Carmen Basilio

Carmen Basilio
Basilio after defending the world title in 1955
Statistics
Nickname(s)	The Upstate Onion Farmer
Weight(s)	Welterweight Middleweight
Height	5 ft 6+1⁄2 in (169 cm)
Nationality	American
Born	(1927-04-02)April 2, 1927 Canastota, New York
Died	November 7, 2012(2012-11-07) (aged 85) Rochester, New York
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	79
Wins	56
Wins by KO	27
Losses	16
Draws	7

Carmen Basilio (born Carmine Basilio, April 2, 1927 – November 7, 2012) was an American professional boxer who was the world champion in both the welterweight and middleweight divisions, beating Sugar Ray Robinson for the latter title.^[1][2] 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, while the Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1955 and 1957. He 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.^[3] He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.^[4]

Boxing career[]

Journeyman[]

Basilio began his professional boxing career by meeting Jimmy Evans on 24 November 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 2 May 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 rounds in their fourth.

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

For fight number 25, Basilio decided that it was time to campaign out West so he went to New Orleans, where he boxed his next six fights. In his first bout there, he met Gaby Farland, who held him to a draw. He and Farland 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 ranks[]

In 1953. Basilio started winning big fights and rose in the Welterweight division's 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 light-weight 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 Champion[]

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. 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",^[5] 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."^[6] 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, by 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 decision, September 23, 1957. The day after, he had to abandon the Welterweight belt, according to boxing laws. In 1957 Basilio won the Hickok Belt as top professional athlete of the year.

Decline[]

Basilio against Robinson in 1958

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 15-round controversial decision. Basilio's left eye was totally swelled shut from the 6th round on and still many of the ringside press thought Basilio won this second fight.^{[citation needed]} This too was a split decision just as their first fight was.

From that moment, and until his retirement in 1961, he fought only sporadically, but 3 of his last fights were attempts to recover the world's Middleweight title, losing twice to Gene Fullmer; by a TKO knockout in 14 at San Francisco; and by a TKO knockout in 12, in Fullmer's home state of Utah (in Salt Lake City), and then 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.

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

Post-boxing life[]

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.^[7] Basilio, who was also a member of the United States Marine Corps at one point of 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's 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 winning the title was better than when he won 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, and he required 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.^[8]

Championships and accomplishments[]

• Cauliflower Alley Club
  • Boxing Honoree (1994)^[9]

Professional boxing record[]

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round	Date	Location	Notes
79	Loss	56–16–7	Paul Pender	UD	15	Apr 22, 1961	Boston Garden, Boston	For NYSAC and The Ring middleweight titles
78	Win	56–15–7	Don Jordan	UD	10	Mar 11, 1961	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
77	Win	55–15–7	Gaspar Ortega	UD	10	Jan 7, 1961	Madison Square Garden, New York
76	Loss	54–15–7	Gene Fullmer	TKO	12 (15)	Jun 29, 1960	Derks Field, Salt Lake City	For NBA middleweight title
75	Loss	54–14–7	Gene Fullmer	TKO	14 (15)	Aug 28, 1959	Cow Palace, Daly City	For vacant NBA middleweight title
74	Win	54–13–7	Arley Seifer	TKO	3 (10)	Apr 1, 1959	Bell Auditorium, Augusta
73	Win	53–13–7	Art Aragon	TKO	8 (10)	Sep 5, 1958	Wrigley Field, Los Angeles
72	Loss	52–13–7	Sugar Ray Robinson	SD	15	Mar 25, 1958	Chicago Stadium, Chicago	Lost NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring middleweight titles
71	Win	52–12–7	Sugar Ray Robinson	SD	15	Sep 23, 1957	Yankee Stadium, Bronx	Won NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring middleweight titles
70	Win	51–12–7	Harold Jones	TKO	4 (10)	May 16, 1957	Auditorium, Portland
69	Win	50–12–7	Johnny Saxton	TKO	2 (15)	Feb 22, 1957	Arena, Cleveland	Retained NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
68	Win	49–12–7	Johnny Saxton	TKO	9 (15)	Sep 12, 1956	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse	Won NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
67	Loss	48–12–7	Johnny Saxton	UD	15	Mar 14, 1956	Chicago Stadium, Chicago	Lost NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
66	Win	48–11–7	Tony DeMarco	TKO	12 (15)	Nov 30, 1955	Boston Garden, Boston	Retained NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
65	Win	47–11–7	Gil Turner	MD	10	Sep 7, 1955	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
64	Win	46–11–7	Italo Scortichini	UD	10	Aug 10, 1955	Madison Square Garden, New York
63	Win	45–11–7	Tony DeMarco	TKO	12 (15)	Jun 10, 1955	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse	Won NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
62	Win	44–11–7	Peter Müller	UD	10	Jan 21, 1955	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
61	Win	43–11–7	Ronnie Harper	RTD	3 (10)	Dec 16, 1954	Armory, Akron
60	Win	42–11–7	Allie Gronik	UD	10	Oct 15, 1954	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
59	Win	41–11–7	Carmine Fiore	UD	10	Sep 10, 1954	Madison Square Garden, New York
58	Win	40–11–7	Ronnie Harper	TKO	2 (10)	Aug 17, 1954	Fort Wayne
57	Win	39–11–7	Al Andrews	UD	10	Jun 26, 1954	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
56	Win	38–11–7	Italo Scortichini	UD	10	May 15, 1954	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
55	Win	37–11–7	Pierre Langlois	UD	10	Apr 17, 1954	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
54	Draw	36–11–7	Italo Scortichini	PTS	10	Jan 16, 1954	Dinner Key Auditorium, Coconut Grove
53	Draw	36–11–6	Pierre Langlois	PTS	10	Dec 19, 1953	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
52	Win	36–11–5	Johnny Cunningham	KO	4 (10)	Nov 28, 1953	Civic Auditorium, Toledo
51	Loss	35–11–5	Kid Gavilan	SD	15	Sep 18, 1953	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse	For NBA, NSYAC, and The Ring welterweight titles
50	Draw	35–10–5	Billy Graham	PTS	12	Jul 25, 1953	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
49	Win	35–10–4	Billy Graham	UD	12	Jun 6, 1953	Memorial Stadium, Syracuse
48	Win	34–10–4	Carmine Fiore	TKO	9 (10)	Apr 11, 1953	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
47	Win	33–10–4	Vic Cardell	UD	10	Feb 28, 1953	Sports Arena, Toledo
46	Win	32–10–4	Ike Williams	UD	10	Jan 12, 1953	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
45	Win	31–10–4	Chuck Foster	TKO	5 (10)	Nov 18, 1952	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo
44	Win	30–10–4	Sammy Giuliani	KO	3 (10)	Oct 20, 1952	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
43	Win	29–10–4	Baby Williams	UD	10	Sep 22, 1952	Auditorium, Miami Beach
42	Loss	28–10–4	Billy Graham	UD	10	Aug 20, 1952	Chicago Stadium, Chicago
41	Loss	28–9–4	Chuck Davey	UD	10	Jul 16, 1952	Chicago Stadium, Chicago
40	Draw	28–8–4	Chuck Davey	PTS	10	May 29, 1952	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
39	Win	28–8–3	Jackie O'Brien	MD	10	Mar 31, 1952	South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre
38	Win	27–8–3	Jimmy Cousins	UD	8	Feb 28, 1952	Armory, Akron
37	Win	26–8–3	Emmett Norris	UD	10	Feb 4, 1952	South Main Street Armory, Wilkes-Barre
36	Loss	25–8–3	Ross Virgo	UD	10	Sep 26, 1951	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
35	Win	25–7–3	Shamus McCray	PTS	8	Sep 17, 1951	War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse
34	Loss	24–7–3	Johnny Cesario	UD	10	Jun 18, 1951	McConnell Field, Utica
33	Loss	24–6–3	Lester Felton	UD	10	May 29, 1951	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
32	Win	24–5–3	Eddie Giosa	UD	10	Apr 12, 1951	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
31	Win	23–5–3	Floro Hita	PTS	8	Mar 9, 1951	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
30	Loss	22–5–3	Vic Cardell	SD	10	Dec 15, 1950	Madison Square Garden, New York
29	Loss	22–4–3	Eddie Giosa	PTS	10	Aug 28, 1950	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
28	Win	22–3–3	Guillermo Gimenez	RTD	8 (10)	Jul 31, 1950	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
27	Win	21–3–3	Guillermo Gimenez	RTD	7 (10)	Jun 21, 1950	Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
26	Win	20–3–3	Gaby Ferland	KO	1 (10)	May 5, 1950	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
25	Draw	19–3–3	Gaby Ferland	PTS	10	Apr 12, 1950	Coliseum Arena, New Orleans
24	Loss	19–3–2	Mike Koballa	UD	8	Mar 27, 1950	Eastern Parkway Arena, Brooklyn
23	Win	19–2–2	Lew Jenkins	MD	10	Mar 6, 1950	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
22	Win	18–2–2	Adrien Mourguiart	TKO	7 (10)	Feb 7, 1950	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo
21	Win	17–2–2	Cassell Tate	MD	8	Jan 24, 1950	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo
20	Win	16–2–2	Sonny Jim Hampton	UD	8	Jan 10, 1950	Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo
19	Win	15–2–2	Johnny Parker	RTD	2 (8)	Sep 30, 1949	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
18	Win	14–2–2	Tony DiPelino	UD	8	Sep 7, 1949	Red Wing Stadium, Rochester
17	Win	13–2–2	Johnny Cunningham	PTS	8	Aug 17, 1949	MacArthur Stadium, Syracuse
16	Loss	12–2–2	Johnny Cunningham	SD	8	Aug 2, 1949	Bennett's Field, Utica
15	Win	12–1–2	Sammy Daniels	UD	8	Jul 21, 1949	Bennett's Field, Utica
14	Win	11–1–2	Jesse Bradshaw	TKO	2 (6)	Jul 12, 1949	MacArthur Stadium, Syracuse
13	Win	10–1–2	Johnny Cunningham	KO	2 (6)	Jun 7, 1949	MacArthur Stadium, Syracuse
12	Win	9–1–2	Johnny Clemons	KO	3 (6)	May 18, 1949	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
11	Loss	8–1–2	Connie Thies	PTS	6	May 2, 1949	Sports Arena, Rochester
10	Win	8–0–2	Elliot Throop	KO	1 (6)	Apr 20, 1949	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
9	Win	7–0–2	Jerry Drain	TKO	3 (6)	Mar 18, 1949	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
8	Win	6–0–2	Luke Jordan	PTS	6	Feb 17, 1949	Sports Arena, Rochester
7	Win	5–0–2	Ernie Hall	KO	2 (6)	Jan 25, 1949	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
6	Draw	4–0–2	Jimmy Parlin	PTS	6	Jan 19, 1949	Kalurah Temple, Binghamton
5	Draw	4–0–1	Johnny Cunningham	PTS	6	Jan 5, 1949	Kalurah Temple, Binghamton
4	Win	4–0	Rolly Johns	SD	6	Dec 15, 1948	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
3	Win	3–0	Eddie Thomas	KO	2 (6)	Dec 8, 1948	Kalurah Temple, Binghamton
2	Win	2–0	Bruce Walters	KO	1 (4)	Nov 29, 1948	State Fair Coliseum, Syracuse
1	Win	1–0	Jimmy Evans	KO	3 (4)	Nov 24, 1948	Kalurah Temple, Binghamton

See also[]

• List of welterweight boxing champions
• List of middleweight boxing champions
• List of left-handed boxers

References[]

External links[]

• Boxing record for Carmen Basilio from BoxRec

• Eastside Boxing
• Carmen Basilio's bio at the Internet Movie Database
• Carmen Basilio interviewed by Mike Wallace on The Mike Wallace Interview October 26, 1957
• N.Y. Times Obituary for Carmen Basilio
• Strange Days: The Johnny Saxton Story, The Cruelest Sport
• https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1953
• https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1955
• https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1956
• https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1957
• https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/National_Boxing_Association%27s_Quarterly_Ratings:_1958