Top 10 best Italian fighters

I Feel Fine · Post by **I Feel Fine** » 12 Mar 2008, 00:04

I've been trying to come up with a list of the 10 best Italian fighters. By that I mean anyone ethnically Italian, whether they were born in Italy or not. What are your thoughts?

Some Italian Hall of Famers:
Lou Ambers
Sammy Angott
Fred Apostoli
Carmen Basilio
Christopher Battalino
Nino Benvenutti
Tony Canzoneri
Primo Carnera (obviously not going to make any top 10s)
Young Corbett III (hadn't realized he was Italian)
Joey Giardello
Rocky Graziano
Jake LaMotta
Duilio Loi
Rocky Marciano
Joey Maxim
Willie Pastrano
Willie Pep (#1 on my list)

Notables:
Vito Antuofermo
Joe Calzaghe (half Italian but I'll count that)
Tony Galento
Arturo Gatti
Tony DeMarco
Ray Mancini
Marty Servo

elmersalsa · Post by **elmersalsa** » 12 Mar 2008, 01:31

Johnny Dundee was born in Italy, too.

I Feel Fine · Post by **I Feel Fine** » 12 Mar 2008, 01:34

Right.

JAHamilton77 · Post by **JAHamilton77** » 12 Mar 2008, 01:42

Melio Bettina Managed to defeat Fred Apostoli, Tiger Jack Fox, & Jimmy Bivins.

Here is one..... Pete Herman (born Peter Gulotta)

Vinny Pazienza deserves a mention as a notable

Johnny Dundee

Fidel LeBarba

I Feel Fine · Post by **I Feel Fine** » 12 Mar 2008, 02:15

Interesting, I hadn't heard of Herman and LeBarba, thanks. I forgot to put the other three in which I would of. I've of course seen many of Paz's fights, and while he wouldn't make a top ten I agree that he's at least a notable, like Gatti.

jimglen · Post by **jimglen** » 12 Mar 2008, 07:42

few people know of him in general, and even less know he is Italian... Antonio Rea - Bert Gilroy HOFer.

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 12 Mar 2008, 08:13

How can you prove someone is ethnically Italian?

BoxBuzz · Post by **BoxBuzz** » 12 Mar 2008, 09:49

Ezzard wrote:How can you prove someone is ethnically Italian?

If they know the proper wine that is served with Shrimp Scampi?

ringsider · Post by **ringsider** » 12 Mar 2008, 11:00

Ezzard wrote:How can you prove someone is ethnically Italian?

Just check to see if they cam swim.

m1kee50 · Post by **m1kee50** » 12 Mar 2008, 11:05

Ezzard wrote:How can you prove someone is ethnically Italian?

they change sides halfway through if they are losing

I Feel Fine · Post by **I Feel Fine** » 12 Mar 2008, 22:32

MatthewS wrote:
Ezzard wrote:How can you prove someone is ethnically Italian?
they change sides halfway through if they are losing

Hey, come on now...

Anyway, If their parents or ancestors came from Italy, I think that's a start.

HomicideHenry · Post by **HomicideHenry** » 13 Mar 2008, 02:05

Joe Grimm...forget his real birth name, but he is best remembered as being one of the toughest men in ring history and though he was a middleweight he often fought heavyweights and not even Langford, Johnson and others could knock him out...only Sam McVey was able to do the "impossible" feat.

JAHamilton77 · Post by **JAHamilton77** » 13 Mar 2008, 12:14

Well I guess we named everybody who could possibly come close to an Italian Top 10 so lets give it a whirl....

1. Willie Pep
2. Tony Canzoneri
3. Lou Ambers
4. Rocky Marciano
5. Jake LaMotta
6. Sammy Angott
7. Carmen Basilio
8. Nino Benvenutti
9. Duilio Loi
10. Rocky Graziano

Ambling Alp · Post by **Ambling Alp** » 13 Mar 2008, 12:25

Very good list. Might juggle #5-8 a little and would take out Graziano.
Hard to say who to replace him with. Probably Giardello,Young Corbett III or Johnny Dundee.

I Feel Fine · Post by **I Feel Fine** » 14 Mar 2008, 00:10

Nice list JA, and good points alp. I'm still not really sure how I would work it out, partly because I don't know enough about some of these fighters, but its an interesting list to try to work out.

Its striking, also, when you think how many more great Italian American boxers there were compared to great boxers who lived in Italy. Most of the immigrant groups into America had their golden ages in boxing, like Jewish Americans and Irish Americans. I'm sure the way that boxing is taught here compared to in Europe and the emphasis on toughness in boxing in the U.S. is also the answer to that disparity.

giacomino · Post by **giacomino** » 14 Mar 2008, 17:47

Salvatore Burruni, Bruno Arcari and Sandro Mazzinghi weren't bad either

Martin Sosa Cameron · Post by **Martin Sosa Cameron** » 15 Mar 2008, 18:19

Tiberio Mitri
Sandro Mazzinghi
Rocky Mattioli
Salvatore Burruni

In Argentina, they are a lot of greats:

Luis Firpo
Oscar Bonavena
Victorio Campolo
Alejandro Lavorante
Eduardo Corletti
José Carattoli
Atilio Caraune
Walter Matteoni
Vicente Olivieri
Salvador Zaccone
Horacio Accavallo
Santos Laciar
Eduardo D'Agostino
Francisco Magnelli
Francisco Favale
José Smecca
Miguel Botta
Julio Mocoroa
Alfredo Bunetta
José Bruno
Gogliardo Purcaro
Domingo Sciaraffia
Nicolino Locche
Hugo Rambaldi
Abel Laudonio
Alfredo Bilanzone
Juan Corradi
Raúl Landini
Vicente Ostuni
Juan Coggi
Miguel Campanino
Ubaldo Sacco Jr
Eduardo Lausse
Rafael Merentino
Hugo Corro
Luis Galtieri
Miguel Castellini
Ricardo Calicchio
José Chirino

... and this are only a few!

This names are between the Argentinian greatest of all times

Martin Sosa Cameron · Post by **Martin Sosa Cameron** » 15 Mar 2008, 18:24

Please, see this

http://www.boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... ht=#458688

I Feel Fine · Post by **I Feel Fine** » 15 Mar 2008, 18:26

Thanks Martin. I'd always wondered if Bonavena was an ethnically Italian Argentine, but I was never sure.

Oh, and thanks for the link. Interesting thread.

nytony · Post by **nytony** » 15 Mar 2008, 21:02

I'm almost certain that Melio Bettina was Greek

Goodnight, Irene · Post by **Goodnight, Irene** » 15 Mar 2008, 22:27

nytony wrote:I'm almost certain that Melio Bettina was Greek

Greek on his mother's side? I ask, since Bettina is most certainly not a Greek name.

Taylor · Post by **Taylor** » 17 Mar 2008, 17:20

WHAT!!!No Guido Trane.

Expug · Post by **Expug** » 17 Mar 2008, 17:45

Goodnight, Irene wrote:
nytony wrote:I'm almost certain that Melio Bettina was Greek
Greek on his mother's side? I ask, since Bettina is most certainly not a Greek name.

Bettina was Italian, but he fought Anton Christiforidis who was Greek.
NBA Lightheavyweight Title fight I think.

Some others
Eddie "Cannonball"Martin
Frankie Gennaro
Midget Wolgast
Sal Bartolo
Phil Terranova
Tippy Larkin

Roland LaStarza may not be an all time great but he was a real good fighter.
Deserves a shout.

Martin Sosa Cameron · Post by **Martin Sosa Cameron** » 17 Mar 2008, 20:34

Hi, Expug! :)

This very good boy:

Tommy Paul, Gaetano Alfonso Papa

actjac · Post by **actjac** » 17 Mar 2008, 22:44

Rocky "Italian Stallion" Balboa