Rocky Mattioli

Friday Night - October 1, 1976

Palazzo Dello Sport Arena, Milan, Italy

Out of action for 4 1/2 Months -

Rocco 'Rocky' Mattioli comes back for a 'quickie tune-up' and blasts out
'perenial loser' American 'journeyman cannon-fodder' Pablo Rodriguez 12-19-2
in '2-Rounds' (TKO 2).

It was a 'mismatch', as Rocky pummels the Boston, Massachusetts 'record padder'
opponent all over the ring, forcing the Referee to halt the bout at 0:47 of the 2nd Round.

Both fighters weigh-in at 155 lbs. Rocky, now 23 improves to 42-4-2 (31 KO's) and moves
up to #7 WBC / #7 WBA at Light-Middleweight.

 

Hello Senor Pepe!
I remember seeing those two Maurice Hope fights. Maurice knocked Mattioli down on the seat of his pants in the 1st or second round and he put his hand down to break his fall and that's how I remember him breaking his wrist. He wasn't really in it after that boxing one handed but he showed plenty of bottle. I thought he might of put up a better fight the second time but Maurice just had his number. Maurice was a good fighter in his own right only getting beaten by good fighters, I was a big fan of Hope's.
I was quite familiar with Mattioli because my dad got an invite to the Elisha Obed fight to meet up with Lionel Rose with the fight being at Kooyong where they'd fought. For one reason or another that trip never came up. Dad did get an invite to Melbourne in 2004 though for the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame where coincidentally Mattioli was inducted into the Hall. We met Mattioli a couple of years ago at the WBC night of champions in Cardiff, he seemed like a nice bloke. I think he might be living in Italy now, he was with Giacobbe Fragomeni, the former WBC Cruiseweight Champion.

 

Mr. Francis

I saw Rocco 'Rocky' Mattioli fight in Italy - back in Febraury 1977,
just before he won the WBC Light-Middleweight Champinship.

I was on vacation in Bellaria, Italy (Northern Italy, on the Eastern-shoreline along the Adriatic Sea)

A Sunday Late-Afternoon 'Tourist Boxing Special' -

Rocky blasted out Venezuelan Arnoldo 'Onice' Olivares in '5' Rounds.
Rocky knocked this supposed 'tough South American' through the ring ropes
several times, to the delight of the 2500 or spectators in a small Municpal Stadium.

The Referee, finally had enough of this 'mismatch' and stopped the bout in the
5th Round with Olivares dangling over the top rope strand.
The fans politely cheered. A well behaved fight crowd, to say the least.

Olivares was supposed to be a Top 10 Light-Middleweight (or so the boxing program
stated) with supposedly '35' wins in '40' bouts.

I did check my older South American Boxeo Guide, and found out that the 29 year-old
5" 10" - 154 lb. Light-Middleweight Arnoldo Olivares (Venezuela) did have a record of
35-5-0 (21 KO's) in Febraury 1977, and was rated #10 WBA and #19 WBC.

Looking back, the bout was billed as a 'WBA Light-Middleweight Eliminator'

WBA Champion, Miguel Castellini was going to fight the winner of this bout next (in May 1977),
after he got by #9 WBA Eddie Gazo on March 5, 1977. Unfortunately, Castellini was 'upset' by
Gazo, who then avoided all the Top Light-Middleweights.

 

Friday Night - October 22, 1976

Bologna, Emilia Romagna, Italy

WBC Light-Middleweight Elimination Bout

#7 WBC - Rocco 'Rocky' Mattioli 42-4-2 (31 KO's)
vs
#10 WBC - Ralph Palladin 22-3-2 (10 KO's)

American Light-Middleweight, 33 year-old veteran, Ralph Palladin {#10 WBC Light-Middleweight}
and the {#4 NABF Light-Middleweight} comes to Bologna, Italy for a WBC-Eliminator
bout.

Ralph Palladin, retired in 1972 (at age 29), but came back in October 1975, and had gone
3-0-1 (2 KO's) in '4-bouts' since - and had re-entered the Top 10 Light-Middleweight rankings.

Ralph Palladin, is the one who is 'guaranteed' a shot at the WBC Light-Middleweight
Champion, Eckhard Dagge, if he can 'upset' Rocky Mattioli.

3800 Italian fans, attend the Bologna PallaDozza Arena - to watch this undercard bout.

The fight card is broadcast on Italian Television.

The bout;
The taller American, utilizes long jabs to keep the shorter Mattioli at bay in the early going.
But, by Round 4, Rocky is getting inside the taller Palladin, and punishes him with a 'two-fisted'
body attack, slowing him down.

In Round 5, Mattioli drops Palladin with a left-right-left to the jaw. Palladin grabs and
holds to survive the round. In Rounds 6 and 7, Rocky unleshes a ferocious attack, and
pummels Palladin from ring-post to ring-post.

Ralph Palladin cannot answer the bell for Round 8, and Rocky Mattioli is awarded a
TKO 7.

Rocky Mattioli is ahead {5-2-0} on the Scorecard.

Another impressive win for Rocky Mattioli.
Fight Purse; Rocky Mattiolli - $4000 (U.S. Dollars)
Fight Purse; Ralph Palladin - $3000 (U.S. Dollars)

Ralph Palladin
When he was 'hot' back in May 1970, Palladin defeated (W Split Dec 10) Rodrigo Valdez.
And, Palladin got ranked as high as the #4 Light-Middleweight in 1971.
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Friday Night - December 3, 1976

Palazzo Dello Sport, Milan, Italy

#6 WBC Light-Middleweight Rocco 'Rocky' Mattioli improves to 44-4-2 (33 KO's)
with a stoppage (TKO 10) over American, Philadelphia Welterweight, Alfonso 'Fonzie'
Hayman 17-9-3 (9 KO's).

In a 'tougher battle' than expected, 23 year-old Rocky Mattioli had difficulty breaking
through the taller opponent's defense, and long arms.

Time and again, the 5' 11" tall 'Philly Welterweight' was able to 'sting' the tough
Mattioli with a sharp left-right. Using the 'Old-Fashioned One-Two', the well-schooled
'Fonzie' Hayman kept Rocky at bay, and held the World-Rated 154 lb. Italian on
'Even' terms through 6-Rounds.

Mattiolli, started to work the American's body in Round 7, and had his 'best round', as
Hayman started to fade. In Round 8, Mattioli dropped Hayman mid-way through the
Round with a hard left hook to the body. Hayman, used all his experience to hang on to the bell.

In Round 9, Mattioli kept up the pressure, and pounded Hayman with hard punches, hurting him
numerous times with solid body shots. Hayman was staggered by another left hook, and again
did his best to hang on to the bell.

Mattioli opened up in Round 10, staggering Hayman with a counter right-cross, and
followed up with a '9-Punch Combination' on a defenseless Hayman, as the Referee
called a halt to the bout, at 0:49 of Round 10.

Rocky Mattioli was ahead, {5-2-2} on the Scorecard.

Alfonso Hayman, had entered the bout on the 'downside' - as he had lost 5 of his last 6 bouts,
including stoppage losses to 'Two Top Welterweights' {L TKO 8 to Angel Espada} and
{L TKO 9 to Pete Ranzany}.

'Fonzie' Hayman, a 'One-Time Philly Spoiler', had stopped World-rated #4 Welterweight Johnny Gant
in November 1974, earning himself a #10 WBA Welterweight ranking at 16-3-3 (7 KO's). But since that
upset, Alfonso has been used as a 'cannon-fodder' for other 'talented' Welterweights and Light-Middleweights.

Rocky Mattioli fight purse - $4000 (U.S. Dollars)
Alfonso Hayman fight purse - $2500 (U.S. Dollars)

* Rocco 'Rocky' Mattioli moves up to #4 WBC / #4 WBA at Light-Middleweight

Alfonso 'Fonzie' Hayman

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January 1977

WBC Light-Middleweight Rankings

* -- Eckhard Dagge
1 -- Maurice Hope
2 -- Elisha Obed
3 -- Jose Manuel Duran
4 -- Rocco 'Rocky' Mattioli
5 -- Frank Wissenbach
6 -- Emile Griffith
7 -- Loucif Hamani
8 -- Vito Antuofermo
9 -- Monty Betham
10 - Sea Robinson

* Upcoming Title Bout; March 15, 1977 (Germany) - *Eckhard Dagge vs #1 Maurice Hope

WBA Light-Middleweight Rankings

* -- Miguel Castellini
1 -- Jose Manuel Duran
2 -- Maurice Hope
3 -- Elisha Obed
4 -- Rocco 'Rocky' Mattioli
5 -- Edgar 'Mad Dog' Ross
6 -- Koichi Wajima
7 -- Gert Steyn
8 -- Loucif Hamani
9 -- Eddie Gazo
10 - Arnoldo Olivares

* Upcoming Title Bout; March 5, 1977 (Nicaragua) - * Miguel Castellini vs #9 Eddie Gazo

 

I was there for the second fight ,Hope was the better man .

 

Friday Night - January 28, 1977

Fanenza, Emalia Romagna, Italy

#4 Light-Middleweight 23 year-old Rocky 'Rocco' Mattioli improved to 45-4-2 (34 KO's) by scoring
a stoppage (TKO 6) over United Kingdom's 26 year-old Trevor Francis, who falls to 21-11-6.

Mattioli used his 'far superior' strength to wear down the 'usually durable' hard-body
Francis. By Round 4, Mattioli was scoring at will with left hooks and right hands over
the top. There were no knockdowns, but the challenger from the U.K. was staggered
several times in this 'one-sided bout'.

In Round 6, Mattioli scored with over a dozen unanswered puches, forcing the Referee to
stop the 'heavy handed on-slaught', as Trevor Francis was not defending himself properly.

Many expected this bout to go the 'full distance' as Trevor Francis the #4 British
Light-Middleweight, had been regarded as 'one-tough-bolt' and one not easy to break..

Trevor Francis
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I'm glad you appreciate the thread Mr. Bugger........:good

More to come today......

 

February 27, 1977

In Bellaria, Italy (I saw Rocky fight, in something called a 'Sunday Tourist Boxing Special')

He clobbered Venezuelan #10 WBA Light-Middleweight Arnoldo 'Onice' Olivares in
'5' one-sided Rounds.
Rocky improved to 46-4-2 (35 KO's)

Later, found out it was a WBA Light-Middleweight Eliminator Bout.

Rocky supposedly had signed to fight WBA Champion Miguel Castellini, scheduled for
Italy and sometime in May 1977.

But Castellini lost his Championship to the 'horrible' Eddie Gazo, who went the
Oriental Defense route, where it was 'safe'.

After Knocking-out (KO 5) Arnoldo Olivares, Rocky was ranked #4 by both the
WBC and WBA, and had to play 'wait-n-see' with the winner of the WBC Championship
between Eckhard Dagge vs. Maurice Hope bout in March 1977.

No way, was the 'new' WBA Champion Eddie Gazo coming to Italy in 1977.

 

Terry told us about Ambrose Palmer, I got the feeling he was well loved by his fighters.

 

One of his ex fighters called him by name during what was the biggest robbery in Oz history at the time (1976...the Great Bookie Robbery). Ambrose must have been working in the (legal) bookie trade at the time. He recognised the voice as one of his former fighters