Joey Giardello

Carmine Orlando Tilelli (July 16, 1930 – September 4, 2008) was an American boxer who was the world middleweight champion from 1963 to 1965.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He adopted the name Joey Giardello (the name of a cousin's friend) in order to join the U.S. Army while underage, and continued to use the pseudonym throughout his boxing career.<ref name="NY Times">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Early life

Giardello was born in Brooklyn, but lived most of his life in the Lower Moyamensing area of South Philadelphia.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He joined the U.S. Army while underage towards the end of World War II, using a cousin's friend's name, and volunteered for airborne duty.<ref name="NY Times" /> During his military time, he took part in Army boxing matches, and after his discharge in 1948, began boxing professionally.<ref name="NY Times" /> He continued to use the name he had enlisted under, Joey Giardello, in his boxing career.<ref name="NY Times" />

Professional career

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.Template:Citation needed

As a pro, he quickly racked up a 15–1–2 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 6–10 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. 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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 8–1–1 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.<ref name="Jet">Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Carter would later revise his claims, admitting he should have fought Giardello more aggressively.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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."<ref name="Jet" /> Giardello fought just four more times over the next two years before retiring.

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
133	Template:Yes2Win	98–26–8 Template:Small	Jack Rodgers	SD	10	Nov 6, 1967	Template:Small
132	Template:No2Loss	97–26–8 Template:Small	Jack Rodgers	UD	10	May 22, 1967	Template:Small
131	Template:No2Loss	97–25–8 Template:Small	Nate Collins	TKO	8 (10)	Dec 5, 1966	Template:Small
130	Template:Yes2Win	97–24–8 Template:Small	Cash White	UD	10	Sep 22, 1966	Template:Small
129	Template:No2Loss	96–24–8 Template:Small	Dick Tiger	UD	15	Oct 21, 1965	Template:Small	Template:Small
128	Template:Yes2Win	96–23–8 Template:Small	Gil Diaz	PTS	10	Apr 23, 1965	Template:Small
127	Template:Yes2Win	95–23–8 Template:Small	Rubin Carter	UD	15	Dec 14, 1964	Template:Small	Template:Small
126	Template:Yes2Win	94–23–8 Template:Small	Juan Carlos Rivera	UD	10	May 22, 1964	Template:Small
125	Template:Yes2Win	93–23–8 Template:Small	Juan Carlos Rivera	SD	10	Apr 17, 1964	Template:Small
124	Template:Yes2Win	92–23–8 Template:Small	Dick Tiger	PTS	15	Dec 7, 1963	Template:Small	Template:Small
123	Template:Yes2Win	91–23–8 Template:Small	Sugar Ray Robinson	UD	10	Jun 24, 1963	Template:Small
122	Template:Yes2Win	90–23–8 Template:Small	Ernest Burford	UD	10	Mar 25, 1963	Template:Small
121	Template:Yes2Win	89–23–8 Template:Small	Wilf Greaves	SD	10	Feb 25, 1963	Template:Small
120	Template:Yes2Win	88–23–8 Template:Small	Johnny Morris	SD	10	Nov 12, 1962	Template:Small
119	Template:No2Loss	87–23–8 Template:Small	George Benton	UD	10	Aug 6, 1962	Template:Small
118	Template:Yes2Win	87–22–8 Template:Small	Jimmy Beecham	UD	10	Jul 9, 1962	Template:Small
117	Template:Yes2Win	86–22–8 Template:Small	Henry Hank	MD	10	Jan 30, 1962	Template:Small
116	Template:DrawDraw	85–22–8 Template:Small	Joe DeNucci	MD	10	Dec 12, 1961	Template:Small
115	Template:Yes2Win	85–22–7 Template:Small	Jesse Smith	UD	10	Nov 6, 1961	Template:Small
114	Template:Yes2Win	84–22–7 Template:Small	Jesse Smith	UD	10	Sep 12, 1961	Template:Small
113	Template:No2Loss	83–22–7 Template:Small	Henry Hank	UD	10	Jul 10, 1961	Template:Small
112	Template:Yes2Win	83–21–7 Template:Small	Wilf Greaves	TKO	9 (10)	May 15, 1961	Template:Small
111	Template:No2Loss	82–21–7 Template:Small	Ralph Dupas	UD	10	Mar 6, 1961	Template:Small
110	Template:No2Loss	82–20–7 Template:Small	Peter Müller	PTS	10	Dec 1, 1960	Template:Small
109	Template:No2Loss	82–19–7 Template:Small	Terry Downes	PTS	10	Oct 11, 1960	Template:Small
108	Template:Yes2Win	82–18–7 Template:Small	Clarence Hinnant	TKO	3 (10)	Sep 27, 1960	Template:Small
107	Template:DrawDraw	81–18–7 Template:Small	Gene Fullmer	SD	15	Apr 20, 1960	Template:Small	Template:Small
106	Template:Yes2Win	81–18–6 Template:Small	Dick Tiger	UD	10	Nov 4, 1959	Template:Small
105	Template:No2Loss	80–18–6 Template:Small	Dick Tiger	UD	10	Sep 30, 1959	Template:Small
104	Template:Yes2Win	80–17–6 Template:Small	Chico Vejar	SD	10	Aug 11, 1959	Template:Small
103	Template:Yes2Win	79–17–6 Template:Small	Del Flanagan	KO	1 (10)	Jun 16, 1959	Template:Small
102	Template:Yes2Win	78–17–6 Template:Small	Holley Mims	SD	10	May 6, 1959	Template:Small
101	Template:No2Loss	77–17–6 Template:Small	Ralph Tiger Jones	SD	10	Jan 28, 1959	Template:Small
100	Template:No2Loss	77–16–6 Template:Small	Ellsworth Webb	TKO	7 (10)	Nov 19, 1958	Template:Small
99	Template:No2Loss	77–15–6 Template:Small	Joey Giambra	SD	10	Jun 30, 1958	Template:Small
98	Template:Yes2Win	77–14–6 Template:Small	Frank Szuzina	MD	10	Jun 11, 1958	Template:Small
97	Template:Yes2Win	76–14–6 Template:Small	Rory Calhoun	UD	10	May 5, 1958	Template:Small
96	Template:Yes2Win	75–14–6 Template:Small	Franz Szuzina	UD	10	Feb 12, 1958	Template:Small
95	Template:Yes2Win	74–14–6 Template:Small	Ralph Tiger Jones	UD	10	Dec 27, 1957	Template:Small
94	Template:Yes2Win	73–14–6 Template:Small	Wilf Greaves	UD	10	Nov 5, 1957	Template:Small
93	Template:Yes2Win	72–14–6 Template:Small	Bobby Lane	TKO	7 (10)	Sep 27, 1957	Template:Small
92	Template:Yes2Win	71–14–6 Template:Small	Chico Vejar	UD	10	Jul 17, 1957	Template:Small
91	Template:Yes2Win	70–14–6 Template:Small	Joe Gray	RTD	5 (10)	Jul 2, 1957	Template:Small
90	Template:Yes2Win	69–14–6 Template:Small	Rory Calhoun	SD	10	May 17, 1957	Template:Small
88	Template:Yes2Win	68–14–6	Randy Sandy	SD	10	Feb 6, 1957	Template:Small
87	Template:Yes2Win	67–14–6	Charley Cotton	UD	10	Dec 14, 1956	Template:Small
86	Template:Yes2Win	66–14–6	Charley Cotton	UD	10	Nov 15, 1956	Template:Small
85	Template:Yes2Win	65–14–6	Bobby Boyd	KO	5 (10)	Sep 28, 1956	Template:Small
84	Template:Yes2Win	64–14–6	Georgia Kid	TKO	9 (10)	Aug 28, 1956	Template:Small
83	Template:Yes2Win	63–14–6	Franz Szuzina	UD	10	Jul 26, 1956	Template:Small
82	Template:Yes2Win	62–14–6	Tony Baldoni	KO	1 (10)	Jul 2, 1956	Template:Small
81	Template:No2Loss	61–14–6	Charley Cotton	SD	10	May 28, 1956	Template:Small
80	Template:No2Loss	61–13–6	Charley Cotton	UD	10	May 7, 1956	Template:Small
79	Template:Yes2Win	61–12–6	Joe Shaw	UD	10	Mar 27, 1956	Template:Small
78	Template:Yes2Win	60–12–6	Hurley Sanders	PTS	10	Mar 10, 1956	Template:Small
77	Template:Yes2Win	59–12–6	Tim Jones	TKO	10 (10)	Feb 11, 1956	Template:Small
76	Template:Yes2Win	58–12–6	Peter Müller	KO	2 (10)	Mar 1, 1955	Template:Small
75	Template:Yes2Win	57–12–6	Andy Mayfield	TKO	8 (10)	Feb 15, 1955	Template:Small
74	Template:Yes2Win	56–12–6	Al Andrews	UD	10	Jan 25, 1955	Template:Small
73	Template:Yes2Win	55–12–6	Ralph Tiger Jones	UD	10	Sep 24, 1954	Template:Small
72	Template:Yes2Win	54–12–6	Billy Kilgore	UD	10	Jul 7, 1954	Template:Small
71	Template:Yes2Win	53–12–6	Bobby Jones	UD	10	Jun 11, 1954	Template:Small
70	Template:No2Loss	52–12–6	Pierre Langlois	UD	10	May 21, 1954	Template:Small
69	Template:Yes2Win	52–11–6	Willie Troy	TKO	7 (10)	Mar 19, 1954	Template:Small
68	Template:Yes2Win	51–11–6	Walter Cartier	TKO	1 (10)	Feb 5, 1954	Template:Small
67	Template:Yes2Win	50–11–6	Garth Panter	TKO	5 (10)	Jan 8, 1954	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	49–11–6	Tuzo Portuguez	UD	10	Nov 23, 1953	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	48–11–6	Walter Cartier	UD	10	Oct 26, 1953	Template:Small
64	Template:No2Loss	47–11–6	Johnny Saxton	UD	10	Sep 29, 1953	Template:Small
63	Template:Yes2Win	47–10–6	Ernie Durando	UD	10	Jun 26, 1953	Template:Small
62	Template:Yes2Win	46–10–6	Hurley Sanders	PTS	10	May 30, 1953	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	45–10–6	Gil Turner	UD	10	Apr 7, 1953	Template:Small
60	Template:No2Loss	44–10–6	Billy Graham	UD	12	Mar 6, 1953	Template:Small
59	Template:Yes2Win	44–9–6	Harold Green	UD	10	Feb 2, 1953	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	43–9–6	Billy Graham	SD	10	Dec 19, 1952	Template:Small
57	Template:No2Loss	42–9–6	Joey Giambra	UD	10	Nov 11, 1952	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	42–8–6	Joey Giambra	UD	10	Oct 13, 1952	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	41–8–6	Georgie Small	UD	10	Sep 15, 1952	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	40–8–6	Billy Graham	SD	10	Aug 4, 1952	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	39–8–6	Pierre Langlis	UD	10	Jun 23, 1952	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	38–8–6	Roy Wouters	PTS	6	Jun 5, 1952	Template:Small
51	Template:DrawDraw	37–8–6	Joe Miceli	PTS	10	May 5, 1952	Template:Small
50	Template:DrawDraw	37–8–5	Sammy Guiliani	PTS	8	Mar 28, 1952	Template:Small
49	Template:DrawDraw	37–8–4	Sal DiMartino	PTS	10	Jan 9, 1952	Template:Small
48	Template:No2Loss	37–8–3	Bobby Dykes	SD	10	Dec 12, 1951	Template:Small
47	Template:No2Loss	37–7–3	Rocky Castellani	MD	10	Nov 13, 1951	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	37–6–3	Tony Amato	KO	7 (8)	Oct 8, 1951	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	36–6–3	Tommy Bazzano	PTS	6	Sep 14, 1951	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	35–6–3	Johnny Noel	UD	8	Aug 27, 1951	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	34–6–3	Otis Graham	UD	8	Aug 13, 1951	Template:Small
42	Template:No2Loss	33–6–3	Gus Rubicini	PTS	8	May 25, 1951	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	33–5–3	Ernie Durando	UD	10	Apr 30, 1951	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	32–5–3	Roy Wouters	UD	8	Apr 12, 1951	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	31–5–3	Primos Cutler	PTS	8	Mar 29, 1951	Template:Small
38	Template:No2Loss	30–5–3	Roy Wouters	MD	8	Mar 15, 1951	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	30–4–3	Tony Wolfe	KO	3 (8)	Feb 24, 1951	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	29–4–3	Harold Sampson	SD	8	Feb 22, 1951	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	28–4–3	Jan Henri	UD	8	Jan 27, 1951	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	27–4–3	Freddie Lott	PTS	8	Jan 6, 1951	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	26–4–3	Leroy Coleman	KO	5 (6)	Dec 18, 1950	Template:Small
32	Template:DrawDraw	25–4–3	George Roberts	PTS	6	Nov 27, 1950	Template:Small
31	Template:No2Loss	25–4–2	Harold Green	RTD	6 (10)	Oct 26, 1950	Template:Small
30	Template:Yes2Win	25–3–2	Bruce Ubaldo	PTS	8	Oct 16, 1950	Template:Small
29	Template:Yes2Win	24–3–2	Ted DiGiammo	KO	1 (6)	Sep 26, 1950	Template:Small
28	Template:Yes2Win	23–3–2	Don Berry	KO	1 (6)	Aug 25, 1950	Template:Small
27	Template:No2Loss	22–3–2	Carey Mace	TKO	8 (8)	May 17, 1950	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	22–2–2	Hurley Sanders	UD	8	May 5, 1950	Template:Small
25	Template:Yes2Win	21–2–2	Tommy Varsos	KO	1 (8)	Apr 20, 1950	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	20–2–2	Steve Sabatino	KO	1 (8)	Mar 27, 1950	Template:Small
23	Template:Yes2Win	19–2–2	Armando Amanini	PTS	8	Mar 23, 1950	Template:Small
22	Template:Yes2Win	18–2–2	Johnny Bernardo	MD	8	Feb 9, 1950	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	17–2–2	Johnny Bernardo	PTS	8	Jan 26, 1950	Template:Small
20	Template:No2Loss	16–2–2	Joe DiMartino	PTS	8	Jan 16, 1950	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	16–1–2	Johnny Fry	PTS	6	Jan 5, 1950	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	15–1–2	Jim Dockery	KO	2 (6)	Dec 5, 1949	Template:Small
17	Template:Yes2Win	14–1–2	Mitch Allen	PTS	6	Nov 14, 1949	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	13–1–2	Leroy Fleming	KO	1 (6)	Jul 13, 1949	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	12–1–2	Ray Haas	TKO	3 (6)	Jun 20, 1949	Template:Small
14	Template:Yes2Win	11–1–2	Henry Vonsavage	TKO	2 (6)	June 6, 1949	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	10–1–2	Emerson Charles	PTS	4	May 2, 1949	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	9–1–2	Joe Aurillo	PTS	6	Apr 28, 1949	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	8–1–2	Ray Morris	PTS	4	Apr 25, 1949	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	7–1–2	Bill Mongomery	KO	1 (6)	Apr 7, 1949	Template:Small
9	Template:Yes2Win	6–1–2	Johnny Brown	PTS	4	Mar 29, 1949	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	5–1–2	Don Ennis	KO	4 (6)	Mar 15, 1949	Template:Small
7	Template:DrawDraw	4–1–2	Clyde Diggs	PTS	6	Feb 24, 1949	Template:Small
6	Template:No2Loss	4–1–1	Jimmy Morton	PTS	6	Jan 13, 1949	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	4–0–1	Willie Wigfall	TKO	1 (4)	Dec 30, 1948	Template:Small
4	Template:DrawDraw	3–0–1	Bobby Thomas	PTS	4	Dec 17, 1948	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	3–0	Johnny Madison	KO	1 (4)	Dec 16, 1948	Template:Small
2	Template:Yes2Win	2–0	Jackie Cole	KO	1 (4)	Nov 16, 1948	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Jimmy Larkin	KO	1 (4)	Oct 10, 1948	Template:Small

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

• WBA middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBC middleweight champion (160 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles

• The Ring middleweight champion (160 lbs)

Undisputed titles

• Undisputed middleweight champion

Life after boxing

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.Template:Citation needed

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.<ref name="Independent">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Stephen Brunt. The Italian Stallions: Heroes of Boxing's Glory Days. Sport Classic Books. 2003 p 213. Template:ISBN</ref>

He died on September 4, 2008, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He was 78 years old.<ref name="Independent" />

Honors

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 2–2 mark against Tiger.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A public statue honoring Giardello is situated in the East Passyunk Crossing section of South Philadelphia.<ref>Joey Giardello Statue Project. Accessed 9 May 2011.</ref>

See also

• List of world middleweight boxing champions

External links

• Template:Boxrec
• Template:Find a Grave

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