LEGEND GONE
Nino Benvenuti dead at 87: Two-weight undisputed world champion and Olympic gold medallist passes away
His movie star looks landed him a job in Hollywood
BOXING great Nino Benvenuti has died at the age of 87.
Benvenuti, widely considered as Italy's greatest ever fighter, became world champion in two weight classes and won three world titles.
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Benvenuti held the undisputed super-welterweight championship from June 1965 to June 1966.
He also held the undisputed middleweight championship twice, from April to September 1967, and from March 1968 to November 1970.
He boasted a stunning record of 82 wins, including 35 knockouts, seven losses and one draw in his 90 professional boxing bouts.
His three world title fights against Emile Griffith in 1967 and 1968 were epic battles.
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But Benvenuti's amateur career was equally ground-breaking, losing just ONE of his 120 matches.
The pinnacle of his amateur career came when he won Olympic gold at the Rome 1960 Games in the welterweight category, also receiving the prestigious Val Barker Trophy for boxing style.
As an amateur, he won the Italian welterweight title from 1956 to 1960 and the European title in 1957 and 1959.
Turning professional in 1961, Benvenuti eventually won the light-middleweight world championship in 1965 in front of a 40,000 crowd in Milan's San Siro Stadium.
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In 1968, Benvenuti was named "Fighter of the Year" by Ring Magazine, the only Italian to receive this honour.
In 1992, the Orthodox fighter became the first Italian to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Although never holding U.S. citizenship, he was also admitted to the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements on American soil.
He lost his last three fights, including two knockout defeats to Carlos Monzon.
After retiring from the ring, Benvenuti's movie star looks landed him a job in show business.
He appeared in several Italian films such as "Vivi o preferibilmente morti" (1969) and "Mark il poliziotto spara per primo" (1975).
He also worked as a sports commentator for RAI Italia and, since 1979, was registered with the Journalists' Association.
Benvenuti's wife Nadì Bertorello died at the age of 75 after a short illness in January 2023.
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Benvenuti's stunning pro record in 90 fights
Wins: 82
Knockouts: 35
Losses: Seven
Draws: One
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