Born in Portland in 1939, Denny Moyer fought his way to the top of the world as Light Middleweight champion in an era when boxing attracted a considerable amount of local interest.

Moyer grew up in Portland and attended Central Catholic High School. He got training as a boxer from Tom Moyer, an uncle who also boxed and earned a spot in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Phil Moyer, Denny’s brother, also took to boxing.

Denny Moyer began his boxing career in 1957, winning a four-round bout at the ring at Portland Meadows Race Track. He fought and won regularly at the Eagles Hall in Portland, claiming his first 20 bouts on the way to a shot at the World Welterweight title in July of 1959. Moyer, all of 5 feet, 9 inches tall, lost to Don Jordan in a 15-round bout at the Meadows Race Track.

By 1962, he was a regular at Madison Square Garden, and had fought legend Sugar Ray Robinson twice, with one win. Robinson had 156 decisions under his belt entering the first bout in ’61. In July of ’62, Moyer moved to the newly-created Light Middleweight class and fought for the world title. He won a unanimous decision over Joey Giambra at Memorial Coliseum in a fight refereed by former heavyweight champion Sonny Liston. He was the first champion in that class.

Moyer successfully defended the title once before losing it to Ralph Dupas in 1963. He lost another bout with Dupas later in the year.
He continued fighting at the nation’s top facilities throughout the ‘60s. 1970, Moyer won the U.S. Middleweight title, but lost the World title while fighting Carlos Monzon in Rome.
Denny Moyer entered the ring 140 times and won 97 bouts before retiring in 1975 at age 35.

After retiring, Moyer owned a construction company.

Moyer was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. He died in 2010.

“Farmer Joe” Kahut fought his way out into the hearts of Oregonians during and after World War II, rising from the Salem Armory to become the Pacific Coast Light Heavyweight Champion.

Born in 1923, Kahut grew up on a farm outside Woodburn and got into professional boxing in January 1941 at the Salem Armory. He won his first bout on points against Johnny Fields over four rounds. He won four more bouts of four rounds by April before returning to the fields of the family farm. He continued as a farmer through his career, which earned him the nickname “Farmer Joe.”

Kahut, who stood 5-foot-10, moved to six-round bouts at the Portland Auditorium in 1942 and became the state light heavyweight champion in July 1943 with a 10-round decision over Young Otto at Multnomah Stadium. That win put Kahut at 13-0 with seven knockouts.

He reached No. 6 in the Ring Magazine rankings in November of 1945, and remained among the top fighters on the West Coast as a heavyweight or light heavyweight for the next five years. He won the Pacific Northwest Heavyweight title in 1950 with a fourth-round knockout of Bill Peterson. He successfully defended the title once.

In 1951, Kahut fought Ezzard Charles at the Pacific Livestock Pavillion in Portland before a crowd of 6,724. He lost by knockout in the eighth f 12 rounds.

He retired in early 1954 with a career record of 55-26 with 6 draws. He won 37 bouts by knockout.

Kahut died in 1990. He was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Oregon Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998.

A lightweight boxer with 145 victories in 156 amateur fights, Tom Moyer is recognized as one of the greatest boxers ever produced by the state of Oregon. Moyer was undefeated as a welterweight in 22 professional fights. Additional accolades in his career include: Northwest Champion from 1935-41, five-time Pacific Coast Champion, National AAU State Champion, National Diamond Belt Champion and International Diamond Belt Champion. In one of his most memorable fights, Moyer fought the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson in a five-round amateur bout in Rochester, N.Y. with the winner going to the 1940 Olympics. It was a close fight and although Robinson was the winner in a close decision, Moyer was later named to the team after Robinson turned professional. This was Moyer’s last defeat in his illustrious boxing career.

Ray Lampkin Jr., known in the boxing ring as “Lightning Ray”, began his career at age 9, and one year later, as a 45-pound boxer, won the Montavilla Community Center Novice Tournament. As his career developed, he won 50 amateur bouts, including 5 Golden Glove Tournaments. As a professional boxer he won 35 bouts, 18 by knockouts. In 1973 he fought champion Esteban DeJesus for the North American and American Lightweight title, loosing a narrow decision. He won the NABF Lightweight Title in 1974 by knockout in the seventh round over champion Nick Alfaro. He was the number one ranked 135-pound boxer in 1975, defending his title twice in that year. He lost to Roberto “Stone Hands” Duran for the WBA Lightweight title on a 14th round K.O.