A deeper dive on Archie Moore's greatness.

Paints a tremendously mundane picture for such a monumental event, doesn't it? Also, if accurate, puts the lie to the myth that Stanley puled his own gun on his assailant whose rifle he was 'staring down the barrel of' which I read recently. Maybe in the thread on stories in boxing.

Back to 'The Sweet Science'. There was another line in the Johnson-Moore fight description of AJ's that I love. Harold was fighting a cautious fight and leading on the cards when he started throwing some serious leather. I'll let AJ take over.

'Don't go mad, Harold.' shouted Johnson's corner. Apprehension seldom had less basis.

Or his description of Jersey Joe after Rocky 'trun' that famed right hand in which he 'flowed down like flour out of a chute'.

No other sport inspires the word artist (or painter or, indeed, photographer) like boxing imo.

 

Hi Eddie.
From Peter Wilson : " that right, that terrifying right, it left Walcott looking down his own spine "
stay safe buddy.

 

I like his description of Rocky Marciano turning to return to his corner (AJ was seated behind the corner) after Archie Moore fixed him with the stare at the referees instructions.

Liebling said Marciano looked like “a Great Dane who has just heard the word ‘bone.”

 

Scooby Dooby Doo!!

Honestly. AJ Liebling was physically incapable of writing a word that failed to entertain. I'm going to have to read it again.

 

That essay, which I have read innumerable times, should be compulsory reading in every school to show kids how beautiful words can be.

I'd implore the kids to read it and then don't disregard that in favour of ten second videos of people you don't know doing something that you couldn't, if your life depended on it, explain why anybody should give the slightest sh1t about just so a few people who you don't know and, equally, don't give a sh1t about say they like it.. Even though they, if their life depended on it, couldn't explain why anyone would give the first sh1t about it.

Don't even get me started on the state of boxing nowadays when, as far as I can tell, the entire top ten of the heavyweight division is aged over 35. Archie Moore is late 30s in this article. It's commented on frequently. Nowadays, being 39 and competing at boxing's highest level doesn't raise an eyebrow. Says it all.

 

I 'liked' this comment. We need a new tab along with 'like' which says, I don't know, 'Love more than my wife' for posts like this.

Mind you, given the state of relations Chez Ezzard, I might be ranking all posts with it. Even old NoNeck might get a few.

 

One of the best threads ever. Cheers to the TS and all the contributors.