Why isn't the Duran/Moore fight questioned more?

The ref was one of the worst ive ever seen, it was like he was admiring Duran beating the life out of davey moore, as if it was picasso painting his masterpiece. He's supposed to protect the fighter!! and WTF was the corner thinking not throwing the towel? Their guy was stumbling around like a drunk, he had demonstrated that he didnt have the power or the accuracy to hurt duran, and its not like he was gonna get any stronger while receiving that beating.... What was the point of Moore being in the ring taking that punishment?

 

I agree. It was like it was "let's give Davey brain damage night" or something.

My only exlanation for his corner not throwing the towel in was that their guy was the champion, his punches even near the end of the fight carried some steam on them and that they were hoping for a hail mary lucky KO.

But imho after Duran brutally put Moore to the canvas the writing was on the wall. If he couldn't do it in the first couple of rounds when he was actually having some success, then he sure as heck wasn't going to do it with Duran in war mode and with himself busted up as badly as he was. Roberto's body punching was devastating in that one.

 

Panama Lewis was in the corner of various fighters for hundreds, maybe over a thousand fights. Do you think everyone of those fights were corrupted?

Luis Resto was known to lack punching power, Duran was known as Hands of Stone. Lewis probably figured Resto need an illegal advantage to keep Collins off of Resto.

Duran/Moore simply came down to big punching, very good young fighter fighting an all time great who had gotten his chit together. Moore's punches had no effect on Duran and Duran's short straight punches and body work slowly dismemebred Moore.

 

He might have been but l've watched the fight numerous times and l've never seen when it may have happened. To me it's speculation unless it can be shown.

 

That's a very sound position, I'd say.

 

I don't think that is a fair accusation, if you are suggesting that Duran cheated against Moore, why that fight, instead of one of the other 120 or so fights he had? I could see him thumbing, or fighting dirty in the heat of the moment, although I didn't see the thumb in the fight, but the eye suggests it, but I don't see per-meditated cheating from him. Just my opinion.
Even up to 160lbs, Duran could really hit, if you were there for a counter right, ask Barkley.
I think the fact that Duran was a lot harder to hit clean that Moore's camp thought, Hagler mentioned that too, in his career, he really wasn't hit flush that much, and Moore didn't bring the blinding speed of someone like Hearns that allowed him to overcome that.
Roberto found someone young, strong, and inexperienced, with questionable defense coming at him, and he eats those kind of fighters up.
Refereeing aside, which was bad, what about Moore's corner? After about round 2, it became one sided, and after about round 5, it should have been stopped by them, it was brutal, and it was very sad that people seemed more happy to see Duran redeemed than to give a thought to the young career they were potentially ruining.
It would have been interesting instead, a few years later, to see Moore and Norris, or Mugabi, but that was never to be.
I think they didn't realize that unlike someone like Gary Guiden, who could also hit hard, Duran could take a hell of a shot, and was hard to hit on top of that.
Actually think Moore could have been something still, he came back against Benitez, but then seemed to lose the plot, and that stupid accident.

 

At the time, few thought it was a mismatch

Yes, Moore had only 12 fights, but had stopped the very capable Kalule and made a couple of other defenses.

Meanwhile, Duran had been beaten by Kirkland Lang only 9 months earlier, and though he beat Cuevas after that, Cuevas was thought (well, acutally was) to be shot.

Duran simply exploited Moore's shoddy defense.

Moore was a very good offensive fighter, very polished offensively for a guy with that few pro fights, but had shown below average defense against Kalule.

 

Other than the 1st sentence, this is a great post. Cheers, Saad. Perfectly put