Was Archie Moore a Heavyweight world champion? (Explanation below)

On boxrec, it says his fight against Nino Valdes was recognised by Nevada as for the Heavyweight World Title, does this put him on the list of former Heavyweight World Champions in your opinion?

 

No.

 

If you think the world comprises entirely of just Nevada, then yes. Just like when Sam Langford became the world champion against Hogue when the world comprised entirely of just England.

 

Nevada = Mob controlled?

 

He was a heavyweight world titlist. I’d say his claim is as good as a lot of ‘other’ world champs in various divisions over the years — just because the WBA or whoever can say ‘these two are fighting for our vacant title and the winner is champion’ doesn’t make it more legit.

 

Certainly not, but viewed in the context of many fight fans who fawn over any & all corrupt bodies today if they produce a trinket belt…people recognise less, often.

I don’t however, & I’d say it’s a resounding no by my standards. What basis is there for this, really?

 

I mean that nearly happened in real time, & had they been able to lay off the booze as a culture, who knows? We’d probably have had space travel by the mid-19th century.

 

It makes me so sad to see England in the state it is - there should be a Union Jack on every flag!

 

I have my share of criticisms of the Brits (they were beyond despicable during the French Revolutionary & Napoléonic Wars), but credit where it’s due - my country wouldn’t be in the place it is today if it had been set up by any other colonial power besides Britain.

 

Our country mate.

 

Yeah, I recognize all titles for what they are. I don't see what the big deal is, no one ever claimed it was a major title.

Ditto for Lang, who had multiples

Monte Masters was a champion. The WAA never was major. Why strip Monte of his unter title that never really meant anything?

Was Pov a champion? Sure, but not a major title champion. Get me?

 

Jack Kearns certainly went round telling everyone that Moore and Valdes were fighting for "the world heavyweight championship of Nevada". This was on the grounds that Marciano had forfeited his right to the title by ducking them both. I don't think the Nevada commission ever actually recognised it, though.

https://ibb.co/RDPkbG2

 

Yes. An important detail about this that gets glossed over is that Marciano was never supposed to fight again after Cockell and if not for his loss to Marciano Moore would have continued to consolidate recognition at this point.

Moore won a second world title fight with flimsy recognition against Parker the following year but the Parker fight is better viewed as part of a tournament.

 

At the time, Moore was the light-heavyweight champion and Valdez was the RIng's #2 fighter at Heavyweight behind Marciano. In a world of multiple alphabet titles, this would certainly have qualified as a legitimate match up for a belt had one been vacant.

In the real world of the time, there was 1 undisputed champion who was agreed upon by the NBA, NYSAC and Ring, and that was Rocky Marciano. He had won the titles from Walcott in 1952, won a rematch in 1953, defended against Ring #4 LaStarza in 1953, defended twice against former champion and Ring #3 Charles in 1954, and was scheduled to fight Ring #3 Cockell in May 1955. There was no question of him being an inactive champion or him not fighting good contenders.

The fight between Moore and Valdez was therefore in reality a fight to decide who would get the next shot at the title, which ultimately was Moore who fought and lost against the champion in September 1955, just 4 months after this fight.

 

Marciano was about to retire and had to be convinced to fight Moore one last time. That was the purpose of making a new belt not Marcianos inactivity.