24.04.07 – By Christopher Roche: James Moore is an avid fisherman, and anything edible that he pulls from the sea is fair game for him to eat. Despite his love of seafood, neither tuna nor striped bass currently has Moore chomping at the bit. Moore is yearning for a quality fighter to step up and accept the challenge of facing his hard-nosed style. The 29 year-old Irishman hungers for top opponents, and he stresses that he wants them now..
Moore is scheduled to fight May 2 at the Manhattan Center in New York City on Dibella Entertainment’s latest edition of Broadway Boxing. The only fly in the ointment is that Moore cannot secure an opponent. Like a deep-sea angler dropping his line into the cold, dark Atlantic, Moore cannot see who will take the bait and lock horns with him, but he is ready for anything. In our recent telephone conversation, Moore explained it is not a problem for him to prepare for a fight against an unnamed opponent.
“I always would like to see a tape on the guy I am fighting,” Moore said to brickcityboxing.com and boxing247.com. “But I just concentrate eventually on getting me self into the best possible shape I can be in to be ready for anybody.”
Moore will be fighting in his third straight 8 rounder, but the scheduled length of the bouts are pretty much irrelevant in his fights. Moore is coming off two straight TKO victories, and seven of his last eight bouts ended before the distance. Moore, who originally hails from Arklow, County Wicklow, Ireland, is a perfect 10-0 (8 KO’s), and he is not shy in calling for tougher competition.
“Hopefully the next fight or two I can get a really meaningful fight. You know, I am screaming out,” implored Moore. “A lot of these guys are going around with these records that don’t want to fight anybody. I ask every fight. I have asked numerous guys: do they want to fight? And every time I get the answer back it is no. I do not know what these guys are waiting for.”
When asked to name specific potential opponents, Moore presented some very interesting matches that the fans would love to see. Two opponents on Moore’s radar are local fan favorites, Pawel Wolak and Andrey Tsurkan.
“In the New York area, in the Junior Middleweights, you know, you got Pawel Wolak and that guy (Andrey) Tsurkan. Tsurkan has the (NABF) title,” said Moore. “I would not mind getting a crack at him as well. If it happens it happens. If it doesn’t I am just trying to get the fights, you know?”
Moore’s five-fight medium term goal is to see his name appear in the world rankings. Moore is so active that five fights will happen inside of one year. Over the first two years of his career, he averaged five fights every twelve months, and in the amateurs, Moore often fought more than once per week. Moore’s internal timetable, like his boxing style, is full-throttle, and his definition of “medium” term is more like “immediate” term.
“Five fights from now I definitely want to be top 20 in the world. I definitely want to take a step up in class. I am not happy with the stamina of some of the opponents,” Moore stated. “It has been so hard for me to get opponents. I do not know what the problem is. I want to take it to the next level.”
One might be safe to assume that Moore’s problem in securing willing opponents is his ferocious style and 80% KO ratio. Moore accurately describes himself as a very aggressive body puncher. He said his best punch is his straight right hand, and he described his left hook to the body as a “pretty wicked shot”. According to Moore, six of his eight knockouts have been from body shots. Despite his notoriously aggressive style, fans might look for Moore to slightly tone it down in his coming fights. Moore said he is going to be a little less wild; he promises to fight with controlled aggression.
Although Moore is 29 years old, and only has 10 professional fights, he is not a late bloomer. Moore had over 340 amateur fights, and he rose to #3 in the world. He represented Ireland over forty times in senior international competition, and he is a past medallist. His amateur career was prolific and distinguished, and there is no doubting Moore’s skill, experience and toughness. Unfortunately, when Moore decided to turn pro, he was forced to take a year off from boxing because of personal and contractual issues. Moore’s first professional bout did not take place until he was 27, but he is eager to make up for lost time. Moore is trained by Harry Keitt of Gleason’s Gym, and he stated that he has the right people around him to step up in class and make a run to contender status.
Although Moore is an insatiable competitor, he said he is also very approachable and fan friendly. Moore is grateful to the fans who spend their hard earned dollars to come out and watch him, and he passed along a very special message to his fans at the end of our conversation.
“After the fight I will get with the crowd and if anyone wants anything signed or wants to talk to me after the fight there is no problem,” said Moore. “I always like to mingle with the people after the fights because at the end of the day, if they did not come, then I would not be fighting.”
While Moore will be available for his fans on May 2nd, he may be tough to find on May 3rd. Moore plans to go fishing as soon as possible.