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The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia -- Lineal Champion

Giovanni "Nino" Benvenuti

BORN   April 26 1938; Isola dŽIstria, Slovenia (Some sources report Trieste, Italy)
HEIGHT 5-11
WEIGHT 152 1/2 - 164 lbs
MANAGER Bruno Amaduzzi
TRAINER Libero Golinelli

Benvenuti was a handsome, all-around athlete who excelled at boxing - a talented fighter who could box or punch; With his fast hands and being difficult to hit with a solid punch, he dominated Italy, Europe and the World while he was fighting; During his career, he won the Middleweight Championship of the World, the Light Middleweight Championship of the World, the Middleweight Championship of Europe and the Middleweight Championship of Italy

According to Nino, "It's better to win when there is a lot of competition than when there isn't any" (I Benvenuti, 1967)

He defeated such men as Emile Griffith, Luis Rodriguez, Don Fullmer, Denny Moyer, Sandro Mazzinghi, Isaac Logart, Gaspar Ortega, Ki-Soo Kim, Doyle Baird, Fraser Scott, Lius Folledo, Tom Bethea, Pascal Di Benedetto, Art Hernandez, Manfred Haas, Tomasso Truppi, Francesco Fiori, Victor Zalazar, Luis Gutierrez, Jupp Elze, Jimmy Beecham, Tony Montano, Charley Austin and Mick Leahy

Benvenuti was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993

*** AMATEUR BOUTS (120-0  or  119-1) ***

1956
       -Benvenuti won the Welterweight Championship of Italy 

1957
       -Benvenuti won the Light Middleweight Championship of Italy 

1958
       -Benvenuti won the Light Middleweight Championship of Italy 

1959
       -Benvenuti won the Light Middleweight Championship of Italy 

       -Benvenuti won the Light Middleweight Championship of Europe 

1960
       -Benvenuti won the Light Middleweight Championship of Italy 

       Jean Josselin               Rome, Italy                      W  3
       Ki-Soo Kim                  Rome, Italy                      W  3 
       Chichman Mitzev             Rome, Italy                      W  3
       Jimmy Lloyd                 Rome, Italy                      W  3
       Yuri Radonyak               Rome, Italy                      W  3
          -The previous 5 bouts were part of the Olympic Games 
          Welterweight (147-lb) Boxing Competition; Nino won the
          Gold Medal

*** PROFESSIONAL BOUTS ***

1961
Jan 20 Ben Ali Allala              Trieste, Italy                   W  6
Feb 10 Nicola Sammartino           Rome, Italy                     KO  3
Feb 27 Ben Ali Allala              Naples, Italy                   KO  1
Mar 14 Sahib Mosri                 Bologna, Italy                  KO  3
Apr  7 Nick Maric                  Milan, Italy                     W  6
Apr 21 Pierre Mondino              Florence, Italy                  W  6
May  3 Daniel Brunet               Naples, Italy                   WF  3
May 16 Michel Francois             Turin, Italy                    KO  4
Jun  7 Henri Cabelduc              Bologna, Italy                   W  6
Jun 17 Marc Desforneaux            Trieste, Italy                   W  6
Oct  2 Retmia Mahrez               Bologna, Italy                  KO  3
Nov  1 Angelo Brisci               Trieste, Italy                  KO  1
Nov  9 Jesse Jones                 Rome, Italy                     WF  6
Dec 20 Giuseppe Catalano           Rome, Italy                      W  8

1962
Jan 19 George Aldridge             Rome, Italy                     KO  6
Feb 19 Jose Riquelme               Bologna, Italy                   W  8
Mar  8 Manfred Haas                Turin, Italy                     W  8
Mar 17 Gianni Lommi                Milan, Italy                    KO  5
Apr 13 Jim Hegerle                 Rome, Italy                     KO  4
May  1 Hector Costance             Trieste, Italy                   W 10
Jun  2 Jean Ruellet                Cagliari, Italy                  W  8
Jun 22 Heini Freytag               Rome, Italy                      W  8
Jul 12 Gino Rossi                  Trieste, Italy                   W 10
Aug  2 Mahmout Le Noir             Priverno, Italy                  W  8
          -Some soruces report "Lignano, Italy"
Aug 30 Giuseppe Gentiletti         Senigallia, Italy               KO  2
Sep 28 Diego Infantes              Rome, Italy                      W  8
Oct 18 Daniel Leullier             Padua, Italy                     W 10
Nov 30 Isaac Logart                Rome, Italy                      W 10
Dec 26 Giampaolo Melis             Bologna, Italy                  KO  2

1963
Mar  1 Tomasso Truppi              Rome, Italy                     KO 11
          -Middleweight Championship of Italy
Apr  5 Georges Estatoff            Turin, Italy                    KO  6
Apr 24 Jean Ruellet                Alessandria, Italy               W 10
May 23 Jimmy Beecham               Rome, Italy                      W 10
Jun  7 Tony Montano                Rome, Italy                      W 10
Aug 31 Francesco Fiori             Priverno, Italy                 TK  3
          -Middleweight Championship of Italy
Sep 16 Willy Niederau              Prato, Italy                    KO  6
Sep 27 Victor Zalazar              Rome, Italy                     TK  2
Oct 18 Gaspar Ortega               Rome, Italy                      W 10
Nov  7 Jackie Cailleau             Prato, Italy                     W 10
Nov 15 Lou Gutierrez               Rome, Italy                     TK  7
Dec 13 Teddy Wright                Rome, Italy                      W 10

1964
Feb 28 Memo Ayon                   Rome, Italy                     KO  5
Mar 18 Michel Diouf                Bologna, Italy                   W 10
Apr 10 Sugar Boy Nando             Rome, Italy                      W 10
          -Some sources report "Balogna, Italy"
May 28 Jimmy Beecham               Bologna, Italy                  TK  2
Jul 30 Fabio Bettini               San Remo, Italy                  W 12
          -Middleweight Championship of Italy
Sep 18 Denny Moyer                 Rome, Italy                      W 10
Oct  9 Abrao De Souza              Rome, Italy                     WF  7
Nov 27 Aristeo Chavarin            Rome, Italy                     KO  4
Dec 19 Juan Carlos Duran           Milan, Italy                     W 10

1965
Jan 22 Art Hernandez               Rome, Italy                     TK  3
Feb 12 Tommaso Truppi              Bologna, Italy                  TK  5
          -Middleweight Championship of Italy
Feb 26 Mick Lehaly                 Milan, Italy                     W 10
Mar 18 Dick Knight                 Bologna, Italy                  KO  6
Apr  2 Garland "Rip" Randall       Rome, Italy                      W 10
Apr 30 Milo Calhoun                Genoa, Italy                     W 10
Jun 18 Sandro Mazzinghi            Milan, Italy                    KO  6
          -WBC Light Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Light Middleweight Championship of the World
Aug 15 Daniel Leullier             Senigallia, Italy               TK  7
Oct 15 Luis Folledo                Rome, Italy                     KO  6
          -EBU Middleweight Championship of Europe
Nov  5 Johnny Torres               Turin, Italy                    WF  7
Nov 15 James Shelton               Bologna, Italy                   W 10
Dec 17 Sandro Mazzinghi            Rome, Italy                      W 15
          -WBC Light Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Light Middleweight Championship of the World

1966
Feb  4 Don Fullmer                 Rome, Italy                      W 12
Mar 11 Clarence James              Turin, Italy                     W 10
May 14 Jupp Elze                   Berlin, Germany                 TK 14
          -EBU Middleweight Championship of Europe
Jun 25 Ki-Soo Kim                  Seoul, Korea                     L 15
          -WBC Light Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Light Middleweight Championship of the World
Sep 23 Harry Scott                 Rome, Italy                      W 10
Nov 21 Pascal Di Benedetto         Rome, Italy                     KO 11
          -EBU Middleweight Championship of Europe
Dec  2 Ferd Hernandez              Rome, Italy                      W 10
Dec 23 Renato Moraes               Rome, Italy                     KO  9

1967
Jan 19 Manfred Graus               Bologna, Italy                  KO  2
Mar  3 Milo Calhoun                Rome, Italy                      W 10
Apr 17 Emile Griffith              New York, NY                     W 15
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World
Sep 29 Emile Griffith              Flushing, NY                     L 15
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World

1968
Jan 19 Charley Austin              Rome, Italy                      W 10
Mar  4 Emile Griffith              New York, NY                     W 15
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World
Jun  7 Yoshiaki Akasaka            Rome, Italy                     KO  2
Jul  5 Jimmy Ramos                 Turin, Italy                    TK  4
Sep 17 Art Hernandez               Toronto, Ont, Canada             W 10
Oct 14 Doyle Baird                 Akron, Oh                        D 10
Dec 14 Don Fullmer                 San Remo, Italy                  W 15
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World

1969
May 26 Dick Tiger                  New York, NY                     L 10
Oct  4 Fraser Scott                Naples, Italy                   WF  7
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World
Nov 22 Luis Rodriguez              Rome, Italy                     KO 11
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World

1970
Mar 13 Tom Bethea                  Melbourne, Vic, Australia       LT  8
May 23 Tom Bethea                  Umag, Croatia                   KO  8
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World
Sep 12 Doyle Baird                 Bari, Italy                     TK 10
          -Some sources report "Rome, Italy"
Nov  7 Carlos Monzon               Rome, Italy                     LT 12
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World

1971
Mar 17 Jose Chirino                Bologna, Italy                   L 10
May  8 Carlos Monzon               Monte Carlo, Monaco             LT  3
          -WBC Middleweight Championship of the World;
          WBA Middleweight Championship of the World


*** Assistance Provided By Seth Callis ***


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

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