6. Carmen Basilio 56-16-7, 27 KOs
Photo by George Silk/Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Birthplace: Canastota, New York
Professional Career: 1948-1961
Carmine Basilio was born in February of 1927. It was the same year that famed pilot Charles Lindbergh flew the first non-stop flight from New York to Paris, The Flatheads Gang committed the first armored car robbery and U.S. President Calvin Coolidge announced that he will not seek re-election.
The Upstate Onion Farmer turned professional with a third-round knockout of Jimmy Evans and just five days later won his second professional fight.
This set the tempo for the tough Italian American fought virtually every month and often several times per month despite the soreness and injuries that accompany such frequency.
In 1949 Carmen Basilio went 11-2-2, 6 KOs as he hooked, jabbed and mauled his way through his advisories, fighting for his opportunity to climb the welterweight ranks.
The very next year fortune smiled on Basilio who was 18-2-2 when he defeated the former world lightweight champion Lew Jenkins via 10 round majority decision. Jenkins was a veteran of 117 bouts including bouts against legends such as Henry Armstrong, Bob Montgomery, Ike Williams, Fritzie Zivic, Marty Servo, Lou Ambers and more.
The experience Basilio inevitably gained served him well as he pressed forward and in 1953 had positioned himself for a fight with welterweight champion of the world, Kid Gavilan.
In the second round Basilio dropped The Cuban Hawk for just the second time in his long career, forcing him to take the count of nine. Gavilan recovered, fought back fiercely and barely retained his title by a narrow 15 round split decision.
Basilio went unbeaten over his next 11 fight culminating with a 10 round unanimous decision over Peter Mueller that made him the number one contender and positioned him for another opportunity at the crown.
In 1955 Basilio stopped the tough, New England bred Tony DeMarco in 12 rounds, finally achieving his goal of welterweight supremacy.
Within five months Basilio won two more fights and granted DeMarco a rematch in his hometown of Boston, MA. He dropped DeMarco twice in a wild shoot out to retain his title in a fight that was voted Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year.
In his next bout Basilio lost a controversial 15 round unanimous to Johnny Saxton who was manager by famous Mafioso Frank “Blinky” Palermo. So unpopular was the decision that those in attendance booed for more than five minutes after it was announced. Palermo and his partner Frankie Carbo were later incarcerated for fixing fights.
In an immediate rematch, Basilio kept the decision out of the hands of the judges stopping Saxton in nine rounds in what was voted Ring Magazine’s 1956 Fight of the Year and reclaiming the championship.
He stopped Saxton in two in a rubber match, removing any doubt of ring superiority.
In 1957 the ever ambitious Basilio moved up to middleweight to challenge the all-time great Sugar Ray Robinson in, once again, Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year, to become champion in a second weight division by 15 round split decision.
Complying with the rules at the time Basilio relinquished his welterweight championship to pursue his fortunes in the 160 pound division.
This is where Basilio’s story as a middleweight begins with his legacy as one of the great American welterweights secure.
Greatest rival: As it would turn out his greatest rivalry would be at middleweight with Sugar Ray Robinson. His greatest welterweight rivalry was against Billy Graham against who he was 1-1-1.
