# Davey Moore (boxer, born 1933)

David Schultz "Davey" Moore (November 1, 1933 – March 25, 1963) was an American Undisputed Featherweight Champion boxer who fought professionally from 1953 to 1963. A resident of Springfield, Ohio, Moore was one of two world champions to share the name in the second half of the 20th century. The second, Davey Moore (born 1959), boxed during the 1980s.
Moore died on March 25, 1963, aged 29, as a result of injuries sustained in a match against Sugar Ramos.

## Career highlights

Moore first gained wide attention from his performance on the 1952 U.S. Olympic boxing team, as a bantamweight amateur.
Moore made his professional debut on May 11, 1953, aged 19, beating Willie Reece by a decision in six rounds. He boxed 8 times in 1953, with a total record that year of 6 wins, 1 loss and 1 no contest.
From the beginning of his career through 1956 Moore fought a total of 29 bouts, with a total record of 22–5–1, and 1 no contest. Beginning with his April 10, 1957 fight against Gil Cadilli, Moore had an 18-bout winning streak, ending when he lost to Carlos Morocho Hernández on March 14, 1960, with a TKO. It was during this period, on March 18, 1959, that Moore won the World Featherweight Title from Hogan "Kid" Bassey. Moore retained the title through the remainder of his career, defending it successfully 5 times, and losing it to Sugar Ramos on March 21, 1963.

## 1952 Olympic results

Below is the record of Davey Moore, an American bantamweight boxer who competed at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics:
* Round of 32: bye
* Round of 16: defeated Egon Schidan (West Germany) by decision, 3–0
* Quarterfinal: lost to Kang Joon-Ho (South Korea) by decision, 1–2

## Last fight and death

Moore was scheduled to face Cuban-Mexican Sugar Ramos in July 1962 at Dodger Stadium, but a torrential typhoon-like rainstorm hit Los Angeles on the night of the fight, so the fight was postponed until March 21, 1963. It was shown on national television in front of a crowd of 22,000. In the tenth round, Ramos staggered Moore with a left and then continued to pummel him with blows until he fell, striking the base of his neck on the bottom rope and injuring his brain stem.
Moore got to his feet for the eight-count and, despite Ramos' continuing attack, managed to finish the round on his feet, but the referee stopped the fight before the eleventh, and Ramos was declared the new World Featherweight Champion. Moore was able to give a clear-headed interview before he left the ring, but in the dressing room fell into a coma from which he never emerged. As Moore fought for life, Pope John XXIII made a statement calling the sport of boxing "barbaric", and "contrary to natural principles". Moore's condition deteriorated, and he died 75 hours after the fight on March 25 at 2:20 a.m. CST in White Memorial Hospital, Los Angeles. His body lay in state at a South Los Angeles funeral home on Tuesday, March 26 for 10 hours; over 10,000 people filed by to pay respects. He was buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield, Ohio.

## Legacy

Bob Dylan wrote a song about Davey Moore's death, posing the question of responsibility. It is titled "Who Killed Davey Moore?" and was also sung by Pete Seeger and Graeme Allwright (in French).
Phil Ochs wrote a song titled "Davey Moore" which told the story of Davey Moore's death and placed the guilt on the managers, the boxing "money men", boxing fans, as well as Davey Moore himself for having too much “pride” to quit the sport.
On September 21, 2013, the 50th anniversary of Moore's final fight, his hometown of Springfield, Ohio, dedicated an 8-foot-tall (2.44 m) bronze statue in his honor. Located in a public green space just south of downtown near his old neighborhood, the dedication attendees included Moore's widow Geraldine and Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos, visiting from Mexico City.
Moore, played by John Bosco Jr., is featured as a character in the movie The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki that won the 'Prize Un Certain Regard' in the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

## Professional boxing record

| 68 fights | 59 wins | 7 losses |
| By knockout | 30 | 2 |
| By decision | 28 | 5 |
| By disqualification | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 68 | Loss | 59–7–1 (1) | Sugar Ramos | RTD | 10 (15), 3:00 | Mar 21, 1963 | Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Lost WBA and The Ring featherweight titles; For inaugural WBC featherweight title; Moore dies two days later of a whiplash to his brain stem after his neck struck the bottom rope of a three-rope ring during this bout. |
| 67 | Win | 59–6–1 (1) | Gil Cadilli | TKO | 5 (10), 3:00 | Feb 18, 1963 | Civic Auditorium, San Jose, California, U.S. | |
| 55 | Win | 58–6–1 (1) | Fili Nava | UD | 10 | Dec 11, 1962 | Municipal Auditorium, San Antonio, Texas, U.S. | |
| 65 | Win | 57–6–1 (1) | Olli Mäki | TKO | 2 (15), 2:31 | Aug 17, 1962 | Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 64 | Win | 56–6–1 (1) | Mario Diaz | KO | 2 (10), 1:21 | Jul 9, 1962 | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 63 | Win | 55–6–1 (1) | Cisco Andrade | TKO | 7 (10), 2:05 | Mar 9, 1962 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 62 | Win | 54–6–1 (1) | Kazuo Takayama | UD | 15 | Nov 13, 1961 | Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 61 | Win | 53–6–1 (1) | Felix Cervantes | KO | 5 (10), 1:55 | Oct 12, 1961 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 60 | Win | 52–6–1 (1) | Kid Irapuato | TKO | 6 (10) | Sep 19, 1961 | Plaza de Toros, Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico | |
| 59 | Win | 51–6–1 (1) | Felix Cervantes | UD | 10 | Jul 17, 1961 | Campo de Softball, Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 58 | Win | 50–6–1 (1) | Gil Cadilli | UD | 10 | Jul 6, 1961 | Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | |
| 57 | Win | 49–6–1 (1) | Danny Valdez | KO | 1 (15), 2:58 | Apr 8, 1961 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 56 | Win | 48–6–1 (1) | Ray Nobile | PTS | 10 | Feb 10, 1961 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Italy | |
| 55 | Win | 47–6–1 (1) | Fred Galiana | TKO | 4 (10) | Jan 27, 1961 | Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid, Spain | |
| 54 | Win | 46–6–1 (1) | Gracieux Lamperti | PTS | 10 | Jan 9, 1961 | Palais de Sports, Paris, France | |
| 53 | Win | 45–6–1 (1) | Rudy Corona | KO | 7 (10) | Dec 3, 1960 | Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico | |
| 52 | Win | 44–6–1 (1) | David Camacho | KO | 8 (10) | Nov 27, 1960 | Nogales, Sonora, Mexico | |
| 51 | Win | 43–6–1 (1) | Kazuo Takayama | UD | 15 | Aug 29, 1960 | Korakuen Baseball Stadium, Tokyo, Japan | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 50 | Win | 42–6–1 (1) | Kid Irapuato | UD | 10 | Aug 1, 1960 | Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 49 | Win | 41–6–1 (1) | Frank Valdez | TKO | 6 (10), 1:48 | Jul 20, 1960 | Civic Auditorium, Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. | |
| 48 | Loss | 40–6–1 (1) | Carlos Hernández | RTD | 7 (10), 3:00 | Mar 17, 1960 | Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 47 | Win | 40–5–1 (1) | Sergio Caprari | TKO | 8 (10) | Feb 22, 1960 | Nuevo Circo, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 46 | Win | 39–5–1 (1) | Hilario Morales | UD | 10 | Dec 14, 1959 | Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 38–5–1 (1) | Bobby Neill | TKO | 1 (10), 2:55 | Oct 20, 1959 | Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England | |
| 44 | Win | 37–5–1 (1) | Hogan Bassey | RTD | 11 (15) | Aug 19, 1959 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 43 | Win | 36–5–1 (1) | Hogan Bassey | RTD | 13 (15) | Mar 18, 1959 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring featherweight titles |
| 42 | Win | 35–5–1 (1) | Ricardo Moreno | KO | 1 (10), 2:58 | Dec 11, 1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 34–5–1 (1) | Kid Anahuac | UD | 10 | Sep 25, 1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 40 | Win | 33–5–1 (1) | Kid Anahuac | SD | 10 | Jul 28, 1958 | Plaza de Toros, Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico | |
| 39 | Win | 32–5–1 (1) | Lauro Salas | UD | 10 | Jun 19, 1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 38 | Win | 31–5–1 (1) | Roberto Garcia | UD | 10 | May 24, 1958 | El Toreo de Cuatro Caminos, Mexico City, Mexico | |
| 37 | Win | 30–5–1 (1) | Vince Delgado | KO | 3 (10), 0:08 | Mar 6, 1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 36 | Win | 29–5–1 (1) | Fili Nava | UD | 10 | Feb 20, 1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 35 | Win | 28–5–1 (1) | Victor Manuel Quijano | TKO | 9 (10), 1:57 | Jan 9, 1958 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 27–5–1 (1) | Jose Luis Cotero | UD | 10 | Nov 8, 1957 | Capitol Arena, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 26–5–1 (1) | Victor Manuel Quijano | SD | 10 | Aug 14, 1957 | War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 25–5–1 (1) | Isidro Martinez | UD | 10 | Jul 5, 1957 | Capitol Arena, Washington, District of Columbia, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 24–5–1 (1) | Buddy McDonald | UD | 10 | Jun 13, 1957 | Interstate Fairgrounds, Spokane, Washington, U.S. | |
| 30 | Win | 23–5–1 (1) | Gil Cadilli | UD | 10 | Apr 10, 1957 | Biscayne Arena, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 29 | Loss | 22–5–1 (1) | Bobby Rogers | PTS | 8 | Nov 7, 1956 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 22–4–1 (1) | Jimmy DeMura | PTS | 6 | Oct 10, 1956 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 21–4–1 (1) | Charlie Slaughter | KO | 4 (10), 0:48 | Jun 5, 1956 | Palais des Sports, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | |
| 26 | Win | 20–4–1 (1) | Jimmy Hackney | DQ | 6 (8), 1:34 | Dec 16, 1955 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Hackney was disqualified on the sixth round for not trying his best. |
| 25 | Win | 19–4–1 (1) | Nat Jackson | KO | 2 (10) | Oct 17, 1955 | Coliseum Arenac New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 18–4–1 (1) | Ray Riojas | UD | 10 | Sep 19, 1955 | County Coliseum, El Paso, Texas, U.S. | |
| 23 | Loss | 17–4–1 (1) | Santiago Martinez | PTS | 10 | Jul 16, 1955 | Havana, Cuba | |
| 22 | Win | 17–3–1 (1) | Pedro Tesis | PTS | 10 | May 15, 1955 | Arena de Colon, Colon City, Colon, Panama | |
| 21 | Loss | 16–3–1 (1) | Isidro Martinez | PTS | 10 | May 1, 1955 | Arena de Colon, Colon City, Colon, Panama | |
| 20 | Win | 16–2–1 (1) | John Barnes | UD | 6 | Jan 18, 1955 | Motor City Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 15–2–1 (1) | Eddie Burgin | TKO | 9 (12), 0:48 | Dec 7, 1954 | Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | Won Ohio featherweight title |
| 18 | Win | 14–2–1 (1) | Dick Armstrong | TKO | 6 (10) | Oct 25, 1954 | Gymnastic Club, Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 17 | Win | 13–2–1 (1) | Herky Kaminsky | UD | 10 | Jun 29, 1954 | Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 16 | Draw | 12–2–1 (1) | Herky Kaminsky | PTS | 10 | May 18, 1954 | Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 15 | Win | 12–2 (1) | Charley Riley | MD | 10 | Apr 20, 1954 | Kiel Auditorium, St Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 14 | Win | 11–2 (1) | Jack Ingram | KO | 1 (10) | Apr 8, 1954 | Memorial Hall, Springfield, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 13 | Win | 10–2 (1) | Leo Carter | TKO | 2 (6), 1:20 | Apr 1, 1954 | Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 12 | Win | 9–2 (1) | Bob Keeling | TKO | 3 (6), 2:40 | Mar 13, 1954 | Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 11 | Loss | 8–2 (1) | Jackie Blair | UD | 10 | Feb 4, 1954 | Armory, Akron, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 10 | Win | 8–1 (1) | Eddie Crawford | TKO | 2 (6) | Jan 5, 1954 | Memorial Hall, Columbus, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 9 | Win | 7–1 (1) | Eddie Cooper | KO | 3 (8), 1:18 | Nov 20, 1953 | Gymnastic Club, Dayton, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 8 | NC | 6–1 (1) | Raul Prado | NC | 3 (8) | Oct 22, 1953 | Grand Rapids Stadium, Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 7 | Loss | 6–1 | Russell Tague | PTS | 6 | Oct 3, 1953 | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Ed Hughes | KO | 4 (5) | Aug 29, 1953 | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Eddie Gonzales | KO | 1 | Jul 10, 1953 | Fort Williams, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Dick Armstrong | TKO | 4 (6), 2:40 | Jun 15, 1953 | Municipal Stadium, Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Terry Book | PTS | 6 | Jun 1, 1953 | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Ralph Capone | PTS | 4 | May 25, 1953 | Rainbo Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Willie Reece | UD | 6 | May 11, 1953 | Municipal Stadium, Portsmouth, Ohio, U.S. | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* NYSAC featherweight champion (126 lbs)
* NBA (WBA) featherweight champion (126 lbs)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring featherweight champion (126 lbs)

### Regional/International titles

* Ohio featherweight champion (126 lbs)

### Undisputed titles

* Undisputed featherweight champion