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The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia -- Title Claimant

Melio Bettina

BORN   November 18 1916; Bridgeport, Connecticut
DIED December 20 1996; Beacon, New York (Diabetes; Some sources report Poughkeepsie, New York)
HEIGHT 5-9 (Some sources report 5-10)
WEIGHT 167-202 lbs
MANAGER. Jimmy Grippo

Bettina was a solid boxer who stalked his man and when he cornered him, assaulted him with a barrage of punches; He was tough enough - and good enough - to battle this way and get the job done; He lost only 13 bouts in nearly 100 contests; During his career, Melio won the Light Heavyweight Championship of the World (as recognized by New York state)

During his career, he defeated such men as "Tiger" Jack Fox, Bob Godwin, Fred Apostoli, Solly Krieger, Booker Beckwith, Gus Dorazio, Pat Valentino, Steve Carr, Joe Knight, Jimmy Mendes, Gunnar Barlund, Clarence "Red" Burman, Charles "Buddy" Knox, Buck Everett, Swede Berglund, Jack "Buddy" Walker, Lou Brooks, Altus Allen, Harry Bobo, Eddie Blunt, Joe Muscato, Bill Weinberg and Curtis Sheppard

Bettina was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1995

*** AMATEUR BOUT ***

1934
       Tony Zale                                                    W  3
          -Inter-City Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight Championship
 
*** PROFESSIONAL BOUTS ***

1934
Oct  6 Joe Gargiso                 Brooklyn, NY                    KO  1
Oct 27 John Dario                  Brooklyn, NY                    KO  2
Nov 10 Terry Mitchell              Brooklyn, NY                     W  4
Dec  1 Julius Veigh                Brooklyn, NY                    KO  3

1935
Mar 15 Jimmy Varrelli              New York, NY                     W  6
Apr  4 Vinnie Funk                 Paterson, NJ                    KO  2
Apr 11 Babe Marshall               Paterson, NJ                     W  6
May  2 Charlie Mautz               Paterson, NJ                     W  8
May 16 Ray Miller                  Paterson, NJ                    KO  6
          -Some sources report 4/22/35;
          Some sources report "L  6"
Jun  3 Louis LaPage                Paterson, NJ                     W 10
Jun 25 Alfie Williams              Elmira, NY                      KO  3
Sep 10 Mark Hough                  Poughkeepsie, NY                 D  8
Nov 13 Tiger Smith                 New Haven, Ct                    W  6

1936
Jan  9 Joe Tinsley                 White Plains, NY                 W  6
Feb 17 Babe "Child" Childers       Miami Beach, Fl                 KO  2
Mar 10 Tony Celli                  West Palm Beach, Fl              W 10
Mar 31 Charlie Weise               West Palm Beach, Fl              L 10
Apr 14 Charlie Weise               West Palm Beach, Fl              W 10
Jun  1 Bud Mignault                Poughkeepsie, NY                 W 10
Jul 13 Charlie Loughran            Washington, DC                   W  6
Aug 21 Buddy Ryan                  Newark, NJ                      ND  6
          -Some sources report 7/27/36
Aug 24 Fred Caruso                 Newark, NJ                       L 10
Sep 14 Frank Zamoris               Newark, NJ                      LK  6
Sep 28 Frank Zamoris               Newark, NJ                       W  8
Nov 16 Buddy Ryan                  Newark, NJ                       W  8
Dec  8 Steve Carr                  West Palm Beach, Fl             KO  6

1937
Jan 12 Carl Knowles                West Palm Beach, Fl             TK  3
Jan 26 Leroy Brown                 West Palm Beach, Fl              D 10
Mar  2 Tony Celli                  West Palm Beach, Fl              W 10
Mar 16 Joe Lipps                   West Palm Beach, Fl              W 10
Mar 30 Barney Brock                Miami, Fl                        W 10
Jun 18 Joe Knight                  Miami, Fl                        W 10
Jul 10 Jimmy Mendes                Milford, Ct                     KO  5
          -Some sources report "Bridgeport, Ct"
Jul 24 Joe Lipps                   Bridgeport, Ct                  KO  5
Aug  7 Johnny Duarte               Bridgeport, Ct                   W  8
Aug 20 Buck Everett                Miami Beach, Fl                  L 10
Sep 28 Art Johnson                 Los Angeles, Ca                 TK  4
Nov  5 Swede Berglund              Hollywood, Ca                    W 10
Dec 10 Swede Berglund              Hollywood, Ca                   TK  3

1938
Feb  4 Bob Godwin                  West Palm Beach, Fl             TK  7
Mar 11 Tony Celli                  West Palm Beach, Fl             KO  2
Mar 25 Pat McDuff                  West Palm Beach, Fl              W 10
May  5 James J. Johnson            New York, NY                    TK  7
May 20 Domenico Ceccarelli         New York, NY                     W  6
Jun 17 Phil Sommese                Brooklyn, NY                     W 10
Jul  2 John Lasinski               Milford, NJ                     KO  5
Jul 26 Gene Bonin                  Poughkeepsie, NY                TK  2
Aug 18 Buck Everett                Poughkeepsie, NY                KO  1
Oct 10 Basher Dean                 Plainfield, NJ                   W  8

1939
Jan  3 Bud Mignault                Bronx, NY                       TK 10
Jan 20 Henry Cooper                New York, NY                     W  8
Feb  3 "Tiger" Jack Fox            New York, NY                    TK  9
          -Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
          (as recognized by New York State)
May 15 Italo Colonello             Pittsburgh, Pa                  TK  3
Jul 13 Billy Conn                  New York, NY                     L 15
          -NBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
          Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
          (as recognized by New York State)
Aug  8 Charley "Hobo" Williams     Poughkeepsie, NY                 W  8
Sep 25 Billy Conn                  Pittsburgh, Pa                   L 15
          -NBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
          Light Heavyweight Championship of the World;
          (as recognized by New York State)
Nov 28 Willie Pavlovich            Jersey City, NJ                  W  8
Dec 15 Mario Liani                 Kingston, NY                    TK  5
          -Some sources report "KO 4"

1940
Jan  5 Fred Apostoli               New York, NY                     L 12
Feb  2 Fred Apostoli               New York, NY                    TK 12
Jun  7 Al McCoy                    Boston, Ma                       L 10
Aug  7 Joe O'Gatty                 Amsterdam, NY                    W 10
Sep 10 Gunnar Barlund              Bronx, NY                        W 10
Dec 17 Solly Krieger               Brooklyn, NY                     W 10

1941
Jan 13 Anton Christoforidis        Cleveland, Oh                    L 15
          -NBA Light Heavyweight Championship of the World
Feb 21 Herbie Katz                 New York, NY                    KO  9
Mar  9 Charles "Buddy" Knox        Miami, Fl                       KO  5
Mar 25 Jack Marshall               Tampa, FL                       TK  9
Jul 22 Clarence "Red" Burman       Brooklyn, NY                     W 10
Aug 25 Pat Valentino               San Francisco, Ca                W 10
Oct  7 George "Sonny Boy" Walker   Los Angeles, Ca                  W 10
Nov 17 Jimmy Bivins                Cleveland, Oh                    W 10
Dec  1 Harry Bobo                  Pittsburgh, Pa                   W 10

1942
Jan 12 Mose Brown                  Pittsburgh, Pa                   W 10
Mar 31 Gus Dorazio                 Philadelphia, Pa                 W 10
Apr 10 Booker Beckwith             Chicago, Il                      W 10
Jun 12 Altus Allen                 Chicago, Il                      W 10
Jun 23 Harry Bobo                  Cleveland, Oh                    W 10

1943
Jun 14 Lou Brooks                  Philadelphia, Pa                TK  1
Sep 15 Jimmy Bivins                Cleveland, Oh                    L 10

1944
May 22 John D. Vorce               Pittsburgh, Pa                  KO  5
Jun 12 Jack "Buddy" Walker         Pittsburgh, Pa                   W 10
Jul 18 Curtis Sheppard             Pittsburgh, Pa                   W 10
Oct 16 "Saint" Thomas Reed         Philadelphia, Pa                KO  3
Dec 11 George Parks                Washington, DC                   W 10

1945
Mar 16 Jimmy Bivins                New York, NY                     D 10

1946
Jul 11 Eddie Blunt                 Hartford, Ct                     W 10
Aug 19 Larry Bouchard              Troy, NY                        KO  2
Sep 25 Eldridge Eatman             Norwalk, Ct                      W 10
Nov 19 Bill Weinberg               Buffalo, NY                      W 10
Dec 10 "Sergeant" Joe Muscato      Buffalo, NY                     TK  3

1947
May 23 Gus Lesnevich               New York, NY                    LK  1

1948
May 12 Jackie Fisher               Bangor, Me                      TK  5
May 24 Ross Strickland             Newburgh, NY                    KO  5
Jun 16 Angel Sotillo               Brooklyn, NY                    KO  3
Jul  6 Austin Johnson              Elizabeth, NJ                   KO  2
Jul 27 Shamus O'Brien              Brooklyn, NY                    TK  4
Nov  8 Sandy McPherson             Providence, RI                   W 10
Nov 19 Enrique Felipi              New York, NY                     W 10
Dec 21 Johnny Flynn                Rochester, NY                   LK  6


*** Assistance Provided By Seth Callis ***

Record courtesy of Tracy Callis, Historian, International Boxing Research Organization

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