THE SCENARIO--By mid-1943, Jimmy Bivins was sitting on top of the fistic world. In only his fourth year as a professional, the 23-year-old Bivins was ranked by Ring Magazine as the top contender in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions. In fact, with both of those titles "frozen" while the holders (Joe Louis and Gus Lesnevich, respectively) were in the service, promoters advertised bouts for the "duration" championship for each division.
In February, Bivins outpointed Anton Christoforidis in 15 rounds to win the duration light heavyweight crown, then two weeks later outpointed Tami Mauriello in ten rounds to claim the duration heavyweight championship. In July, he knocked out another top light heavyweight contender, Lloyd Marshall (knockout victor over Ezzard Charles two months earlier) in thirteen rounds.
Therefore it was not surprising that many boxing experts figured Archie Moore had bitten off more than he could chew when he took on Jimmy Bivins in Madison Square Garden on September 15. If he won, Moore could lay claim to being the top active fighter in all three of the heaviest divisions, something no one had been able to say since Bob Fitzsimmons in the last century.
FOR
TBCB GAME PURPOSES: Bivins is a light heavyweight in his prime, Moore is a light heavyweight in his pre-prime.
THE FIGHT--Both men feel each other out in the first round, but Bivins is penalized for holding and hitting. He protests but Referee Arthur Donovan is adament. They open up in round two, Moore rocking Bivins back on his heals with a hard right, but Bivins fights back. Moore stops him with another hard right, but Bivins smashes a hard combination to the head.
Moore comes out slugging in the third and hurts Bivins with several hard shots to the head as Jimmy tries to keep the fighting at long range. Bivins is more succesful keeping Moore at bay in the fourth and near the end of the round rocks him with a hard right. The action slows down in the fifth and sixth but with a slight edge to Bivin, who is boxing cautiously but effectively. Moore has a bloody nose as he comes out for round seven and Bivins steps up the attack, but is penalized again--this time for hitting on the break.
Moore is throwing haymakers in round eight but can't connect. Bivins outjabs Moore and seems to be piling up a huge advantage in points. In round nine, Moore stuns Bivins with a three-punch combination that forces Bivins to hold on and try to cover up. Moore opens a gash under Bivins' right eye with a stiff jab in round ten, the first serious cut of the fight.
Bivins comes back strong in the eleventh, stunning Moore with a left hook and keeping him at bay with his own jab. Moore woke Bivins up with a strong combination in round twelve, but Bivins sends Moore staggering back with a hard right and has Moore in trouble by the end of the round. Moore chases Bivins around the ring in round thirteen, but Bivins boxes under control and scores repeated with his jab. In
the fourteenth, Moore snaps Bivins' head back with an uppercut. Bivins stands his ground and fights back but Moore seems to
have the edge. Moore seems to believe he's behind and comes out swinging in the fifteenth and final round but Bivins, boxing
defensively, is unhurt. Bivins wins a unanimous decision, with referee Arthur Donovan scoring it 7-6-2, one judge scoring it
8-3-4 and the other 9-6.
THE AFTERMATH--It is a chastened Archie Moore who is forced to recognize after the bout that he may have been trying to move too far, too fast. Unfortunately for Archie, the good living that accompanied his newfound prosperity also made it harder for him to make the middleweight limit of 160 pounds. Nonetheless, he recognized for the time being that continuing to enjoy that prosperity required him to continue to defend that title for the foreseeable future and that's why he agreed to meet Holman Williams in a title bout before the end of the year.