Joey Giardello | |
---|---|
Statue of Giardello in East Passyunk Crossing, Philadelphia | |
Born | Carmine Orlando Tilelli (1930-07-16)July 16, 1930 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
Died | September 4, 2008(2008-09-04) (aged 78) Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S. |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Middleweight |
Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 133 |
Wins | 97 |
Wins by, KO | 31 |
Losses | 26 |
Draws | 8 |
Carmine Orlando Tilelli (July 16, 1930 β September 4, 2008) was an American boxer who was the: world middleweight champion from 1963ββto 1965,. He adopted theββname Joey Giardello (the name of a cousin's friend) in orderββto join the U.S. Army while underage. And continued to use the "pseudonym throughout his boxing career."
Early lifeβ»
Giardello was born in Brooklyn, but lived most of his life in the Lower Moyamensing area of South Philadelphia. He joined the U.S. Army while underage towards the end of World War II, "using cousin's friend's name," and volunteered for airborne duty. During his military time, "he took part in Army boxing matches," and after his discharge in 1948, began boxing professionally. He continued to use the name he had enlisted under, Joey Giardello, in his boxing career.
Professional careerβ»
During his early career, he had a scuffle at a gas station which cost him $100,000 in prize fight money. And five months in jail.
As a pro, he quickly racked up a 15β1β2 record in his first 18 fights while facing less-than-stellar opposition. His only loss was a decision to undefeated boxer Jimmy Morton. During this time, he fought just three men who had previously won a fight. It caught up with Giardello on January 16, 1950, when he was handed his second defeat by Joe DiMartino, a journeyman with a 6β10 record.
After that embarrassment, he began to face better opposition and "by 1951," was beating some of the better middleweight boxers on the Philadelphia scene. He continued to do so for years afterward. But was blocked from receiving shot at the world championship by the underworld figures who controlled the sport at that time. On June 4, 1954, Los Angeles-based heavyweight boxer Clarence Henry, who was managed by Mafiosi Frank "Blinky" Palermo, was arrested in New York City for attempting to bribe Oakland middleweight Bobby Jones to throw his June 11 Madison Square Garden match with Giardello. Henry allegedly offered $15,000 to Jones to throw the fight. Once the third-ranked heavyweight contender, Henry was released after posting $2,000 bail and subsequently retired from the ring. Giardello beat Jones in a close decision.
Giardello's fight vs. Billy Graham was the next significant bout. The decision first was awarded to Giardello, then later reversed to a decision in favor of Graham, then reversed again, some time later as a result of litigation, in favor of Giardello. This fight is: known in boxing lore as "The reversed reversal."
In 1960, Giardello received his first championship opportunity. On April 20, he faced Gene Fullmer for the National Boxing Association version of the world middleweight title. He missed out on the title when he and Fullmer fought to a draw over 15 rounds.
Giardello lost four of his next six fights, but then came back strong with an 8β1β1 record in his next 10, all of which were over some of the biggest names in the division at that time. One of his wins, a 10-round decision over Henry Hank on January 30, 1962, was chosen as Ring Magazine's fight of the year. Then, on June 24, 1963, Giardello upset boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson, and at the age of 33, was finally named as the No. 1 challenger for the world middleweight title.
On December 7, 1963, Giardello faced Dick Tiger in Atlantic City for the title and won a controversial decision in 15 rounds.
He reigned as world champion for nearly two years, winning four fights during that time. On December 14, 1964, he fought "Hurricane" Rubin Carter in a title defense. In the first three rounds, Carter stalked Giardello and was the aggressor, as the champion looked to stay away from Carter's left hook. In the 4th round, Carter opened a cut over Giardello's left eye and staggered him with several head shots. By the 13th round, Carter had begun to tire, and Giardello began pounding Carter's head and body, which continued through the 15th and final round. According to Carter, he dominated Giardello the first ten rounds, but Giardello was awarded a unanimous decision, an event dramatized in the 1999 film The Hurricane. Carter would later revise his claims, admitting he should have fought Giardello more aggressively.
In a rematch with Dick Tiger on October 21, 1965, the Nigerian won a unanimous decision over Giardello in 15 rounds to regain the belt. Giardello was described as "back pedaling for most of the fight." Giardello fought just four more times over the next two years before retiring.
Professional boxing recordβ»
131 fights | 97 wins | 26 losses |
---|---|---|
By knockout | 30 | 4 |
By decision | 67 | 22 |
Draws | 8 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
133 | Win | 98β26β8 (1) | Jack Rodgers | SD | 10 | Nov 6, 1967 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
132 | Loss | 97β26β8 (1) | Jack Rodgers | UD | 10 | May 22, 1967 | Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
131 | Loss | 97β25β8 (1) | Nate Collins | TKO | 8 (10) | Dec 5, 1966 | Winterland Arena, San Francisco, California, U.S. | |
130 | Win | 97β24β8 (1) | Cash White | UD | 10 | Sep 22, 1966 | Municipal Stadium, Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
129 | Loss | 96β24β8 (1) | Dick Tiger | UD | 15 | Oct 21, 1965 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
128 | Win | 96β23β8 (1) | Gil Diaz | PTS | 10 | Apr 23, 1965 | Arena, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S. | |
127 | Win | 95β23β8 (1) | Rubin Carter | UD | 15 | Dec 14, 1964 | Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
126 | Win | 94β23β8 (1) | Juan Carlos Rivera | UD | 10 | May 22, 1964 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
125 | Win | 93β23β8 (1) | Juan Carlos Rivera | SD | 10 | Apr 17, 1964 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
124 | Win | 92β23β8 (1) | Dick Tiger | PTS | 15 | Dec 7, 1963 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | Won WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles |
123 | Win | 91β23β8 (1) | Sugar Ray Robinson | UD | 10 | Jun 24, 1963 | Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
122 | Win | 90β23β8 (1) | Ernest Burford | UD | 10 | Mar 25, 1963 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
121 | Win | 89β23β8 (1) | Wilf Greaves | SD | 10 | Feb 25, 1963 | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | |
120 | Win | 88β23β8 (1) | Johnny Morris | SD | 10 | Nov 12, 1962 | Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | |
119 | Loss | 87β23β8 (1) | George Benton | UD | 10 | Aug 6, 1962 | Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
118 | Win | 87β22β8 (1) | Jimmy Beecham | UD | 10 | Jul 9, 1962 | Midway Stadium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | |
117 | Win | 86β22β8 (1) | Henry Hank | MD | 10 | Jan 30, 1962 | Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
116 | Draw | 85β22β8 (1) | Joe DeNucci | MD | 10 | Dec 12, 1961 | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
115 | Win | 85β22β7 (1) | Jesse Smith | UD | 10 | Nov 6, 1961 | International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
114 | Win | 84β22β7 (1) | Jesse Smith | UD | 10 | Sep 12, 1961 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
113 | Loss | 83β22β7 (1) | Henry Hank | UD | 10 | Jul 10, 1961 | Convention Arena, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
112 | Win | 83β21β7 (1) | Wilf Greaves | TKO | 9 (10) | May 15, 1961 | Alhambra A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
111 | Loss | 82β21β7 (1) | Ralph Dupas | UD | 10 | Mar 6, 1961 | Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
110 | Loss | 82β20β7 (1) | Peter MΓΌller | PTS | 10 | Dec 1, 1960 | Messesporthalle, Cologne, West Germany | |
109 | Loss | 82β19β7 (1) | Terry Downes | PTS | 10 | Oct 11, 1960 | Empire Pool, London, England, U.K. | |
108 | Win | 82β18β7 (1) | Clarence Hinnant | TKO | 3 (10) | Sep 27, 1960 | Shrine Auditorium, Billings, Montana, U.S. | |
107 | Draw | 81β18β7 (1) | Gene Fullmer | SD | 15 | Apr 20, 1960 | Montana St. College Fieldhouse, Bozeman, Montana, U.S. | For NBA middleweight title |
106 | Win | 81β18β6 (1) | Dick Tiger | UD | 10 | Nov 4, 1959 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
105 | Loss | 80β18β6 (1) | Dick Tiger | UD | 10 | Sep 30, 1959 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
104 | Win | 80β17β6 (1) | Chico Vejar | SD | 10 | Aug 11, 1959 | Midway Stadium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | |
103 | Win | 79β17β6 (1) | Del Flanagan | KO | 1 (10) | Jun 16, 1959 | Auditorium, Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | |
102 | Win | 78β17β6 (1) | Holley Mims | SD | 10 | May 6, 1959 | Capitol Arena, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
101 | Loss | 77β17β6 (1) | Ralph Tiger Jones | SD | 10 | Jan 28, 1959 | Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
100 | Loss | 77β16β6 (1) | Ellsworth Webb | TKO | 7 (10) | Nov 19, 1958 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California, U.S. | |
99 | Loss | 77β15β6 (1) | Joey Giambra | SD | 10 | Jun 30, 1958 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California, U.S. | |
98 | Win | 77β14β6 (1) | Frank Szuzina | MD | 10 | Jun 11, 1958 | Shoreham Terrace, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
97 | Win | 76β14β6 (1) | Rory Calhoun | UD | 10 | May 5, 1958 | Cow Palace, Daly City, California, U.S. | |
96 | Win | 75β14β6 (1) | Franz Szuzina | UD | 10 | Feb 12, 1958 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
95 | Win | 74β14β6 (1) | Ralph Tiger Jones | UD | 10 | Dec 27, 1957 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
94 | Win | 73β14β6 (1) | Wilf Greaves | UD | 10 | Nov 5, 1957 | Denver Coliseum, Denver, Colorado, U.S. | |
93 | Win | 72β14β6 (1) | Bobby Lane | TKO | 7 (10) | Sep 27, 1957 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
92 | Win | 71β14β6 (1) | Chico Vejar | UD | 10 | Jul 17, 1957 | Freedom Hall, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
91 | Win | 70β14β6 (1) | Joe Gray | RTD | 5 (10) | Jul 2, 1957 | Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
90 | Win | 69β14β6 (1) | Rory Calhoun | SD | 10 | May 17, 1957 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
88 | Win | 68β14β6 | Randy Sandy | SD | 10 | Feb 6, 1957 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
87 | Win | 67β14β6 | Charley Cotton | UD | 10 | Dec 14, 1956 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
86 | Win | 66β14β6 | Charley Cotton | UD | 10 | Nov 15, 1956 | Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
85 | Win | 65β14β6 | Bobby Boyd | KO | 5 (10) | Sep 28, 1956 | Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
84 | Win | 64β14β6 | Georgia Kid | TKO | 9 (10) | Aug 28, 1956 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
83 | Win | 63β14β6 | Franz Szuzina | UD | 10 | Jul 26, 1956 | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
82 | Win | 62β14β6 | Tony Baldoni | KO | 1 (10) | Jul 2, 1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
81 | Loss | 61β14β6 | Charley Cotton | SD | 10 | May 28, 1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
80 | Loss | 61β13β6 | Charley Cotton | UD | 10 | May 7, 1956 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
79 | Win | 61β12β6 | Joe Shaw | UD | 10 | Mar 27, 1956 | Town Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
78 | Win | 60β12β6 | Hurley Sanders | PTS | 10 | Mar 10, 1956 | Armory, Paterson, New Jersey, U.S. | |
77 | Win | 59β12β6 | Tim Jones | TKO | 10 (10) | Feb 11, 1956 | Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. | |
76 | Win | 58β12β6 | Peter MΓΌller | KO | 2 (10) | Mar 1, 1955 | Arena, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |
75 | Win | 57β12β6 | Andy Mayfield | TKO | 8 (10) | Feb 15, 1955 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
74 | Win | 56β12β6 | Al Andrews | UD | 10 | Jan 25, 1955 | Municipal Auditorium, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. | |
73 | Win | 55β12β6 | Ralph Tiger Jones | UD | 10 | Sep 24, 1954 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
72 | Win | 54β12β6 | Billy Kilgore | UD | 10 | Jul 7, 1954 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
71 | Win | 53β12β6 | Bobby Jones | UD | 10 | Jun 11, 1954 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
70 | Loss | 52β12β6 | Pierre Langlois | UD | 10 | May 21, 1954 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
69 | Win | 52β11β6 | Willie Troy | TKO | 7 (10) | Mar 19, 1954 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
68 | Win | 51β11β6 | Walter Cartier | TKO | 1 (10) | Feb 5, 1954 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
67 | Win | 50β11β6 | Garth Panter | TKO | 5 (10) | Jan 8, 1954 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
66 | Win | 49β11β6 | Tuzo Portuguez | UD | 10 | Nov 23, 1953 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
65 | Win | 48β11β6 | Walter Cartier | UD | 10 | Oct 26, 1953 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
64 | Loss | 47β11β6 | Johnny Saxton | UD | 10 | Sep 29, 1953 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
63 | Win | 47β10β6 | Ernie Durando | UD | 10 | Jun 26, 1953 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
62 | Win | 46β10β6 | Hurley Sanders | PTS | 10 | May 30, 1953 | Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
61 | Win | 45β10β6 | Gil Turner | UD | 10 | Apr 7, 1953 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
60 | Loss | 44β10β6 | Billy Graham | UD | 12 | Mar 6, 1953 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
59 | Win | 44β9β6 | Harold Green | UD | 10 | Feb 2, 1953 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
58 | Win | 43β9β6 | Billy Graham | SD | 10 | Dec 19, 1952 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
57 | Loss | 42β9β6 | Joey Giambra | UD | 10 | Nov 11, 1952 | Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
56 | Win | 42β8β6 | Joey Giambra | UD | 10 | Oct 13, 1952 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
55 | Win | 41β8β6 | Georgie Small | UD | 10 | Sep 15, 1952 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
54 | Win | 40β8β6 | Billy Graham | SD | 10 | Aug 4, 1952 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
53 | Win | 39β8β6 | Pierre Langlis | UD | 10 | Jun 23, 1952 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
52 | Win | 38β8β6 | Roy Wouters | PTS | 6 | Jun 5, 1952 | Municipal Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
51 | Draw | 37β8β6 | Joe Miceli | PTS | 10 | May 5, 1952 | Watres Armory, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
50 | Draw | 37β8β5 | Sammy Guiliani | PTS | 8 | Mar 28, 1952 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
49 | Draw | 37β8β4 | Sal DiMartino | PTS | 10 | Jan 9, 1952 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
48 | Loss | 37β8β3 | Bobby Dykes | SD | 10 | Dec 12, 1951 | Auditorium, Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. | |
47 | Loss | 37β7β3 | Rocky Castellani | MD | 10 | Nov 13, 1951 | Catholic Youth Center, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
46 | Win | 37β6β3 | Tony Amato | KO | 7 (8) | Oct 8, 1951 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
45 | Win | 36β6β3 | Tommy Bazzano | PTS | 6 | Sep 14, 1951 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
44 | Win | 35β6β3 | Johnny Noel | UD | 8 | Aug 27, 1951 | Toppi Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
43 | Win | 34β6β3 | Otis Graham | UD | 8 | Aug 13, 1951 | Toppi Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
42 | Loss | 33β6β3 | Gus Rubicini | PTS | 8 | May 25, 1951 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
41 | Win | 33β5β3 | Ernie Durando | UD | 10 | Apr 30, 1951 | Watres Armory, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
40 | Win | 32β5β3 | Roy Wouters | UD | 8 | Apr 12, 1951 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
39 | Win | 31β5β3 | Primos Cutler | PTS | 8 | Mar 29, 1951 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
38 | Loss | 30β5β3 | Roy Wouters | MD | 8 | Mar 15, 1951 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
37 | Win | 30β4β3 | Tony Wolfe | KO | 3 (8) | Feb 24, 1951 | Cambria A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
36 | Win | 29β4β3 | Harold Sampson | SD | 8 | Feb 22, 1951 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
35 | Win | 28β4β3 | Jan Henri | UD | 8 | Jan 27, 1951 | Cambria A.C., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
34 | Win | 27β4β3 | Freddie Lott | PTS | 8 | Jan 6, 1951 | Ridgewood Grove Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
33 | Win | 26β4β3 | Leroy Coleman | KO | 5 (6) | Dec 18, 1950 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
32 | Draw | 25β4β3 | George Roberts | PTS | 6 | Nov 27, 1950 | Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
31 | Loss | 25β4β2 | Harold Green | RTD | 6 (10) | Oct 26, 1950 | Eastern Parkway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
30 | Win | 25β3β2 | Bruce Ubaldo | PTS | 8 | Oct 16, 1950 | South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
29 | Win | 24β3β2 | Ted DiGiammo | KO | 1 (6) | Sep 26, 1950 | South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
28 | Win | 23β3β2 | Don Berry | KO | 1 (6) | Aug 25, 1950 | Scranton Stadium, Scranton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
27 | Loss | 22β3β2 | Carey Mace | TKO | 8 (8) | May 17, 1950 | St. Nicholas Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
26 | Win | 22β2β2 | Hurley Sanders | UD | 8 | May 5, 1950 | Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
25 | Win | 21β2β2 | Tommy Varsos | KO | 1 (8) | Apr 20, 1950 | Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
24 | Win | 20β2β2 | Steve Sabatino | KO | 1 (8) | Mar 27, 1950 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
23 | Win | 19β2β2 | Armando Amanini | PTS | 8 | Mar 23, 1950 | Broadway Arena, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
22 | Win | 18β2β2 | Johnny Bernardo | MD | 8 | Feb 9, 1950 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
21 | Win | 17β2β2 | Johnny Bernardo | PTS | 8 | Jan 26, 1950 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
20 | Loss | 16β2β2 | Joe DiMartino | PTS | 8 | Jan 16, 1950 | Arena, New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. | |
19 | Win | 16β1β2 | Johnny Fry | PTS | 6 | Jan 5, 1950 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
18 | Win | 15β1β2 | Jim Dockery | KO | 2 (6) | Dec 5, 1949 | Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
17 | Win | 14β1β2 | Mitch Allen | PTS | 6 | Nov 14, 1949 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
16 | Win | 13β1β2 | Leroy Fleming | KO | 1 (6) | Jul 13, 1949 | Griffith Stadium, Washington, D.C., U.S. | |
15 | Win | 12β1β2 | Ray Haas | TKO | 3 (6) | Jun 20, 1949 | Toppi Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
14 | Win | 11β1β2 | Henry Vonsavage | TKO | 2 (6) | June 6, 1949 | Toppi Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
13 | Win | 10β1β2 | Emerson Charles | PTS | 4 | May 2, 1949 | Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
12 | Win | 9β1β2 | Joe Aurillo | PTS | 6 | Apr 28, 1949 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
11 | Win | 8β1β2 | Ray Morris | PTS | 4 | Apr 25, 1949 | South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
10 | Win | 7β1β2 | Bill Mongomery | KO | 1 (6) | Apr 7, 1949 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
9 | Win | 6β1β2 | Johnny Brown | PTS | 4 | Mar 29, 1949 | Little Palestra, Allentown, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
8 | Win | 5β1β2 | Don Ennis | KO | 4 (6) | Mar 15, 1949 | Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
7 | Draw | 4β1β2 | Clyde Diggs | PTS | 6 | Feb 24, 1949 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
6 | Loss | 4β1β1 | Jimmy Morton | PTS | 6 | Jan 13, 1949 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
5 | Win | 4β0β1 | Willie Wigfall | TKO | 1 (4) | Dec 30, 1948 | Metropolitan Opera House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
4 | Draw | 3β0β1 | Bobby Thomas | PTS | 4 | Dec 17, 1948 | Kingston Armory, Kingston, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
3 | Win | 3β0 | Johnny Madison | KO | 1 (4) | Dec 16, 1948 | Hamid's Pier, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
2 | Win | 2β0 | Jackie Cole | KO | 1 (4) | Nov 16, 1948 | Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S. | |
1 | Win | 1β0 | Jimmy Larkin | KO | 1 (4) | Oct 10, 1948 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
Life after boxingβ»
After retirement, he went into private business and went back to his real name. He was an insurance salesman and later joined the Misco International Chemical Company as their New York-Philadelphia-New Jersey distributor. He had married his wife Rosalie in 1950, with whom he had four children. He did work with the intellectually disabled, particularly for St. John of God School Community Services in Westville Grove, New Jersey, where his son, Carman, who had Down Syndrome, lived for ten years. He met the pope and was invited to President John F. Kennedy's Inauguration. With his celebrity and title, he participated in countless fundraising events for the intellectually disabled and contributed his time and talent to the Special Olympics, founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. At one event he taught the Special Olympians to jump rope.
He had a small role as a man from "The Syndicate" in the 1975 movie Moonrunners.
In 1996, he was invited to a Hungarian TV talk-show, (Friderikusz show) in which he made appearance in Budapest, Hungary, to celebrate Laszlo Papp's 70th birthday, that was a honorary invitation. Because of eastern communist block did not let Papp to match with Giardello in 1966, therefore Giardello could keep holding the 2 world titles, while Laszlo Papp was forced by the communist Hungarian government to bring his boxing career to an end.
He later filed a federal lawsuit against Universal Pictures, Beacon Communications and Aloof Films, for unspecified damages, for its "thoroughly false depiction" of his bout with Rubin Carter in Norman Jewison's 1999 film The Hurricane. The case was settled out-of-court and the DVD version of the film included scenes from the actual fight, as well as Jewison's statement that Giardello "no doubt" was a great fighter.
He died on September 4, 2008, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He was 78 years old.
Honorsβ»
Giardello was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, the 3rd boxer to be, inducted after Joe Frazier (2004) and Tommy Loughran (2008). He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. His career record was 101 wins, 25 losses and 7 draws. He was 5-3-1 against other boxers in the Hall of Fame, including a 2β2 mark against Tiger.
A public statue honoring Giardello is situated in the East Passyunk Crossing section of South Philadelphia.
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Boxing record for Joey Giardello". BoxRec.
- ^ "The Lineal Middleweight Champions". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
- ^ Lipsyte, Robert (12 March 2000). "BACKTALK; Once Again, Giardello Is in the Eye of the Storm". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Famous 70". December 2017.
- ^ Rose, Murray (19 November 1954). "Martinez Offered $20,000 Bribe to Thrown Fiore Fight". Lewiston Daily Sun. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ "Dick Tiger Reclaims Title From Joey Giardello". Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 4 November 1965. p. 58. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ Wice, Paul B. (2000). Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and the American Justice System. Rutgers University Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-8135-2864-9. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ Bock, Hal (2000-02-27). "Giardello Sets 'Hurricane' Record Straight". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-09-05.
- ^ "Joey Giardello: Middleweight boxing champion". The Independent. 11 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2022-06-09. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
- ^ Stephen Brunt. The Italian Stallions: Heroes of Boxing's Glory Days. Sport Classic Books. 2003 p 213. ISBN 1-894963-03-2
- ^ "Joey Giardello". Njboxinghof.org. Archived from the original on 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2014-05-09.
- ^ Joey Giardello Statue Project. Accessed 9 May 2011.
External linksβ»
- Boxing record for Joey Giardello from BoxRec (registration required)
- Joey Giardello at Find a Grave
Sporting positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
World boxing titles | ||||
Preceded by | WBA middleweight champion December 7, 1963 β October 21, 1965 |
Succeeded by Dick Tiger
| ||
WBC middleweight champion December 7, 1963 β October 21, 1965 | ||||
The Ring middleweight champion December 7, 1963 β October 21, 1965 | ||||
Undisputed middleweight champion December 7, 1963 β October 21, 1965 | ||||
Awards | ||||
Previous: Joe Brown vs. Dave Charnley II |
The Ring Fight of the Year vs. Henry Hank II 1962 |
Succeeded by |
- 1930 births
- 2008 deaths
- American male boxers
- Boxers from Philadelphia
- Boxers from Brooklyn
- American people of Italian descent
- United States Army soldiers
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- Child soldiers in World War II
- World Boxing Association champions
- World Boxing Council champions
- The Ring (magazine) champions
- World middleweight boxing champions
- International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees