BY THE NUMBERS: Nino Benvenuti by Don Stradley • Illustration by KronkAAArt He’s turning 87 in April, making Giovanni “Nino” Benvenuti one of the oldest living former boxing champions. Known for his shaggy hair and stylish wardrobe, Benvenuti attracted a devoted following in Italy and was also beloved by New York’s Italian-American fans. A classy stand-up boxer, he could fight dirty when needed. He could also flash a sudden left hook that put many opponents on their backs. Open about his friendships with gamblers, his love of Ernest Hemingway and his admiration for Benito Mussolini, Benvenuti was always good copy. Because of his taste for books and classical music, his admirers playfully dubbed him “The Intellectual.” Here’s his story by the numbers.
bouts with Emile Griffith » Benvenuti made a spectacular U.S. debut, arriving in New York in May 1967 to win the Ring, WBA and WBC middleweight titles from Griffith at Madison Square Garden. Benvenuti was Italy’s first world middleweight champion and was so impressive in winning a 15-round decision that he drew accolades as perhaps the best European fighter to ever invade America. Among his most passionate rooters was retired heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano, who praised Benvenuti’s performance. “Looking at him work,” said Marciano, “you can’t say ‘he fights like a European.’ The only thing you can say about Nino is, ‘He fights like a champion.’” Nino’s impact on America’s boxing scene was profound, and not only for the street vendors who made a fortune selling little Italian flags before his fights. Sports Illustrated put Nino on the cover, while The Ring chose Benvenuti-Griffith 1 as Fight of the Year. Garden matchmaker Teddy Brenner said in 1967 that Benvenuti “had done more for boxing” than Ali. At the time, this seemed true. With his elegant style in the ring and enough boyish charm to make his female fans howl, it seemed Benvenuti had brought something special to boxing, a romanticism it had lacked for some time. As one syndicated columnist put it, “Madison Square Garden, the night Nino Benvenuti won the middleweight championship of the world, was the way boxing was meant to be.” Griffith regained the laurels in a rematch at Shea Stadium in September of 1967, defeating Benvenuti by 15-round majority decision. In the rubber match at the Garden, Benvenuti overcame Griffith’s late rally and took the championship back in March of 1968. Though it was a unanimous 15-round decision for Benvenuti, the third bout was the most difficult of the trilogy to score. wins by disqualification » Italian referees were quick to throw fighters out for any rule infraction. Sometimes it was a cultural clash. Benvenuti suggested as much after Fraser Scott was disqualified for butting in their 1969 fight in Naples. “I realize that Scott would never have been disqualified in the U.S. His is the American way of boxing,” Benvenuti said. Many felt the DQ of Scott was wrong and were critical of referee Tony Gillardi’s fervent approach to the rules. “The result was a black eye for Italian boxing,” reported the United Press, “often accused of being unable to maintain high or impartial standards of officiating.” (Nino wasn’t alone in benefiting from overzealous Italian referees. Italy’s Bruno Arcari won six times by DQ.)
film roles » Perhaps it was inevitable that the dashing Benvenuti would try acting. In 1969, he landed a lead role in a comedy set in the old American West. Unfortunately, the spaghetti Western era
wouldn’t do for Nino what it had done for Clint Eastwood. Released in some countries as Alive or Preferably Dead , the film flopped. Certain members of the American press mocked Nino’s interest in movies. This started when the boxer caused a bout’s postponement due to an illness, only to be discovered at the film studio in Rome. The debonair champ was filming interior shots while he was supposed to be out sick. With Benvenuti’s new film career coinciding with a noticeable decline in his ring work, sportswriters grew cynical about “Benvenuti mania.” New York columnist Red Smith was among the most scornful. After Benvenuti lost a non-title fight against Dick Tiger, Smith described the Italian icon as “girlish,” fighting “like a movie star.” Smith even scrutinized Benvenuti’s “pale caramel” skin tone: “It looked like a tan acquired under klieg lights.” Though Benvenuti talked about doing more acting after he left boxing, he appeared in only two more films, a 1975 crime drama called Mark il Poliziotto Spara per Primo (which was translated as Mark Shoots First ), and a 2008 Italian-Romanian biopic of Primo Carnera, in which Benvenuti appeared briefly as a trainer.
Gold Medal » Though the 1960 Rome Olympics are remembered for introducing Muhammad Ali to the world, it was Benvenuti who dominated the news in Italy that year. He won the finals at welterweight by defeating the Soviet Union’s Yuri Radonyak on points. Along with his gold medal, Benvenuti claimed the Val Barker trophy as the games’ outstanding boxer. With two other gold medals, three silvers and a bronze, Italy was far in front of Poland, the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. as the best boxing team of 1960. This kicked off a heyday for Italian boxing that lasted into the 1970s, a golden era of which Benvenuti was the face.
fights » His pro record was 82-7-1 with 35 knockouts, compiled from 1961 to 1971. Along the way, he claimed regional distinction as the European and Italian middleweight titleholder, won world titles in two weight classes and was a two-time Ring Magazine champion at 160 pounds.
Fighter of the Year award » Regaining the middleweight title was part of a superb 1968 campaign for Nino. He went 6-0- 1, earning top honors from The Ring as Fighter of the Year.
losses to Carlos Monzon » With a brutal 12th-round KO, Argentina’s Monzon ended Benvenuti’s second reign as middleweight champion in 1970. After losing the rematch by a TKO in the third, Benvenuti retired from boxing and looked to the future. After all, he’d invested his money wisely and was a certified Italian sports idol. In the following years, he’d stay busy by being with his family, hosting a television talk show and looking after his many properties. These included an aluminum factory in Bologna and a high-end restaurant in his hometown of Trieste, where he’d also served on the city council. One assumes he also had more time for his love of books. “Literature is the teacher of life,” Benvenuti once said. And preferable, we’re certain, to getting punched in the head by Monzon.
consecutive wins » Benvenuti owned one of the longest unbeaten streaks in boxing
history, achieved before his 28th birthday. Though he fought almost exclusively in Italy, and one suspects the home turf played to his advantage, it was an impressive feat. During that 65-fight run, Benvenuti defeated some fine opponents, including Denny Moyer, Gaspar Ortega, Don Fullmer, and the man from whom he won the WBC junior middleweight title, Italy’s tough Sandro Mazzinghi. Benvenuti’s winning streak ended when he ventured to South Korea and lost the junior middleweight title to Ki Soo Kim on a split decision. Kim later lost the title to Benvenuti’s old rival, Mazzinghi.
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