Joey Giardello Explained

Joey Giardello
Realname:Carmine Orlando Tilelli
Birth Date:July 16, 1930
Birth Place:Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Death Place:Cherry Hill, New Jersey, U.S.
Weight:Middleweight
Height:5 ft 10 in
Reach:70 in
Style:Orthodox
Total:133
Wins:97
Ko:31
Losses:26
Draws:8
Boxrec:10923

Carmine Orlando Tilelli (July 16, 1930 – September 4, 2008) was an American boxer who was the world middleweight champion from 1963 to 1965.[1] He adopted the name Joey Giardello (the name of a cousin's friend) in order to join the U.S. Army while underage, and continued to use the pseudonym throughout his boxing career.[2]

Early life

Giardello was born in Brooklyn, but lived most of his life in the Lower Moyamensing area of South Philadelphia.[3] He joined the U.S. Army while underage towards the end of World War II, using a cousin's friend's name, and volunteered for airborne duty. During his military time, he took part in Army boxing matches, and after his discharge in 1948, began boxing professionally. He continued to use the name he had enlisted under, Joey Giardello, in his boxing career.

Professional career

During his early career, he had a scuffle at a gas station which cost him $100,000 in prize fight money and five months in jail.

As a pro, he quickly racked up a 15–1–2 record in his first 18 fights while facing less-than-stellar opposition. His only loss was a decision to undefeated boxer Jimmy Morton. During this time, he fought just three men who had previously won a fight. It caught up with Giardello on January 16, 1950, when he was handed his second defeat by Joe DiMartino, a journeyman with a 6–10 record.

After that embarrassment, he began to face better opposition and by 1951, was beating some of the better middleweight boxers on the Philadelphia scene. On June 4, 1954, Los Angeles-based heavyweight boxer Clarence Henry, who was managed by Mafiosi Frank "Blinky" Palermo, was arrested in New York City for attempting to bribe Oakland middleweight Bobby Jones to throw his June 11 Madison Square Garden match with Giardello. Henry allegedly offered $15,000 to Jones to throw the fight. Once the third-ranked heavyweight contender, Henry was released after posting $2,000 bail and subsequently retired from the ring. Giardello beat Jones in a close decision.[4]

Giardello's fight vs. Billy Graham was the next significant bout. The decision first was awarded to Giardello, then later reversed to a decision in favor of Graham, then reversed again, some time later as a result of litigation, in favor of Giardello. This fight is known in boxing lore as "The reversed reversal."

In 1960, Giardello received his first championship opportunity. On April 20, he faced Gene Fullmer for the National Boxing Association version of the world middleweight title. He missed out on the title when he and Fullmer fought to a draw over 15 rounds.

Giardello lost four of his next six fights, but then came back strong with an 8–1–1 record in his next 10, all of which were over some of the biggest names in the division at that time. One of his wins, a 10-round decision over Henry Hank on January 30, 1962, was chosen as Ring Magazine's fight of the year. Then, on June 24, 1963, Giardello upset boxing legend Sugar Ray Robinson, and at the age of 33, was finally named as the No. 1 challenger for the world middleweight title.

On December 7, 1963, Giardello faced Dick Tiger in Atlantic City for the title and won a controversial decision in 15 rounds.[5]

He reigned as world champion for nearly two years, winning four fights during that time. On December 14, 1964, he fought "Hurricane" Rubin Carter in a title defense. In the first three rounds, Carter stalked Giardello and was the aggressor, as the champion looked to stay away from Carter's left hook. In the 4th round, Carter opened a cut over Giardello's left eye and staggered him with several head shots. By the 13th round, Carter had begun to tire, and Giardello began pounding Carter's head and body, which continued through the 15th and final round. According to Carter, he dominated Giardello the first ten rounds, but Giardello was awarded a unanimous decision, an event dramatized in the 1999 film The Hurricane.[6] Carter would later revise his claims, admitting he should have fought Giardello more aggressively.[7]

In a rematch with Dick Tiger on October 21, 1965, the Nigerian won a unanimous decision over Giardello in 15 rounds to regain the belt. Giardello was described as "back pedaling for most of the fight." Giardello fought just four more times over the next two years before retiring.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
133Win98–26–8 Jack RodgersSD10Nov 6, 1967
132Loss97–26–8 Jack RodgersUD10May 22, 1967
131Loss97–25–8 Nate CollinsTKO8 (10)Dec 5, 1966
130Win97–24–8 Cash WhiteUD10Sep 22, 1966
129Loss96–24–8 Dick TigerUD15Oct 21, 1965
128Win96–23–8 Gil DiazPTS10Apr 23, 1965
127Win95–23–8 Rubin CarterUD15Dec 14, 1964
126Win94–23–8 Juan Carlos RiveraUD10May 22, 1964
125Win93–23–8 Juan Carlos RiveraSD10Apr 17, 1964
124Win92–23–8 Dick TigerPTS15Dec 7, 1963
123Win91–23–8 Sugar Ray RobinsonUD10Jun 24, 1963
122Win90–23–8 Ernest BurfordUD10Mar 25, 1963
121Win89–23–8 Wilf GreavesSD10Feb 25, 1963
120Win88–23–8 Johnny MorrisSD10Nov 12, 1962
119Loss87–23–8 George BentonUD10Aug 6, 1962
118Win87–22–8 Jimmy BeechamUD10Jul 9, 1962
117Win86–22–8 Henry HankMD10Jan 30, 1962
116Draw85–22–8 Joe DeNucciMD10Dec 12, 1961
115Win85–22–7 Jesse SmithUD10Nov 6, 1961
114Win84–22–7 Jesse SmithUD10Sep 12, 1961
113Loss83–22–7 Henry HankUD10Jul 10, 1961
112Win83–21–7 Wilf GreavesTKO9 (10)May 15, 1961
111Loss82–21–7 Ralph DupasUD10Mar 6, 1961
110Loss82–20–7 Peter MüllerPTS10Dec 1, 1960
109Loss82–19–7 Terry DownesPTS10Oct 11, 1960
108Win82–18–7 Clarence HinnantTKO3 (10)Sep 27, 1960
107Draw81–18–7 Gene FullmerSD15Apr 20, 1960
106Win81–18–6 Dick TigerUD10Nov 4, 1959
105Loss80–18–6 Dick TigerUD10Sep 30, 1959
104Win80–17–6 Chico VejarSD10Aug 11, 1959
103Win79–17–6 Del FlanaganKO1 (10)Jun 16, 1959
102Win78–17–6 Holley MimsSD10May 6, 1959
101Loss77–17–6 Ralph Tiger JonesSD10Jan 28, 1959
100Loss77–16–6 Ellsworth WebbTKO7 (10)Nov 19, 1958
99Loss77–15–6 Joey GiambraSD10Jun 30, 1958
98Win77–14–6 Frank SzuzinaMD10Jun 11, 1958
97Win76–14–6 Rory CalhounUD10May 5, 1958
96Win75–14–6 Franz SzuzinaUD10Feb 12, 1958
95Win74–14–6 Ralph Tiger JonesUD10Dec 27, 1957
94Win73–14–6 Wilf GreavesUD10Nov 5, 1957
93Win72–14–6 Bobby LaneTKO7 (10)Sep 27, 1957
92Win71–14–6 Chico VejarUD10Jul 17, 1957
91Win70–14–6 Joe GrayRTD5 (10)Jul 2, 1957
90Win69–14–6 Rory CalhounSD10May 17, 1957
88Win68–14–6Randy SandySD10Feb 6, 1957
87Win67–14–6Charley CottonUD10Dec 14, 1956
86Win66–14–6Charley CottonUD10Nov 15, 1956
85Win65–14–6Bobby BoydKO5 (10)Sep 28, 1956
84Win64–14–6Georgia KidTKO9 (10)Aug 28, 1956
83Win63–14–6Franz SzuzinaUD10Jul 26, 1956
82Win62–14–6Tony BaldoniKO1 (10)Jul 2, 1956
81Loss61–14–6Charley CottonSD10May 28, 1956
80Loss61–13–6Charley CottonUD10May 7, 1956
79Win61–12–6Joe ShawUD10Mar 27, 1956
78Win60–12–6Hurley SandersPTS10Mar 10, 1956
77Win59–12–6Tim JonesTKO10 (10)Feb 11, 1956
76Win58–12–6Peter MüllerKO2 (10)Mar 1, 1955
75Win57–12–6Andy MayfieldTKO8 (10)Feb 15, 1955
74Win56–12–6Al AndrewsUD10Jan 25, 1955
73Win55–12–6Ralph Tiger JonesUD10Sep 24, 1954
72Win54–12–6Billy KilgoreUD10Jul 7, 1954
71Win53–12–6Bobby JonesUD10Jun 11, 1954
70Loss52–12–6Pierre LangloisUD10May 21, 1954
69Win52–11–6Willie TroyTKO7 (10)Mar 19, 1954
68Win51–11–6Walter CartierTKO1 (10)Feb 5, 1954
67Win50–11–6Garth PanterTKO5 (10)Jan 8, 1954
66Win49–11–6Tuzo PortuguezUD10Nov 23, 1953
65Win48–11–6Walter CartierUD10Oct 26, 1953
64Loss47–11–6Johnny SaxtonUD10Sep 29, 1953
63Win47–10–6Ernie DurandoUD10Jun 26, 1953
62Win46–10–6Hurley SandersPTS10May 30, 1953
61Win45–10–6Gil TurnerUD10Apr 7, 1953
60Loss44–10–6Billy GrahamUD12Mar 6, 1953
59Win44–9–6Harold GreenUD10Feb 2, 1953
58Win43–9–6Billy GrahamSD10Dec 19, 1952
57Loss42–9–6Joey GiambraUD10Nov 11, 1952
56Win42–8–6Joey GiambraUD10Oct 13, 1952
55Win41–8–6Georgie SmallUD10Sep 15, 1952
54Win40–8–6Billy GrahamSD10Aug 4, 1952
53Win39–8–6Pierre LanglisUD10Jun 23, 1952
52Win38–8–6Roy WoutersPTS6Jun 5, 1952
51Draw37–8–6Joe MiceliPTS10May 5, 1952
50Draw37–8–5Sammy GuilianiPTS8Mar 28, 1952
49Draw37–8–4Sal DiMartinoPTS10Jan 9, 1952
48Loss37–8–3Bobby DykesSD10Dec 12, 1951
47Loss37–7–3Rocky CastellaniMD10Nov 13, 1951
46Win37–6–3Tony AmatoKO7 (8)Oct 8, 1951
45Win36–6–3Tommy BazzanoPTS6Sep 14, 1951
44Win35–6–3Johnny NoelUD8Aug 27, 1951
43Win34–6–3Otis GrahamUD8Aug 13, 1951
42Loss33–6–3Gus RubiciniPTS8May 25, 1951
41Win33–5–3Ernie DurandoUD10Apr 30, 1951
40Win32–5–3Roy WoutersUD8Apr 12, 1951
39Win31–5–3Primos CutlerPTS8Mar 29, 1951
38Loss30–5–3Roy WoutersMD8Mar 15, 1951
37Win30–4–3Tony WolfeKO3 (8)Feb 24, 1951
36Win29–4–3Harold SampsonSD8Feb 22, 1951
35Win28–4–3Jan HenriUD8Jan 27, 1951
34Win27–4–3Freddie LottPTS8Jan 6, 1951
33Win26–4–3Leroy ColemanKO5 (6)Dec 18, 1950
32Draw25–4–3George RobertsPTS6Nov 27, 1950
31Loss25–4–2Harold GreenRTD6 (10)Oct 26, 1950
30Win25–3–2Bruce UbaldoPTS8Oct 16, 1950
29Win24–3–2Ted DiGiammoKO1 (6)Sep 26, 1950
28Win23–3–2Don BerryKO1 (6)Aug 25, 1950
27Loss22–3–2Carey MaceTKO8 (8)May 17, 1950
26Win22–2–2Hurley SandersUD8May 5, 1950
25Win21–2–2Tommy VarsosKO1 (8)Apr 20, 1950
24Win20–2–2Steve SabatinoKO1 (8)Mar 27, 1950
23Win19–2–2Armando AmaniniPTS8Mar 23, 1950
22Win18–2–2Johnny BernardoMD8Feb 9, 1950
21Win17–2–2Johnny BernardoPTS8Jan 26, 1950
20Loss16–2–2Joe DiMartinoPTS8Jan 16, 1950
19Win16–1–2Johnny FryPTS6Jan 5, 1950
18Win15–1–2Jim DockeryKO2 (6)Dec 5, 1949
17Win14–1–2Mitch AllenPTS6Nov 14, 1949
16Win13–1–2Leroy FlemingKO1 (6)Jul 13, 1949
15Win12–1–2Ray HaasTKO3 (6)Jun 20, 1949
14Win11–1–2Henry VonsavageTKO2 (6)June 6, 1949
13Win10–1–2Emerson CharlesPTS4May 2, 1949
12Win9–1–2Joe AurilloPTS6Apr 28, 1949
11Win8–1–2Ray MorrisPTS4Apr 25, 1949
10Win7–1–2Bill MongomeryKO1 (6)Apr 7, 1949
9Win6–1–2Johnny BrownPTS4Mar 29, 1949
8Win5–1–2Don EnnisKO4 (6)Mar 15, 1949
7Draw4–1–2Clyde DiggsPTS6Feb 24, 1949
6Loss4–1–1Jimmy MortonPTS6Jan 13, 1949
5Win4–0–1Willie WigfallTKO1 (4)Dec 30, 1948
4Draw3–0–1Bobby ThomasPTS4Dec 17, 1948
3Win3–0Johnny MadisonKO1 (4)Dec 16, 1948
2Win2–0Jackie ColeKO1 (4)Nov 16, 1948
1Win1–0Jimmy LarkinKO1 (4)Oct 10, 1948

Life after boxing

After retirement, he went into private business and went back to his real name.He was an insurance salesman and later joined the Misco International Chemical Company as their New York-Philadelphia-New Jersey distributor. He had married his wife Rosalie in 1950, with whom he had four children. He did work with the intellectually disabled, particularly for St. John of God School Community Services in Westville Grove, New Jersey, where his son, Carman, who had Down Syndrome, lived for ten years. He met the pope and was invited to President John F. Kennedy's Inauguration. With his celebrity and title, he participated in countless fundraising events for the intellectually disabled and contributed his time and talent to the Special Olympics, founded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver. At one event he taught the Special Olympians to jump rope.

He had a small role as a man from "The Syndicate" in the 1975 movie Moonrunners.

In 1996, he was invited to a Hungarian TV talk-show, (Friderikusz show) in which he made appearance in Budapest, Hungary, to celebrate Laszlo Papp's 70th birthday, that was a honorary invitation because of eastern communist block did not let Papp to match with Giardello in 1966, therefore Giardello could keep holding the 2 world titles, while Laszlo Papp was forced by the communist Hungarian government to bring his boxing career to an end.

He later filed a federal lawsuit against Universal Pictures, Beacon Communications and Aloof Films, for unspecified damages, for its "thoroughly false depiction" of his bout with Rubin Carter in Norman Jewison's 1999 film The Hurricane. The case was settled out-of-court and the DVD version of the film included scenes from the actual fight, as well as Jewison's statement that Giardello "no doubt" was a great fighter.[8] [9]

He died on September 4, 2008, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. He was 78 years old.

Honors

Giardello was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, the 3rd boxer to be inducted after Joe Frazier (2004) and Tommy Loughran (2008). He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. His career record was 101 wins, 25 losses and 7 draws. He was 5-3-1 against other boxers in the Hall of Fame, including a 2–2 mark against Tiger.[10]

A public statue honoring Giardello is situated in the East Passyunk Crossing section of South Philadelphia.[11]

See also

External links

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Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Lineal Middleweight Champions. The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  2. Web site: Lipsyte . Robert . BACKTALK; Once Again, Giardello Is in the Eye of the Storm . The New York Times . 12 March 2000.
  3. Web site: The Famous 70. December 2017.
  4. News: Rose. Murray. Martinez Offered $20,000 Bribe to Thrown Fiore Fight. 13 May 2012. Lewiston Daily Sun. 19 November 1954.
  5. News: Dick Tiger Reclaims Title From Joey Giardello . 1 April 2022 . Jet . Johnson Publishing Company . 4 November 1965 . 58 . en.
  6. Book: Wice . Paul B. . Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and the American Justice System . 2000 . Rutgers University Press . 978-0-8135-2864-9 . 37 . 1 April 2022 . en.
  7. Web site: Bock . Hal . 2000-02-27 . Giardello Sets 'Hurricane' Record Straight . 2023-09-05 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  8. Web site: Joey Giardello: Middleweight boxing champion . https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220609/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joey-giardello-middleweight-boxing-champion-927049.html . 2022-06-09 . subscription . live . The Independent . 1 April 2022 . en . 11 September 2008.
  9. Stephen Brunt. The Italian Stallions: Heroes of Boxing's Glory Days. Sport Classic Books. 2003 p 213.
  10. Web site: Joey Giardello . Njboxinghof.org . 2014-05-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140513010747/http://www.njboxinghof.org/cgi-bin/henryseehof.pl?158 . 2014-05-13 .
  11. http://www.phillyboxinghistory.com/giardello/joey_schedule.htm Joey Giardello Statue Project

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