The curious case of Lee Canalito

Acting in Stallone movies sure didn't help, ask Tommy Morrison

 

Canalito was bang average and won his fights largely due to his size and strength. Am sure i saw some footage on youtube yrs ago and from what i saw Cooney would have wiped him out easily.
Think he has a gym and does some personal training in Texas i think

 

I remember him in Paradise Alley. I loved that movie when it came out. It was kinda terrible and it bombed at the box office but was one of the first movies on a loop on HBO back then. It was always on. Stallone was a huge star, and he demanded he be able to write, direct, star and even write and sing the soundtrack. It was bad. But funny, too.

And I remember Canalito was actually signed to play Tarzan with Bo Derek, which was another huge movie everyone was waiting for (which also tanked). Derek was the huge sex symbol after the movie "10." Again, she and her husband wanted to write, direct, star, everything. I remember going to the opening night. It was packed. (She ended up just being naked a lot, which was fine by me.) But something happened on set, Canalito got fired and he was replaced by another guy.

That's kind of where it went off the rails for him, I think.

The answer to your question is "probably coke."

Young New York heavyweight. Coke was booming in the late 70s/early 80s. Studio 54 and all. Stallone and Derek were like two of the biggest stars on the planet for that brief period. Both of their high-profile, ego-trip movies tanked. He was the newcomer. So the stars walked away from him.

And he finds himself doing drugs and back to fighting nobodies in Atlantic City.

I've only seen some clips of him fighting. Like his acting, he wasn't much as a fighter, either.

But he received a ton of press by the New York boxing media and the magazines back then for not really accomplishing much.

But that was when guys like Alex Ramos could become national boxing stars and have feature magazine articles written about them just for winning the NY Golden Gloves.

 

Right. I saw Tarzan at the drive-in. Same thing. It was packed. Everyone was there for the boobs.

 

HE GAVE OLD GEORGE A DECENT SCRAP.

 

My most humble apologies your Highness.
I mixed him up with Savarese.

 

Lee Canalito is a good man who was also a very good athlete and professional boxer. Lee was never the drug or drinking type and to insinuate that is nothing more than ignorant nonsense gossip. Lee Canalito is not the only good boxer who didn't like the boxing environment outside of the ring ropes. Speculation regarding Canalito vs Cooney is only speculation and absolutely nothing more than a poor guess. Angelo Dundee told me only great things about Lee which included Lee's impeccable character and Lee's good skills and great work ethic. Angie included details of a sparring session with Cooney, that, as Angie (and others) told me ended sooner than expected and with nondisclosure agreements signed before they left the gym in New York. Angelo Dundee brought up each one of his fighters carefully and Lee was no different. I know Lee Canalito. People who know Lee know he is a good man who has never been someone to disrespect or cause trouble upon. Lee Canalito is a gentleman and a big man who can take care of problems. Peace and Happy Easter.

 

Hah! I was just about to write that he sounds like a poor man's Lou Savarese! The size, the Italian-ness, the NY connection, the acting... But Lou went a bit farther and had more amateur background.

 

Hello Saintpat; Lee told me he had a "manager problem" who unintentionally sabotaged two step up fights because of purse. Angelo Dundee literally had tears in his eyes when recalling his regret (Angelo's) for ever introducing Lee to the "Hollywood people". I believe Lee and Angelo's word and I have heard the same description of incidents and circumstances from both Lee and Angelo separately and apart from each other. Lee is a better athlete and boxer than, unfortunately, most of the boxing fans in the world had the opportunity to see. The great Coach Bill Yeoman also had the highest regard for Lee, once describing Lee to a room full of business men as, "gentleman, this man he speaks of is a FREAK OF NATURE. 6'5", 260 pounds, fast, quick, and knew where the ball was going to be before anyone else." I had asked Coach Yeoman about Lee on that day in 2005.

Lee is a good, good man and was a very good boxer.

 

He was no Tye Fields that's for sure.