They Just Don't Make 'Em Much Tougher Than This; He Had A Winning Attitude: Archie Moore's grit, determination and perseverance helped him conquer the boxing ring.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(BEST OF LEADERS & SUCCESS)

Byline: PAUL KATZEFF

Archie Moore was fighting for the heavyweight championship of the world. His chances didn't look good.

The titleholder was the legendary Rocky Marciano, who never seemed to be anything but in his prime. And Marciano was 10 years younger than Moore. Undefeated, Marciano's wrecking ball punches had earned him a reputation as demolition artist.

Moore floored Marciano in the second round. But the Rock survived and began to wear down Moore, whose weight class was 15 pounds lighter. After eight rounds the referee wanted to stop the fight. But Moore refused to give up. "Oh, no," an exhausted Moore said. "I want to be counted out. I'm a champion, too."

That grit and pride was Moore's trademark. He reigned a breathtaking 11 years as light heavyweight champion. In a sport where professional careers might last 10 years, Moore boxed for 27 and knocked out more fighters than anyone in history. And in a sport where the loss of youthful reflexes reduces 30-year-olds to punching bags, Moore didn't even win his world title until age 39.

"He became greater and greater the older he got," former heavyweight champ Jose Torres said at Moore's funeral.

By the time he retired in 1963 at age 49, he had won 194 out of 228 bouts, with 26 losses and eight draws. While he never captured the heavyweight title, he's the only boxer to have fought both Marciano and Muhammad Ali.