Former Undisputed Light-Middleweight Champ Dies In Nursing Home.

On June 30th former undisputed light middleweight champion Denny Moyer died in a nursing home in Portland, OR. The champ died of complications that stemmed from pugilistic dementia.

A member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, Denny Moyer racked up wins over names like Emile Griffith, Benny Paret, Joey Giambra, Ray Robinson, and Pat O'Connor. Over the course of a career that spanned 3 decades Moyer routinely mixed it up with the likes of Ray Robinson, Carlos Monzon, Nino Benvenuti, and Vito Antuofermo.

Rest in peace champ.
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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkD9LHu-Ktg[/ame]

 

It's my understanding that Denny Moyer hated to train but loved to party. With better dedication he may have been a very special fighter.

 

Denny Moyer debuted in August 1957. In his very first fight he took on a journeyman with a record of 25-14-4. These days if a prospect with 12-15 fights took on a guy like that, we would normally say it was a good step-up fight. Moyer did it in his first fight.

By July 1959 Moyer was 21-0, and then suffered his first loss at the hands of welterweight champion Don Jordan.

After the Jordan fight Moyer got back to his winning ways, and in March and April of 1960 he split a pair of fights with the late-great Emile Griffith. Griffith was a 9:5 favorite for the first fight, and barely eaked out a split decision. The second fight ended in a close split decision for Moyer. The associated press had this to say: "Few fans, even in Portland, had seen Moyer jab and counter-punch the way he did in this fight with Griffith."

Next came Benny "Kid" Paret. Moyer was the #4 welterweight contender, but Paret was a 3:1 favorite. Denny squeaked out yet another close split decision over one more great fighter.

Moyer went on to split a pair of middleweight fights with an old Ray Robinson, and lose the rubber match with Griffith.

1962 and 1963 saw the inauguration of the Junior Middleweight Division. Moyer won both the WBA and WBC versions of the title in seperate fights. At 154 he was the first WBC champ, first WBA champion, and first undisputed champ. He also won the NABF middleweight title back when that title was more important than most of todays so called "interim" titles, and defended it several tmes.

Like so many fighters before and after him, Moyer stuck around far longer than he should have. In his last fight of consequence he lost to the then 24-1-1 Vito Antuofermo.

It's actually a sad story. This movie trailer shows a few scenes with Denny Moyer. In the end he is the nursiing home patient wearing the bicycle helmet at 1:50.
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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcZPxFQIxvg[/ame]