Denny Moyer (August 8, 1939 – June 30, 2010) 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 in a boxing family and attended Central Catholic High School. He was trained by Tom Moyer, an uncle who also 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 Racetrack. He fought and won regularly at the Eagles Hall in Portland, claiming his first twenty 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 track.
By 1962, he was a regular at Madison Square Garden, and had fought legend Sugar Ray Robinson twice, splitting the two encounters. Robinson had 156 decisions under his belt entering the first bout in 1961. 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. In 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 and worked in real estate. He is a member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame.