Some Rocky fans in rebuttal to my producing quotes from Archie that his legs were gone by the time he fought Marciano, have stated that they see no discernable difference in Moore's movement from the Richards fights up until then .Anyway thanks for posting this ,Richards was a very good fighter.
Does anyone else think that at that weight, a skinny Moore looks like Shane Moseley? I don't mean his fighting style, just his physical appearance. Amazing how Moore fought at 160 and at 188 and was great at both weights. Wasn't fat, either. I guess sucking the blood from meat really does work. Better than drinking your own urine.
That is great footage of Archie Moore in action while fighting Ron Richards in a bout in Australia during 1940. By the way, Joe Wallis, a longtime Australian referee, was the portly third man in the bout. According to reports, Moore had quite a bit of praise for Wallis. - Chuck Johnston
Moore had a stomach disorder that prevented him from gaining weight. Once he had surgery in 1942 and briefly retired, he began to steadily gain weight appropriate for his body frame over the next couple years, out growing 160 within a year and half and moving to Light Heavy. He started the meat chewing trick in the 50s when he was basically a full fledged 50s HW but was cutting weight periodically to make title defenses at Light Heavyweight.
I've seen this footage before. Moore is much more crude than the crafty sharp shooting LHW and HW version we see on film in the late 40s and 50s. Here he is a big MW employing mauling and powerhouse tactics.
