An 8x10 B/W Photo signed by Light Heavyweight
Boxing Legends Archie Moore and Joey Maxim. Action Photo
from the 1952 fight!
Moore vs Maxim £95.00
ARCHIE MOORE fought for an incredible 27
years and knocked out more opponents -- 141 victims -- than
anyone else in the history of boxing. He became the light
heavyweight champion at the age of 39 and is the only man
to have fought both Rocky Marciano and Muhammad Ali.
Moore, who turned pro in 1936, debuted in the world rankings
as a middleweight in the early 1940s. By 1945, Moore moved
up to light heavyweight and although he was continually
passed over for a title shot, he remained a fixture in the
175-pound rankings. Finally, in 1952, four days after his
39th birthday, Moore secured a shot against light heavyweight
champion Joey Maxim. He won the title by decision and held
onto it for nearly a decade.
WHAT Joey Maxim lacked in power, he made up
for with outstanding boxing ability. Although he only scored
21 knockouts in 115 carerr bouts, he managed to beat some
of the best fighters of his era.
Maxim turned pro in Cleveland at the age of 18 in 1941.
Within his first 11 fights he decisioned contenders Nate
Bolden and Red Burman. His sophomore campaign didn't get
any easier as Maxim dropped a decision to Jimmy Bivins and
two decisions to Ezzard Charles.
While Maxim continued his march toward the
top of the light heavyweight division, he would occasionally
stray into the heavyweight ranks. In 1946 he beat Jersey
Joe Walcott and in '48 he avenged his loss to Bivins, who
was now campaigning as a heavyweight.
On February 28, 1949, Maxim dropped another
fight to Charles but followed that loss three months later
with a 15-round win over Gus Lesnevich for the vacant American
light heavyweight title. On January 24, the following yera,
Maxim traveled to England to challenge world champion Freddie
Mills. Considered a big underdog, Maxim shocked the capacity
crowd at Earl's Court in London and knocked Mills out in
the 10th round to win the world light heavyweight crown.
On May 30, 1951, Maxim would meet Charles
yet again. This time, Charles' heavyweight title was at
stake. But the result was the same as Charles scored another
points win. In five meetings, Charles was able to get the
best of Maxim each time.
Maxim returned to the light heavyweigh ranks
and on June 25, 1952, he defended his title against middleweight
king Sugar Ray Robinson at Yankee Stadium. There were 48,000
people at the Stadium, enduring 100-degree temperatures,
just to watch Robinson attempt to win a world title in a
third weight class. Sugar Ray was outboxing Maxim when the
summer heat and Maxim's punches began to take their toll.
Suffering from fatigue and dehydration, Robinson, who was
ahead on the scorecards, failed to answer the bell for the
14th round.
Maxim would lose the light heavyweight crown
to Archie Moore on December 17, 1952. He would fight Moore
two more times over the next two years -- with the title
on the line in each fight -- but Moore managed to decision
Maxim in each meeting.
Maxim's last stand was a win over future Hall-of-Famer
and future heavyweight king Floyd Patterson on June 7, 1954
at the Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn, New York.
