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Jack Robby · 01-01-2004, 03:13 PM

THE SCENARIO: When Archie Moore threatened to back out of his agreement to fight Charley Burley and instead defend his title against Jake LaMotta, despite Jake’s 10-round loss to Holman Williams, it looked to many as if the middleweight division was about to slip back into business as usual. Moore claimed that LaMotta’s slugging style would make for a better fight because the Bronx Bull was more “colorful” than either Burley or Williams, but his fellow African-Americans suspected Archie was more interested in the color of LaMotta’s skin than his color in the ring. Moore, it seemed, had bought into the notion that a white vs. black bout would draw more fans than an all black title fight.

Just when the racial aspect of the controversy was about to boil over, into the breach stepped Gus Greenlee. Greenlee was Pittsburgh’s black sportsman extraordinaire, formerly a bigshot in Negro League baseball. He even managed to temporarily bring Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, the biggest names in black baseball, together on the same team, the Pittsburgh Crawford. Greenlee was no stranger to boxing, having managed and promoted world light heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, who in 1939 took on Joe Louis in the first ever all-black heavyweight championship fight.

Greenlee took over promotion of the Moore-Burley fight and played the race card against Moore, daring the champion to back out. It helped that Greenlee’s reputation as head of the Pittsburgh number’s racket and man with numerous gangland connects tabbed him as a dangerous man to cross. On June 24, 1943, Moore and Burley met in Pittsburgh for their long-awaited rematch.

THE FIGHT: It is a more confident Archie Moore who comes out to meet Burley than in their first bout, but the former champion is focused and determined. They both open up early, landing hard blows. Referee Billy Cavanaugh quickly tries to establish his authority, warning Moore for a low blow and then later deducting a point from him for rabbit punching. Moore’s rough-housing seems to have an effect on the normally judicious Burley, who is warned in the second round for butting. Later that round, Moore is again penalized a point for low blows. Two points taken away in the first two rounds suggest that Moore is more interested in trying to stop Burley by wearing him down than in trying to outpoint him over 15 rounds. The strategy seems to be paying off as Burley finishes the round with a nasty gash over his right eye.

Moore hurt Burley with a hard left hook in the third round, the champion’s best yet. They two men box somewhat more cautiously in the fourth, then Moore tries to pick up the pace in the fifth. Burley counters effectively, however, and lands several solid punches to the head and body, but this time it’s Burley who is penalized a point for a low blow. Moore stays on the attack in the sixth, flooring Burley for a 5-count with a hard body shot midway through the round. Burley covers up effectively for the rest of the round but finishes it with a look of new-found respect for the champion.

Burley hurts Moore with a hard right early in round seven but this just spurs the champion to be more aggressive. He drives Burley into the ropes with a hard left to the midsection, and when Burley bounces off, catches him with a terrific right uppercut to the chin. Burley tries to get back to the center of the ring but Moore keeps him against the ropes, pummeling him with hard punches inside. Burley’s left eye begins swelling just as the cut over his right eye has finally closed.

Moore drops Burley at the start of the eighth round with a combination of blows. Up at five, Burley already appears exhausted with ten more rounds to go. He is now bleeding from another cut under his left eye as Moore moves in for the kill. He lands two hard left hooks to the head and a crushing right to the jaw. Burley again is forced back to the ropes where a hard right to the body sends him down again. This time he can’t get up and is counted out at 1:55 of the 8th round. The winner and still middleweight champion of the world, Archie Moore!

THE AFTERMATH: Moore, leading on all three scorecards at the time of the knockout, erased the lingering suspicion that his first victory over Burley had been a fluke. Burley, truly battered and beaten up for the first time in his career (NOTE: In reality, Burley was never stopped), is already plotting his comeback. For Moore the question is who to face next: skillful Holman Williams, the top ranked contender, or the popular slugger Jake LaMotta? And what about other top black middleweights, like Jack Chase, Kid Tunero or even that clever welterweight, the Cocoa Kid? After his destruction of Burley, people are beginning to wonder if anyone can take the title from Moore.

01-01-2004, 03:13 PM	#7 (permalink)
Jack Robby Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 20 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0x in 0 posts	THE SCENARIO: When Archie Moore threatened to back out of his agreement to fight Charley Burley and instead defend his title against Jake LaMotta, despite Jake’s 10-round loss to Holman Williams, it looked to many as if the middleweight division was about to slip back into business as usual. Moore claimed that LaMotta’s slugging style would make for a better fight because the Bronx Bull was more “colorful” than either Burley or Williams, but his fellow African-Americans suspected Archie was more interested in the color of LaMotta’s skin than his color in the ring. Moore, it seemed, had bought into the notion that a white vs. black bout would draw more fans than an all black title fight. Just when the racial aspect of the controversy was about to boil over, into the breach stepped Gus Greenlee. Greenlee was Pittsburgh’s black sportsman extraordinaire, formerly a bigshot in Negro League baseball. He even managed to temporarily bring Josh Gibson and Satchel Paige, the biggest names in black baseball, together on the same team, the Pittsburgh Crawford. Greenlee was no stranger to boxing, having managed and promoted world light heavyweight champion John Henry Lewis, who in 1939 took on Joe Louis in the first ever all-black heavyweight championship fight. Greenlee took over promotion of the Moore-Burley fight and played the race card against Moore, daring the champion to back out. It helped that Greenlee’s reputation as head of the Pittsburgh number’s racket and man with numerous gangland connects tabbed him as a dangerous man to cross. On June 24, 1943, Moore and Burley met in Pittsburgh for their long-awaited rematch. THE FIGHT: It is a more confident Archie Moore who comes out to meet Burley than in their first bout, but the former champion is focused and determined. They both open up early, landing hard blows. Referee Billy Cavanaugh quickly tries to establish his authority, warning Moore for a low blow and then later deducting a point from him for rabbit punching. Moore’s rough-housing seems to have an effect on the normally judicious Burley, who is warned in the second round for butting. Later that round, Moore is again penalized a point for low blows. Two points taken away in the first two rounds suggest that Moore is more interested in trying to stop Burley by wearing him down than in trying to outpoint him over 15 rounds. The strategy seems to be paying off as Burley finishes the round with a nasty gash over his right eye. Moore hurt Burley with a hard left hook in the third round, the champion’s best yet. They two men box somewhat more cautiously in the fourth, then Moore tries to pick up the pace in the fifth. Burley counters effectively, however, and lands several solid punches to the head and body, but this time it’s Burley who is penalized a point for a low blow. Moore stays on the attack in the sixth, flooring Burley for a 5-count with a hard body shot midway through the round. Burley covers up effectively for the rest of the round but finishes it with a look of new-found respect for the champion. Burley hurts Moore with a hard right early in round seven but this just spurs the champion to be more aggressive. He drives Burley into the ropes with a hard left to the midsection, and when Burley bounces off, catches him with a terrific right uppercut to the chin. Burley tries to get back to the center of the ring but Moore keeps him against the ropes, pummeling him with hard punches inside. Burley’s left eye begins swelling just as the cut over his right eye has finally closed. Moore drops Burley at the start of the eighth round with a combination of blows. Up at five, Burley already appears exhausted with ten more rounds to go. He is now bleeding from another cut under his left eye as Moore moves in for the kill. He lands two hard left hooks to the head and a crushing right to the jaw. Burley again is forced back to the ropes where a hard right to the body sends him down again. This time he can’t get up and is counted out at 1:55 of the 8th round. The winner and still middleweight champion of the world, Archie Moore! THE AFTERMATH: Moore, leading on all three scorecards at the time of the knockout, erased the lingering suspicion that his first victory over Burley had been a fluke. Burley, truly battered and beaten up for the first time in his career (NOTE: In reality, Burley was never stopped), is already plotting his comeback. For Moore the question is who to face next: skillful Holman Williams, the top ranked contender, or the popular slugger Jake LaMotta? And what about other top black middleweights, like Jack Chase, Kid Tunero or even that clever welterweight, the Cocoa Kid? After his destruction of Burley, people are beginning to wonder if anyone can take the title from Moore.