FINISHING SHOTS By Tom Gray
WELTER WARRIORS:
After winning the welterweight championship in June 1955, Carmen Basilio contested two non-title bouts before scheduling his maiden defense against the man he’d dethroned. On November 30 of that year, Tony DeMarco gave everything of himself in pursuit of regaining the crown at Boston Garden. He hurt Basilio
(white trunks) on numerous occasions but was unable to fully thwart the champ’s vaunted aggression. As was the case in their first slugfest, Basilio prevailed via TKO 12. The rematch was named The Ring Fight of the Year, the first of four consecutive awards in that category to involve Basilio. No fighter has matched that since.
“After the fifth round, I knew he would run out of gas. It was just a question of time.” — Carmen Basilio
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