HERE are some greats who just missed the cut. These include explosive knockout artist Rocky Graziano best remembered for his slugfest trilogy with Tony Zale which rank as the most savage duels ever witnessed inside a boxing ring. Harry Jeffra, a two-weight champion, beat great bantamweight Sixto Escobar of Puerto Rico in four out of their five bouts. Skilful Fidel La Barba and Frankie Genaro, both Olympic gold medallists, went on to dominate the flyweight division during the twenties. Joey Maxim, former world light-heavyweight champion beat Jersey Joe Walcott, Sugar Ray Robinson, Floyd Patterson, Gus Lesnevich and Freddie Mills and Hall of Famer Jimmy Bivins staying in the world’s top ten for eleven years. Sammy Angott, the two-time world lightweight champion, knew how to get the job done. He defeated eleven world champions including Lew Jenkins, Bob Montgomery three times and was the first man to end Willie Pep’s unbeaten streak. Young Corbett III, ex-welterweight champ, is an unsung hero among the pantheon of Italian American champions. The durable southpaw won 123 and drew 17 out of 151 contests and defeated champions Young Jack Thompson three times, Jackie Fields twice, Ceferino Garcia twice and Hall of Famers Billy Conn and Mickey Walker. Sammy Mandell, former world lightweight titleholder, was a class act and for a time during the twenties he was untouchable beating the likes of Jimmy McLarnin, Jackie Fields, Tony Canzoneri and Rocky Kansas. Fred Apostoli was the most fearsome two fisted pug of the mid-thirties. He beat champions Solly Krieger, Lou Brouillard, and “Babe”Risko but is best remembered for his savage ninth round demolition of Freddie Steele, the world middleweight champion.
Click below for the all-time top 10 Italian American boxers
10. Billy Petrolle
Years active: 1922-1934
Fight Record: 89-21-10, 66 KO
Championships: None
Billy Petrolle (William Petrolla) was considered too much of a risk by the lightweight champions during the mid-late twenties. The “Fargo Express”, as he was known, wooed crowds with his displays of powerful body punching and breath-taking toe-to-toe exchanges. His fearlessness, fighting courage and KO punch prompted Nat Fleischer to write that “fighters of his ability come but once in a lifetime.” Petrolle beat eight world champions including Tony Canzoneri and Jimmy McLarnin. Elected into Boxing’s Hall of Fame in 1962, he is widely recognized as one of the best boxers never to have won a world title.
9. Lou Ambers
Years active: 1932-1941
Fight Record: 88-8-6, 29 KO
Championships: lightweight (2x)
Lou Ambers (Luigi D’Ambrosio) held the world lightweight title between 1936-38 and again between 1939-40. The upstate New Yorker blew into championship prominence in 1933 and stayed there until 1940. He did it by combining toughness and determination with intelligence. Very nimble, agile and mobile, Ambers made it difficult for opponents to plant a solid blow. He could also slug it out with the best adopting a whirlwind style of non-stop aggression and his celebrated scalps included Tony Canzoneri twice and triple titlist Henry Armstrong and champions Fritzie Zivic, Baby Arizmendi twice, Johnny Jadick, Frankie Klick and Sammy Fuller.
8. Pete Herman
Years active: 1912-1922
Fight Record: 69- 11-8, 61 no-decisions, 19 KO
Championships: bantamweight (2x)
Pete Herman (Pietro Gulotta) of New Orleans was a bundle of fistic dynamite whose body punching and superior inside fighting and toughness enabled him to win the world bantamweight title twice. He won the title in 1917 from Kid Williams and held it for three years before losing it to Joe Lynch. He regained it from Lynch in 1921. In the same year Herman travelled to London and knocked out the legendary Jimmy Wilde in the seventeenth round in a catchweight contest at the Royal Albert Hall. Failing eyesight forced him into early retirement in the following year. He was never floored in 149 battles.
7. Joey Giardello
Years active: 1948-67
Fight Record: 100-25-7, 1 no-decision, 32 KO
Championships: middleweight
Joey Giardello (Carmine Tilelli) fought anyone anywhere and at any time. He was a clever and adaptable ring mechanic with all the moves and a cast iron chin that never let him down. Some said Giardello was a mob controlled fighter, but the facts tell a different story. Giardello met every African American contender of note and was a leading contender throughout the fifties, but didn’t get a title shot until 1960, twelve years after turning professional. A foul strewn title challenge against Gene Fullmer ended in a controversial draw. Three years later he outpointed Hall of Famer Dick Tiger to win the world title.
6. Carmen Basilio
Years active: 1948-61
Fight Record: 56-16-7, 27 KO
Championships: welterweight (2x), middleweight
Carmen Basilio was a two weight world champion. He won the welterweight title in 1955-56 and again in 1956-57 and secured the world middleweight title in 1957-58. Nobody gave more to boxing than Basilio. Blessed with heart and determination, the hard-as-nails fighter was never involved in a dull fight. He competed in eleven world title fights, of which five were voted Ring Magazine Fight of the Year. Sugar Ray Robinson admitted that Basilio gave him his toughest fight of all in his glittering 202 bout career. The Hall of Fame boxer beat world champions Ike Williams, Tony De Marco twice, Johnny Saxton twice and Don Jordan and Sugar Ray Robinson.
5. Johnny Dundee
Years active: 1910-1932
Fight Record: 113-31-19, 177 no-decisions, 19 KO
Championships: featherweight, junior-lightweight (2x)
Johnny Dundee (Giuseppe Carrara) was one of boxing’s most enduring figures. The Sicilian-born New Yorker was a fine ring craftsman who possessed agility, plenty of fighting heart and fast reflexes that were the cornerstones of his remarkable longevity. He engaged in a phenomenal 340 recorded bouts. He met the best featherweights and lightweights including the legendary Benny Leonard eight times in no-decision encounters with little to choose between them. When already past his prime, he won the world featherweight title as well as twice capturing the junior-lightweight title. He met them all including thirteen world champions.
4. Jake La Motta
Years active: 1941-1954
Fight Record: 83-19-4, 30 KO
Championships: middleweight
Jake La Motta AKA “Bronx Bull” was a masterful inside fighter with a granite chin. Between 1942-48 he regularly topped the world rankings and beat the most fearsome African American contenders earning him the sobriquet of “uncrowned middleweight champion,” but boxing politics and mob influence delayed his title shot. He handed Sugar Ray Robinson his first professional loss. La Motta won the title in 1949 defending it twice. His title bout with Laurent Dauthuille was voted 1950 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year when La Motta, trailing on all the judge’s scorecards, spectacularly halted the Frenchman with just thirteen seconds to go.
3. Tony Canzoneri
Years active: 1925-1939
Fight Record: 139-24-10, 3 no-decisions, 44 KO
Championships: featherweight, lightweight (2x) & junior-welterweight (2x)
Tony Canzoneri is a boxing immortal and one of the greatest boxer-fighters in history. He was a world champion at three different weights and in a busy career he also managed to regain both the lightweight and junior-welterweight titles. He never ducked anybody and fought in arguably the greatest era of competition in the 135-pound weight class. He appeared in 21 world title fights across four divisions. Canzoneri beat world champions Johnny Dundee, Bud Taylor, Benny Bass twice, Andre Routis, Al Singer, Jack “Kid” Berg twice, Kid Chocolate twice, Battling Shaw, Baby Arizmendi, Leo Rodak, Lou Ambers, Jimmy McLarnin and Frankie Klick 4 times. Wow!
2. Willie Pep
Years active: 1940-1966
Fight Record: 229-11-1, 65 KO
Championships: featherweight (2x)
Willie Pep (Guglielmo Papaleo) possessed sublime boxing skills, elusiveness, speed of thought and fistic delivery and dancing feet making him one of the greatest boxers ever to lace a pair of gloves. He was world featherweight champion between 1942-48 and again between 1949-50. He was involved in a titanic four-fight series with arch nemesis Sandy Saddler. He lost the first fight to Saddler, avenged it to recapture the world title, but lost the next two encounters on injuries even though he led on the judge’s scorecards. With the exception of Saddler he dominated virtually every other fighter.
1. Rocky Marciano
Years active: 1947-1955
Fight Record: 49-0, 43 KO
Championships: heavyweight
Rocky Marciano (Rocco Marchegiano) was an unstoppable force who never knew when he was beat. Equipped with a knockout punch in either hand his reliance on raw power and an unwavering self-belief paved the way to a perfect record of 49 wins in 49 fights. The “Brockton Blockbuster” stopped 43 of his opponents recording one of the greatest kayo percentages of all time at 87.5%. His illustrious victims included former heavyweight champion Joe Louis and Hall of Famers Ezzard Charles twice, Jersey Joe Walcott twice and the great Archie Moore. After six title defences he retired in 1956.
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