them so much they hurt."

 

Yep, I recall that apart of the quote too. Not a great boxer but a great puncher or fighter... something like that. True of Moore. :yep

 

Archie came out with some great quotes.


"I'm not saying that Cassius would beat Liston,but I'm sure he would furnish him with an interesting evening"

 

Marciano doesn't look that great on film, but he was a great fighter I would back him against almost anyone.

 

I also remember an article where Archie blamed the ref for him losing, something about the ref protecting Rocky after the KD. He seemed very bitter.

 

He also repeated this in Peter Heller's In This Corner. " ... He grabbed Marciano's gloves and began to wipe Marciano's gloves and look over his shoulder and gave Marciano a count standing up. If a man is on his feet, he is automatically a target. This is what was told us at that noon, but he forgot all about it and he began to rub his gloves and then he gave him a snatch, you know, kind of to pull him to. I'll never forget it. It cost me the heavyweight title." Watching the fight film shows it different than Archie remembered it.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b0yHvw-vW0[/ame]

 

I do remember that the film did not back up whatever he was saying. And Marciano was a rare, rare beast.

 

This is Marciano's most impressive performance to me. Watch how he pins Moore on the ropes and gives him absolutely no breathing space and throws so many punches that Moore cant do anything but bob, weave, and get hit.

Its really remarkable. I cant recall ever seeing another heavyweight, Frazier included, with a work rate as high as Marciano showed in that fight.

 

Believe me I dont mean that denigrate Moore. Hes one of my favorites. But there are long stretches where he is on the ropes and you literally see the exasperation on his face as he has no opportunity. Marciano was throwing so many punches it was ridiculous.

 

Moore was one of those rare guys who could fight as either Lightheavy or Hvyweight without really losing anything.

Moore was a great fighter in his own right the night he met Marciano.