This week Rummy’s Corner proudly presents the debut edition of a new ongoing series that will explore some of the greatest bouts in the rich history of professional boxing. This very first edition of “Classic Fight Recap” features the epic bout that took place on December 10, 1958, between reigning light heavyweight world champion Archie Moore (174-21-9), “The Old Mongoose”, and Canadian contender Yvon Durelle (79-19-2), “The Fighting Fisherman”.
Going into the match, Moore had been light heavyweight champ for just under 6 years, and during that time period he strung together 6 successful defenses of his title. Moore had also been campaigning as a heavyweight during this stretch, and he had a good deal of success there, losing only twice. Both of those losses came against defending heavyweight world champions, Rocky Marciano and Floyd Patterson.
Meanwhile, Durelle had only recently emerged as a top contender in the division over the previous year. He was a sizeable underdog going into the contest, and most observers in the boxing community favored the champion. The bout took place in Canada, where “The Fighting Fisherman” was a crowd favorite. The third man in the ring was a former heavyweight world champion, referee Jack Sharkey.
This classic encounter had everything a boxing fan could hope for – great back and forth action, drama, frequent shifts in momentum, a beautiful blend of skills and power, multiple knockdowns suffered by both combatants, great counter-punching, lots of championship heart and determination, and a monumental comeback for the ages that is arguably perhaps the greatest comeback the sport has ever seen in all of its many years.
This edition of Rummy’s Corner attempts to provide a comprehensive recap of this thrilling light heavyweight championship bout, while featuring the key highlights from an explosive action-packed crowd-pleaser of a boxing match-up! Whether you are already familiar with this fight, or whether this is the first you’ve heard of it – this video aims to entertain novice and expert boxing fans alike, with a quick look back at one of the greatest boxing matches of all time.
Please watch and enjoy the video! And if you have any suggestions for a future edition of “Classic Fight Recap”, please share your suggestions in the comments section. Thank you!