Matthew Saad Muhammad vs. Archie Moore

Absolutely not! Depending on how aggressive he is, Archie could sent Matt into assisted living with a protracted beating. This isn't Marvin Johnson or Yaqui Lopez we're discussing throwing him in with.

Sir, I question your sense of humanity! [Then again, I question your sense of humanity throwing poor Matthew in there with virtually any ATG LHW not named Loughran, Rosenbloom, Maxim or Pastrano.]

 

NO...Not even if I stretch my Philly bias to the maximum extent.

 

Then it's The Phantom of Philly against The Ole' Mongoose for you?:think

 

With all due respect to Saad, Archie was a giant step up ... no one who got hit as easily as Saad survives Archie Moore ..

 

Archie by Ko, Moore is much better than a game but out classed Saad

 

Moore wins in devastating fashion. Muhammad was super tough,but Archie was better in all departments.

 

If Yvon Durelle could drop Moore multiple times and nearly stop him then Saad would sure have a chance. Saad was a fighting demon who would never quit. Interesting fight to be sure. Moore probably has the edge.

 

The problem with the Durelle analogy is that Yvon dropped him those multiple times in the opening round.

Matt ranks alongside Michael Spinks and Carlos Palomino as one of the slowest starting HOF punchers ever, with nary a prime career first round knockout [or even knockdown] between them.

Archie generated around 16 first round knockouts [his one punch starching of big Embrell Davidson is on youtube] and additional opening round knockdowns. Sure, there were the Morrow I and Durelle I anomalies, but Moore is, I think, entitled to a bit of slack for this in his long career, as he did it far, far more often than it was done to him.

Saad Muhammad would need to rally from his invariably slow start against an opponent both Hatchetman Sheppard and Tiger Ted Lowry identified as the hardest puncher they ever fought, the only man to ever stop the cagey Bert Whitehurst twice [the second time immediately before a "young" up and coming Liston failed to do it even once].

This isn't a question of who wins, but how Archie does it. He crushed heavyweight contenders into 1962 [when he ruined Lavorante]. Matt's strictly a LHW, and a slow starting one at that. Moore did get up to knock Durelle out, and he was otherwise on a different level entirely when coming in under 175 after 1951. [He was not conclusively defeated at 175 after Morrow I in 1948, and not by anybody weighing under that limit after Harold Johnson III was decided by the margin of referee Ted Jamieson's ruled foul penalty for a fifth round low blow. If you wanted to manage Archie successfully through multiple bouts at 175, you had better be a peak pre-Baroudi Ezzard Charles.

Speaking of Baroudi makes me contemplate Lavorante again. Moore sent guys to the hospital. Matt was indeed a fighting demon who would not quit, and also utilized a statuesque upright posture which didn't afford him much defensive evasion. He was also a bleeder. He pays for his guts and availability to get hit here, and likely leaves the arena in an ambulance.

 

Maxim was a different type fighter vs Saad. Boxer vs a puncher.

Saad was one of my fav fighters back in the 70s....most all his bouts we're shown live on CBS TV. He had tremendous recuperative ability and hit like a hammer with his right. Certainly with that level of power anything could happen but with the best Moore he more than likely gets outboxed and stopped. Moore had similar power and he could box...soften up Saad....before landing a ko blow. Pick here is a slow beat down ending in a sixth round ko.

 

Maxim-Saad Muhammad would be Saad Muhammad-Conteh I without the late rally and fight saving 14th round knockdowns by Matt. Joey hold wins over two HOF HW Champions. Look at his record. Matthew's not even on the same planet as Maxim. Joey had NINE fights against HOF HW Titlists Charles, Walcott and Patterson, winning two, pushing to SD and MD losses in others, and never sustained a knockdown or stoppage loss in any of them. I'll take Maxim's jab, skills and defense, over Saad's offense any day of the week.

'Saad gets destroyed' because he nearly got killed twice by both Marvin Johnson and Yaqui Lopez, and got dropped on his face by Ritchie Kates. Taking that kind of punishment against Moore places you on a gurney.

He went 2-1 against Hatchetman Sheppard, avenging his only stoppage defeat in their rubber match. [Curtis caught him cold that one time in the opening round, something Matthew NEVER did in world class competition.]

Olson failed to take him out twice when he was pudgy and aging, as Machen also failed to do twice. He beat Satterfield. He split with Bivins, and beat Nardico. Lloyd Marshall couldn't take him out. Moore couldn't stop him in three tries.

"Saad is...his equal in the ability to absorb punishment and take a punch." Are you certain Saad Muhammad goes the limit with all the guys Joey did as often as Maxim did it, from Bivins I and Sheppard I in 1942 to Machen I & II and Olson II in 1957? [Check out Eddie's late 1956 knockout of Nino Valdes on youtube to achieve a full realization of who Maxim took the limit in back to backs the following year.]

 

Moore at his best gives saad Muhammad a methodical, gradual beating. Archie had too much skill for him, not to mention he was a great ko puncher. Muhammad could take a punch I couldn't see him taking moores punches for too many rounds.

 

Moore methodically takes apart Matthew, but his fighting spirit keeps him upright for a unanimous decision loss.