Marv turned pro as a talented work project where he had some setbacks, the most telling being when he finally gets a WBC/WBA MIDDLEWEIGHT Title shot vs Italian champ Vito Antuofermo in a ferociously bloody brawl that had the fans roaring. The net result was a Draw in a close split of the cards near the close of 1979 in Vegas.
Marv had previous losses vs a couple of Clever fringe contenders Willie Monroe and Bobby Watts as his brother trainers and managers Goody and Pat Petronelli who were with Marvin for the entirety of his career guided him up the treacherous chains of contenders on his way to his first title shot. It really is one of the great feel good stories in boxing that has an horrific history of exploitation.
In 1980 Marvin travels to London to fight the new champ Alan Minter who had dethroned Vito in Vegas and then beat him again in a London rematch with blood flowing like spigots in both bouts.
Somehow misunderstandings morphed into a racial tiff between the Black Yank with the White Brit in his 2nd Defense, likely designed to increase the gate.
While Marvin quickly cut up the cut prone Minter that forced the referee into stopping the fight, there was no exchange of the Championship belt in the ring as Brits bombarded bottles, cans and profanities at Marvin and his corner. Security swarmed in to escort the team the best they could to the dressing room.
There was never any animosity against Vito who was his Italian analogue in size, strength and age, but now with Marvin defending his new title in his hometown of Boston, another ferocious fight immediately breaks out where Marvin finally puts him down resulting in Vito’s corner stopping the fight.
Marvin in spite of his ferocious looks and KOs became one of the most respected and ultimately beloved Champions in history, so it’s no surprise that he was shafted in his last fight against the Prettyboy of boxing, Sugar Ray Leonard in one of the most nakedly corrupt scorings that could be had. That is in part why Boxing has become such a fringe sport of today where few American Boxers will ever be as beloved and respected as Marvin was, but wait, wait, he wasn’t done yet!
Marvin picked himself up to move to Italy where he became a beloved actor in their bountiful Film Industry.
All in all, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy…R.I.P. & Hello Valhalla…Amen…
