Denny Moyer
Encyclopedia
Denny Moyer was an American boxer who held the world light middleweight title between 1962 and 1963. He finished his career with a 97–38–4 record.
, Moyer attended Central Catholic High School
and was the younger brother of Phil Moyer, another of Portland's finest professional boxers. Both Denny and Phil were trained as amateur boxers by their uncle, Tommy Moyer, who had been a national AAU boxing champion.
for the world welterweight title on July 7, 1959, after just 21 professional bouts, in his home town of Portland. Moyer was outpointed, making the world title shot his first defeat. He continued to box in the best company for two years, and then won the vacant light-middleweight title by gaining a points win over Joey Giambra
. After two successful defenses, he lost the title to Ralph Dupas
on points.
. Uncle Tommy Moyer lost to Sugar Ray in New York as an amateur. Denny Moyer fought Sugar Ray in New York twice as a pro, losing the first fight on points but winning the second by 7-3 scores on all three cards. Phil Moyer had his chance with the legendary Robinson in a bout in Woodland Hills, California. He too outpointed Sugar Ray, giving the Moyer family a very respectable 2 - 2 record against one of the sports most famous champions.
for the world crown in Rome, but was stopped in five rounds. Moyer continued to fight for another three years before retiring in 1975.
on June 30, 2010.
Early life
Born in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Moyer attended Central Catholic High School
Central Catholic High School (Portland, Oregon)
Central Catholic High School is a co-educational, private high school in Portland, Oregon, United States. Central Catholic is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, and is the only archdiocesan high school in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Portland....
and was the younger brother of Phil Moyer, another of Portland's finest professional boxers. Both Denny and Phil were trained as amateur boxers by their uncle, Tommy Moyer, who had been a national AAU boxing champion.
Early professional career
Moyer fought Don JordanDon Jordan
Don Jordan was a boxer born in Los Angeles, California and was the undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World from 1958 to 1960. His nickname was ‘Geronimo’...
for the world welterweight title on July 7, 1959, after just 21 professional bouts, in his home town of Portland. Moyer was outpointed, making the world title shot his first defeat. He continued to box in the best company for two years, and then won the vacant light-middleweight title by gaining a points win over Joey Giambra
Joey Giambra
Joey Giambra , was a former middleweight boxer who faced and defeated most of the top contenders of his era...
. After two successful defenses, he lost the title to Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas
Ralph Dupas was a boxer from New Orleans who won the world light middleweight championship.-Early boxing career:...
on points.
Sugar Ray Robinson bouts
Perhaps the most distinctive place in the history of boxing the boxing Moyer boys from Portland will hold is that all three boxed the famous Sugar Ray RobinsonSugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
. Uncle Tommy Moyer lost to Sugar Ray in New York as an amateur. Denny Moyer fought Sugar Ray in New York twice as a pro, losing the first fight on points but winning the second by 7-3 scores on all three cards. Phil Moyer had his chance with the legendary Robinson in a bout in Woodland Hills, California. He too outpointed Sugar Ray, giving the Moyer family a very respectable 2 - 2 record against one of the sports most famous champions.
Later career
Moyer became a middleweight and in 1970 won the American middleweight title by out pointing Eddie Pace. He lost and regained this title, then challenged Carlos MonzónCarlos Monzón
Carlos Monzón was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times....
for the world crown in Rome, but was stopped in five rounds. Moyer continued to fight for another three years before retiring in 1975.
After boxing
After his boxing career, Moyer worked in real estate and owned a construction company. The website, Eastside Boxing reported in February 2004, that Moyer was in a Portland nursing home. Moyer died of complications from dementia pugilisticaDementia pugilistica
Dementia pugilistica is a type of neurodegenerative disease or dementia, which may affect amateur or professional boxers as well as athletes in other sports who suffer concussions...
on June 30, 2010.
Amateur and professional achievements
- 1956 Runner-up National AAU Welterweight Championships
- 1957 National AAU Welterweight Champion
- 1963 Jr. Middleweight Champion of the World
- 1971 Las Vegas Boxer of the Year
- 1983 Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
- 2001 World Boxing Hall of Fame