Archie Moore

Hall of Fame

⭐ International Boxing Hall of Fame

Archibald Lee Wright — known to the world as Archie Moore — was born on December 13, 1913, in Benoit, Mississippi (Bolivar County), in the heart of the Mississippi Delta, and grew up in Collinsville, Illinois, after his parents separated. He began boxing professionally in 1935 and over the next three decades assembled one of the most remarkable careers in the history of the sport. He held the World Light Heavyweight Championship from 1952 to 1960 — a reign of nearly nine years — and made nine successful title defenses. But the number that defines Archie Moore's legacy is 131: his career total of knockouts, which stands as the highest in the history of professional boxing. He achieved this total over a professional career spanning 27 years (1935-1963), during which he had 219 professional fights. His two challenges for the heavyweight title — against Rocky Marciano in 1955 (knocked out in the 9th round after putting Marciano on the canvas himself) and Floyd Patterson in 1956 (knocked out in the 5th) — confirmed that he was competitive with the very best in the heaviest division, despite spending most of his career at light heavyweight. He was widely known as "The Old Mongoose," and his career was marked by an extraordinary durability, cunning, and technical brilliance. He also worked extensively as a boxing trainer after his retirement, training Cassius Clay and George Foreman among others. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. Born in Benoit, Mississippi.