DAVEY MOORE
Davey Moore (November 1, 1933 – March 25, 1963) was an American featherweight world champion boxer who fought professionally 1953–63. A resident of Springfield, Ohio, Moore was one of two champions to share the name in the second half of the 20th century. The second, Davey Moore (born 1959) boxed during the 1980s. Moore died on March 25, 1963, aged 29, as a result of injuries sustained in a match against Sugar Ramos. (More from Wikipedia)
Two of my favorite topical songs by Bob Dylan, “Who Killed Davey Moore” (a live performance) and “Percy’s Song” are included on John Birch Society Blues. Davey Moore was a boxer who lost a fight in March 1963 and died a few days later. One by one, beginning with the line “not me”, Dylan sings a verse on behalf of the referee, the crowd, the manager, the gambling man, the boxing writer, and finally, his opponent in the match (Sugar Ramos), “the man whose fists, laid him low in a cloud of mist” – demonstrating that they each shared some culpability in what happened but could ultimately not be blamed directly for the death. Dylan shows some of his trademark humor when talking of the gambling man and how he wasn’t liable: “Anyway I put money on him to win”. The final verse ends with a quote from Davey Moore’s widow about her husband’s death, “it was God’s will”.
(September 2017)
