Carmen Basilio

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Carmen Basilio (born Carmine Basilio, April 2, 1927 – November 7, 2012) was an American professional boxer who was a two-time Undisputed Welterweight Champion and Undisputed Middleweight champion, beating Sugar Ray Robinson for the latter title.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An iron-chinned pressure fighter, Basilio was a combination puncher who had great stamina and eventually wore many of his opponents down with vicious attacks to the head and body.

In 1957, The Ring magazine named Basilio Fighter of the Year and he won the Hickok Belt, a trophy that was awarded to the top professional athlete of the year. The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1955 and 1957. Basilio also holds the distinction of being in The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year in five consecutive years (1955–59), a feat unmatched by any other boxer.

In 2002, Basilio was voted by The Ring magazine as the 40th greatest fighter of the last 80 years.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.<ref>Steve Schaefer (April 7, 1990) Boxing Hall of Fame names first inductees. United Press International</ref>

Boxing careerEdit

JourneymanEdit

Basilio began his professional boxing career by facing Jimmy Evans on November 24, 1948, in Binghamton, New York. He knocked Evans out in the third round, and five days later he beat Bruce Walters in only one round. By the end of 1948, he had completed four bouts.

He started 1949 with two draws, against Johnny Cunningham on January 5 and against Jay Perlin 20 days later. Basilio campaigned exclusively inside the state of New York during his first 24 bouts, going 19-3-2 during that span. His first loss was at the hands of Connie Thies, who beat him in a six-round decision on May 2, 1949. He fought Cunningham three more times during that period. Basilio won by knockout in two rounds on their second meeting, Cunningham won by a decision in eight in their third fight, and Basilio won by a decision in eight in their fourth.

In the middle of that 24-bout span, 1950 rolled over and Basilio met former world champion Lew Jenkins, winning a 10-round decision.

For fight number 25, Basilio decided that it was time to campaign outside of New York state, so he went to New Orleans, where he boxed his next six fights. In his first bout there, he met Gaby Ferland, who held him to a draw. He and Ferland later had a rematch, Basilio winning by a knockout in the first round. He also boxed Guillermo Giminez there twice, first beating him by knockout in eight and then by knockout in nine. In his last fight before returning home, he lost by a decision in 10 to Eddie Giosa.

For his next seven bouts, Basilio only went 3–3–1, but he was able to avenge his loss to Giosa by winning a ten-round decision over him in Syracuse.

In 1952, Basilio went 6–2–1. He beat Jimmy Cousins among others that year, but he lost to Chuck Davey and Billy Graham. The draw he registered that year was against Davey in the first of the two meetings that year.

Rise in the ranksEdit

In 1953. Basilio started winning big fights and rose in the welterweight division rankings. He secured his first world title fight, against Cuba's Kid Gavilán for Gavilán's world welterweight championship.

Before fighting against Gavilan, he beat former world lightweight champion Ike Williams and had two more fights with Graham, avenging his earlier loss to Graham in the second bout between them with a 12-round decision win and drawing in the third. Basilio lost a 15-round decision to Gavilan and went for a fourth meeting with Cunningham, this time winning by a knockout in four. Then he and French fighter Pierre Langois began another rivalry with a 10-round draw in the first bout between the two.

In 1954, Basilio went undefeated in eight bouts, going 7-0-1 with 2 knockouts and defeating Langois in their rematch by decision.

World ChampionEdit

In 1955, Basilio began by beating Peter Müller by decision. After that, Basilio was once again the number one challenger, and on June 10 of that year he received his second world title try, against world welterweight champion Tony DeMarco. Basilio became world champion by knocking out DeMarco in the 12th round.

After winning the title, Basilio had two non-title bouts, including a ten-round decision win over Gil Turner, before he and DeMarco met again, this time with Basilio as the defending world champion. Their second fight had exactly the same result as their first bout: Basilio won by a knockout in 12.

For his next fight, in 1956, Basilio lost the title in Chicago to Johnny Saxton by a decision in 15. Saxton's manager, mafioso Frank "Blinky" Palermo",<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> was later jailed along with his partner Frankie Carbo for fixing fights. Basilio said of losing his title to the referees' decision: "It was like being robbed in a dark alley."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In an immediate rematch that was fought in Syracuse, Basilio regained the crown with a nine-round knockout, and then, in a rubber match, Basilio kept the belt with a knockout in two.

After that, he went up in weight and challenged ageing 36- year-old world middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson, in what may have been his most famous fight. He won the middleweight championship of the world by beating Robinson in a 15-round split decision on September 23, 1957. The day after, he had to abandon the welterweight belt, in accordance with boxing's then rules. In 1957 Basilio won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year.

DeclineEdit

File:Carmen Basilio 1958.jpg

Basilio against Robinson in 1958

File:Carmen Basilio 1960.jpg

Basilio testifies to U.S. Senate about mafia in 1960

In 1958, he and Robinson met in a rematch on March 25 and Robinson barely regained the title with a controversial 15-round split decision. The judges scored 71 to 64,5 and 72 to 64 Robinson while the referee scores 66 to 69 Basilio. Although Basilio's left eye was totally swollen shut from the 6th round on, many of the ringside press thought Basilio won the fight.Template:Citation needed

From that moment, and until his retirement in 1961, he fought only sporadically, but three of his last fights were attempts to recover the world middleweight title, losing twice to Gene Fullmer: by a TKO in 14 at San Francisco and by a TKO in 12 in Fullmer's home state of Utah (in Salt Lake City), and also later, when he lost a 10-round decision to defending world champion Paul Pender.

In between those fights, he was able to beat Art Aragon, by knockout in eight and former world welterweight champion Don Jordan by decision in ten. His fight with Pender for the title was also his last fight as a professional boxer.

Senate TestimonyEdit

In 1960, Basilio testified before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Antitrust and the Monopoly during its investigation of the International Boxing Club of New York and the influence of organized crime on boxing. Basilio told the Subcommittee about Frankie Carbo and Frank "Blinky" Palmero and Carbo's aide, Gabriel Genovese, a cousin of Mafia Don Vito Genovese who was convicted in 1959 of being an unlicensed boxing manager.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He called for a house cleaning of professional boxing. His testimony revealed that his former managers had to pay off organized crime for his title shots and that he essentially had a behind the scenes manager in Genovese.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Evidence submitted to the subcommittee showed that Basilio's on-the-record managers, John DeJohn and Joseph Netro, paid Carbo frontman Gabriel Genovese $39,334.41 and approximately $25,000, respectively, during the time Basilio fought for and defended his welterweight and middleweight titles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

RecordEdit

Carmen Basilio retired with a ring record of 56 wins, 16 losses and 7 draws, with 27 wins by knockout.

Post-boxing lifeEdit

After his retirement, Basilio worked for a time at the Genesee Brewery in Rochester, NY. Later Carmen, a high-school dropout, taught physical education at Le Moyne College in Syracuse.<ref>"Carmen Basilio Dies at 85; Took Title From Robinson" NYTimes November 7, 2012</ref> Basilio, who was also a member of the United States Marine Corps at one point in his life, was able to enjoy his retirement. Carmen was associated with a sausage company, frequently confused with a separate sausage company run by his brother Paul, for which he was a salesman.

During the 1970s, his nephew Billy Backus became world welterweight champion after having a shaky start to his own boxing career, and Basilio declared on the day that Backus became champion that, to him, Billy's winning the title was better than his winning it himself.

In 1990, Ed Brophy decided to build the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York, to honor the two world champions who were born there: Basilio and his nephew. Although Backus isn't a member of the Hall of Fame, Basilio is, along with many of the fighters he met inside the ring.

In the late 1990s, Basilio became seriously ill, requiring triple bypass heart surgery. Doctors were able to repair his heart.

Basilio was interviewed for an HBO documentary on Sugar Ray Robinson called "The Bright Lights and Dark Shadows of a Champion". He mentioned that although he respected Robinson's talents in the ring, he did not like him as a person.

In 2010, "Title Town USA, Boxing in Upstate New York" by historian Mark Allen Baker was published by The History Press in 2010 and identifies Canastota as the epicenter of Upstate New York's rich boxing heritage. The book includes chapters on both Carmen Basilio and Billy Backus. The introduction was written by Edward P. Brophy Executive Director of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He died aged 85 in 2012, and is survived by his wife Josephine Basilio.<ref name=obit>Template:Cite news</ref>

Championships and accomplishmentsEdit

Cauliflower Alley Club
- Boxing Honoree (1994)<ref name="CauliflowerHonorees">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Professional boxing recordEdit

Template:BoxingRecordSummary

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
79	Template:No2Loss	56–16–7	Paul Pender	UD	15	April 22, 1961	Template:Small	Template:Small
78	Template:Yes2Win	56–15–7	Don Jordan	UD	10	March 11, 1961	Template:Small
77	Template:Yes2Win	55–15–7	Gaspar Ortega	UD	10	January 7, 1961	Template:Small
76	Template:No2Loss	54–15–7	Gene Fullmer	TKO	12 (15)	June 29, 1960	Template:Small	Template:Small
75	Template:No2Loss	54–14–7	Gene Fullmer	TKO	14 (15)	August 28, 1959	Template:Small	Template:Small
74	Template:Yes2Win	54–13–7	Arley Seifer	TKO	3 (10)	April 1, 1959	Template:Small
73	Template:Yes2Win	53–13–7	Art Aragon	TKO	8 (10)	September 5, 1958	Template:Small
72	Template:No2Loss	52–13–7	Sugar Ray Robinson	SD	15	March 25, 1958	Template:Small	Template:Small
71	Template:Yes2Win	52–12–7	Sugar Ray Robinson	SD	15	September 23, 1957	Template:Small	Template:Small
70	Template:Yes2Win	51–12–7	Harold Jones	TKO	4 (10)	May 16, 1957	Template:Small
69	Template:Yes2Win	50–12–7	Johnny Saxton	TKO	2 (15)	February 22, 1957	Template:Small	Template:Small
68	Template:Yes2Win	49–12–7	Johnny Saxton	TKO	9 (15)	September 12, 1956	Template:Small	Template:Small
67	Template:No2Loss	48–12–7	Johnny Saxton	UD	15	March 14, 1956	Template:Small	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	48–11–7	Tony DeMarco	TKO	12 (15)	November 30, 1955	Template:Small	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	47–11–7	Gil Turner	MD	10	September 7, 1955	Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	46–11–7	Italo Scortichini	UD	10	August 10, 1955	Template:Small
63	Template:Yes2Win	45–11–7	Tony DeMarco	TKO	12 (15)	June 10, 1955	Template:Small	Template:Small
62	Template:Yes2Win	44–11–7	Peter Müller	UD	10	January 21, 1955	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	43–11–7	Ronnie Harper	RTD	3 (10)	December 16, 1954	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	42–11–7	Allie Gronik	UD	10	October 15, 1954	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	41–11–7	Carmine Fiore	UD	10	September 10, 1954	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	40–11–7	Ronnie Harper	TKO	2 (10)	August 17, 1954	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	39–11–7	Al Andrews	UD	10	June 26, 1954	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	38–11–7	Italo Scortichini	UD	10	May 15, 1954	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	37–11–7	Pierre Langlois	UD	10	April 17, 1954	Template:Small
54	Template:DrawDraw	36–11–7	Italo Scortichini	PTS	10	January 16, 1954	Template:Small
53	Template:DrawDraw	36–11–6	Pierre Langlois	PTS	10	December 19, 1953	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	36–11–5	Johnny Cunningham	KO	4 (10)	November 28, 1953	Template:Small
51	Template:No2Loss	35–11–5	Kid Gavilan	SD	15	September 18, 1953	Template:Small	Template:Small
50	Template:DrawDraw	35–10–5	Billy Graham	PTS	12	July 25, 1953	Template:Small	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	35–10–4	Billy Graham	UD	12	June 6, 1953	Template:Small	Template:Small
48	Template:Yes2Win	34–10–4	Carmine Fiore	TKO	9 (10)	April 11, 1953	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	33–10–4	Vic Cardell	UD	10	February 28, 1953	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	32–10–4	Ike Williams	UD	10	January 12, 1953	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	31–10–4	Chuck Foster	TKO	5 (10)	November 18, 1952	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	30–10–4	Sammy Giuliani	KO	3 (10)	October 20, 1952	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	29–10–4	Baby Williams	UD	10	September 22, 1952	Template:Small
42	Template:No2Loss	28–10–4	Billy Graham	UD	10	August 20, 1952	Template:Small
41	Template:No2Loss	28–9–4	Chuck Davey	UD	10	July 16, 1952	Template:Small
40	Template:DrawDraw	28–8–4	Chuck Davey	PTS	10	May 29, 1952	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	28–8–3	Jackie O'Brien	MD	10	March 31, 1952	Template:Small
38	Template:Yes2Win	27–8–3	Jimmy Cousins	UD	8	February 28, 1952	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	26–8–3	Emmett Norris	UD	10	February 4, 1952	Template:Small
36	Template:No2Loss	25–8–3	Ross Virgo	UD	10	September 26, 1951	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	25–7–3	Shamus McCray	PTS	8	September 17, 1951	Template:Small
34	Template:No2Loss	24–7–3	Johnny Cesario	UD	10	June 18, 1951	Template:Small
33	Template:No2Loss	24–6–3	Lester Felton	UD	10	May 29, 1951	Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	24–5–3	Eddie Giosa	UD	10	April 12, 1951	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	23–5–3	Floro Hita	PTS	8	March 9, 1951	Template:Small
30	Template:No2Loss	22–5–3	Vic Cardell	SD	10	December 15, 1950	Template:Small
29	Template:No2Loss	22–4–3	Eddie Giosa	PTS	10	August 28, 1950	Template:Small
28	Template:Yes2Win	22–3–3	Guillermo Gimenez	RTD	8 (10)	July 31, 1950	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	21–3–3	Guillermo Gimenez	RTD	7 (10)	June 21, 1950	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	20–3–3	Gaby Ferland	KO	1 (10)	May 5, 1950	Template:Small
25	Template:DrawDraw	19–3–3	Gaby Ferland	PTS	10	April 12, 1950	Template:Small
24	Template:No2Loss	19–3–2	Mike Koballa	UD	8	March 27, 1950	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	19–2–2	Lew Jenkins	MD	10	March 6, 1950	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	18–2–2	Adrien Mourguiart	TKO	7 (10)	February 7, 1950	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	17–2–2	Cassell Tate	MD	8	January 24, 1950	Template:Small
20	Template:Yes2Win	16–2–2	Sonny Jim Hampton	UD	8	January 10, 1950	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	15–2–2	Johnny Parker	RTD	2 (8)	September 30, 1949	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	14–2–2	Tony DiPelino	UD	8	September 7, 1949	Template:Small
17	Template:Yes2Win	13–2–2	Johnny Cunningham	PTS	8	August 17, 1949	Template:Small
16	Template:No2Loss	12–2–2	Johnny Cunningham	SD	8	August 2, 1949	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	12–1–2	Sammy Daniels	UD	8	July 21, 1949	Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	11–1–2	Jesse Bradshaw	TKO	2 (6)	July 12, 1949	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	10–1–2	Johnny Cunningham	KO	2 (6)	June 7, 1949	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	9–1–2	Johnny Clemons	KO	3 (6)	May 18, 1949	Template:Small
11	Template:No2Loss	8–1–2	Connie Thies	PTS	6	May 2, 1949	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	8–0–2	Elliot Throop	KO	1 (6)	April 20, 1949	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	7–0–2	Jerry Drain	TKO	3 (6)	March 18, 1949	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	6–0–2	Luke Jordan	PTS	6	February 17, 1949	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	5–0–2	Ernie Hall	KO	2 (6)	January 25, 1949	Template:Small
6	Template:DrawDraw	4–0–2	Jimmy Parlin	PTS	6	January 19, 1949	Template:Small
5	Template:DrawDraw	4–0–1	Johnny Cunningham	PTS	6	January 5, 1949	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	4–0	Rolly Johns	SD	6	December 15, 1948	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Eddie Thomas	KO	2 (6)	December 8, 1948	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Bruce Walters	KO	1 (4)	November 29, 1948	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Jimmy Evans	KO	3 (4)	November 24, 1948	Template:Small