Alejandro Lavorante

This post is misleading, although I personally have never seen a film of the fight. Off the New York Times report, Moore, while battering Lavorante to the body, also scored to the head, especially in the later rounds. The Times describes Lavorante getting knocked into the ropes by a Moore uppercut with the referee immediately stopping the bout. Lavorante then collapsed to the canvas. The Times describes the scene thusly:

"The crowd of 12,500 in the Sports Arena was hushed for a few minutes while Lavorante was apparently unconscious on the canvas"

Later:

"Lavorante was carried from the ring on a stretcher but appeared to regain his senses in a few minutes."

Certainly this is not a good scene and might have contributed to the ultimate tragedy.

The quotes are from the New York Times, March 30, 1962, a reprint of the UPI fight report.

 

Joe Lewis in first AP report:

"Moore, recognized as light-heavyweight champion in California and parts of Europe, blasted away at the gangling gaucho's midsection and referee Tommy Hart halted the bout after 37 seconds of the 10th as Lavorante sagged against the ropes. It is listed as a knockout under California rules.

Lavorante stumbled to his corner and, as Moore waved to a cheering Sports Arena crowd of 13,532, the tired youngster slumped to the floor from his stool. He did not appear to lose consciousness--and tears glistened in his eyes as stretcher attendants carried him to his dressing room."



Looking at the UPI report by Alex Kahn (not in NY Times, and from above quotes, is a different UPI report), it also states that Lavorante was in his corner, when he fell to the canvas, not when the referee stopped the fight. It doesn't mention him being unconscious, only him lying motionless.
"California Athletic Commission doctors reported exhaustion, rather than injury laid him low."


Hank Hollingworth wrote that Lavorante fell off his stool in his corner, immediately after he was put there by his cornermen, and lost his consciousness for about 10 minutes.
"The 46-year old Mongoose riddled the 25-year-old Latin with devastating body punches in every round and fought one of his cagiest bouts."


Bob Myers, another AP writer:

"Lavorante was led to his corner when the fight was stopped by referee Tommy Hart after 37 seconds of the 10th and last round.

As Moore was receiving the cheers of the crowd, Lavorante suddenly collapsed and slumped to the floor from his stool.

Moore, weighing 197, never was able to put his gallant 25-year-old foe down for a count, but referee Tommy Hart stopped it after 38 seconds of the last round when Lavorante, floundering wildly around the ring was ibviously unable to defend himself.

...

Lavorante collapsed in his corner several minutes after the finish and his handlers and the California Athletic Commission doctor, Robert Rocke, hurried to the ring to administer to him.

...

The Argentine was staggered. He came out for the ninth on obviously weak legs. Moore closed in promptly with a left and an overhand right to the jaw and then punished him in the mid-section.

But still Lavorante would not go down.

Lavorante looked tired when he came out for the tenth. It took only a punch or two to send him reeling around the ring and Hart promptly stepped in and ended the contest."


There is a photo where Moore and the referee are holding Lavorante helping him to his corner.


Bill Miller, from semi-local Pasadena newspaper mentions combinations to the head, but also talks about Moore boring in and strong inside work, and solid shots to the body.
One day later Miller also wrote:

"His eyes were clear and he actually was landing some of his better punches," Hart said of the ninth round.

Then exhaustion moved in, and Hart stopped the struggle 38 seconds into the tenth. Actually, only one punch of any note was landed in the final round. That was a shot to the heart on the part of Moore, sending the 25-year-old Argentine prostrate against the ropes.

Just a Precaution.

When they brought a stretcher into the ring to carry Lavorante away, everyone at ringside would have voted for the abolition of boxing. But the stretcher was merely a precaution, and Lavorante soon was chatting and chewing gum in his dressing room to justify Hart's giving him every chance. He also recovered sufficiently to join a post-fight party at the Alexandria Hotel in Los Angeles.

 

Lavorante collapsing off his stool in fact might be more ominous.

I have not seen the film of the fight and I certainly don't know when Lavorante first suffered the brain damage which led to his death, but off reading all of this I do not think it unlikely that it began with this fight. The point is mute, though, as I don't know if they had the sophisticated brain scans they have now. One thing is certain. Lavorante suffered a brutal beating and was carried from the ring on a stretcher.