http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_cWl3YG73Y These are my feelings. Carmen Basilio was one of the finest men to put gloves on. I was thrilled to shake his hand in 97 at the IBHOF. I had two of his sausage sandwiches loaded with peppers too. They were good. The word 'quit' was not in his vocabulary. I doubt if you cut him up into pieces that the pieces would stop fighting. When a fighter quits I have doubts about him choosing the right occupation. Basilio never quit. His fights, all of those I've seen or read about, tell me he would rather have died than quit. Is there a fighter, a man, like that today? He stood up to a much stronger Fullmer and took his blows the way a man does. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7B58pVoK8bE He represents greatness to me even when he loses.
brillaint post i am a huge Basilio fan. Look at what he has achieved and how he did it and it is great achievements.
Watch him go crazy when the referee stops his second fight with Fullmer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4BZp6AA2f8 I'm still not sure why the fight was stopped. Basilio was hurt but not very seriously. Was it due to all the holding that Basilio did? In that case it should probably go down as a 12th round DQ.
Exactly. Winning and losing are not the game. Engaging in the game. That's it. I'll decide if it has been done honestly.
Basilio posessed an indomitable fighting spirit and toughness that is beyond words. one of my all time favorites.
Basilio is one of the toughest men to ever live, but he's also one of the nicest and fun loving you'd ever want to meet. I've seen him 3 different times at the hall of fame weekend, and each time he provided an experience I'll never forget.
They honored him at the Onondaga County War Memorial where many of his fights were held. That was a year or two ago. There was a book just published about his life in the ring 'The Onion Picker'. Syracuse loves him.
Basilio is about as great as you can get from the neck up. We regard certain fighters today as being tough but they have nothing on Basilio. They often retire after a serious loss while they have a lot left physicaly. This guy was the ultimate hard man.
Great infighter and technician, very tough and cagey, and could bang with both hands. Took him a relatively long time and a lot of hardship before he put all his tools together, much like Dick Tiger, Tony Zale, or Henry Armstrong. For a long time, he was thought of as just a "tough clubfighter." But once he reached the height of his powers, he was very impressive. During he peak, he put together an impressive run of wins against DeMarco (twice), Gil Turner, Saxton (twice), and ultimately winning the "impossible" fight against Ray Robinson. Also had some good late career wins, over Aragon and former champ Don Jordan.
One thing in 'The Onion Picker' which was emphasized was the influence of organized crime on the sport. Basilio did make a big deal about not co-operating with them. However in the book it is clear that his intermediaries, with his implied consent, did do business with the devil for a return contract with Robinson. (I believe it was Robinson) All my heroes have stains on their clothes.