Who do you think are the 10 best Italian fighters of all time

bored at work and figured this was as good of a conversation starter as any.

 

Italian or Italian-American or any Italian - Australian - Argentinian-British - Etc.

 

This is Ring magazine top 10 Italian-Americans but that leaves out Loche, Arcari,Calzage,Benvenuti,Mattioli,Bonavena,Firpo,etc. plus a lot of them took Irish names like Tippy Larkin

1. Willie Pep
2. Tony Canzoneri
3. Rocky Marciano
4. Jake La Motta
5. Johnny Dundee
6. Billy Petrolle
7. Carmen Basilio
8. Rocky Graziano
9. Lou Ambers
10. Joey Maxim

Five more: Sammy Angott, Young Corbett III, Joey Giardello, Fidel LaBarba and Sammy Mandell.Antufermo

 

Nino Benvenuti might creep in,

 

I suppose anyone will do.

 

Fred Apostoli, Duilio Loi, Carmen Basillio, Battling Batalino, Johnny Wilson, nicolino locche might qualify too?

 

Pete Herman
Frankie Gennaro

 

Any room on the list for 2-ton Tony G?

 

My guess is Clazaghe is not on the list of Italian Americans because he is Welsh/Italian?
Locche,Firpo,& Bonavena are all born and bred Argentinians.

Curiously Italian boxers of any great stature are not very plentiful.
Benvenuti possibly being the best.
Mazzinghi?

 

Actually, is he even top 10 Italian-American, specifically at heavyweight? :think Serious question.

You have Marciano, LaStarza, Carnera (only by virtue of being champ, and despite my hunch that Galento would actually clean his clock if they fought) and clearly well ahead of him - but are there more that have to be, or that can't be argued for lower? He surely ranks ahead of the likes of Maddalone and Savarese (picture either of them putting enough of a scare into Louis to make him change his game plan? I don't think so...all due respect to Savarese, who actually wasn't horrible...) and, since he never actually did anything with his 'potential', Mesi. I think probably Mauriello, too? Bobby Czyz was greater p4p, but 0-2 (stopped both times) at HW.


1) Rocky Marciano
2) Primo Carnera
3) Roland LaStarza
4) Tony Galento
5) Joe Mesi
6) Tami Mauriello
7) Lou Savarese
8.) Nick Barone
9) Al Migliorato
10) Vinny Maddalone

Any of youse mooks gotta problem with that??

I'm not married to that ordering, really. I could be persuaded to drop Maddalone and replace him with a Mike Mollo or Lou Nova.

 

Joe Calzaghe, Billy Costello and Mike Rossman each had an Italian parent.

I think Joe Jeanette had an Italian grandmother.

 

I thought Joe Jenette had a German parent?

As for Italian heavyweights I would put Nathan Mann in there over a few of those lower tier guys' names. Birth name Natale Menchetti although early in his career he was mob managed so he may have had a few "gimme" fights.

 

It does get a bit absurd when Italians are being listed who might conceivably have never set foot in Italy or spoke a word of Italian!

It is more of a challenge if you limit it to those born or at least raised in Italy.

Loi, Kalambay, Young Corbett III, Johnny Dundee, Benvenuti, Antuofermo, Arcari, Carnera, Joe Grim, Hagler...

 

Dulio Loi was-a great-a fighter.

 

Let's notta fuhgetta abouta our boy Arturo Gatti.