Springfield, Ohio
From the beginning of his career through 1956 Moore fought a total of 29 bouts, with a total record of 22–5–1, and 1 no contest. Beginning with his April 10, 1957 fight against Gil Cadilli, Moore had an 18-bout winning streak, ending when he lost to Carlos Morocho Hernández on March 17, 1960 with a TKO. March 14, 1960, won match against Bob Gassey in first round, as a result of the knockout, Gassey lost all but 2 teeth. It was during this period, on March 18, 1959 that Moore won the World Featherweight Title from Hogan "Kid" Bassey. Moore retained the title through the remainder of his career, defending it successfully 5 times, and losing it to Sugar Ramos on March 21, 1963.
Moore was scheduled to face Cuban-Mexican Sugar Ramos in July, 1962 at Dodger Stadium but a torrential typhoon-like rainstorm hit Los Angeles on the night of the fight and the fight was postponed until March 21, 1963. It was shown on national television. In the tenth round Ramos staggered Moore with a left and then continued to pummel him with blows until he fell, striking the base of his neck on the bottom rope and injuring his brain stem. Moore got to his feet for the eight-count and, despite Ramos' continuing attack, somehow managed to finish the round on his feet, but the referee stopped the fight before the eleventh, and Ramos was declared the new WBC/WBA World Featherweight Champion. Moore was able to give a clear-headed interview before he left the ring, but in the dressing room fell into a coma from which he never emerged, dying 75 hours later. There was existing public controversy due to the death of Benny "Kid" Paret one year before, and Moore's death prompted debate about the dangers of boxing and the possibility of the sport being banned in the United States.
Bob Dylan wrote a song about Davey Moore's death, posing the question of responsibility. It is titled "Who Killed Davey Moore?" and was also sung by Pete Seeger. Phil Ochs wrote a song titled "Davey Moore" which told the story of Davey Moore's death and placed the guilt on the managers and the boxing "money men" as well as boxing fans.
On September 21, 2013, the 50th anniversary of Moore's final fight, his hometown of Springfield, Ohio dedicated an 8' bronze statue in his honor. Located in a public green space just south of downtown near the neighborhood where he grew up, its dedication was attended by a crowd of nearly 250. The event was marked by the appearance of Ultiminio "Sugar" Ramos, who came from Mexico City to pay his respects. It was the first time since March 1963 that he and Moore's widow Geraldine had spoken.
A pair of Moore's boxing gloves are on display in a Finnish restaurant Juttutupa in Helsinki, Finland. They were found during a renovation of a local boxing gym.
