Joey Giardello
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1 TheBoxing Biographies Newsletter Volume4 - No 2 19th Jan, 2009 www.boxingbiographies.com If you wish to receive future newsletters ( which includes the images ) please email the message “NEWS LETTER” [email protected] The newsletter is also available as a word doc on request As always the full versions of these articles are on the website I NEED YOUR HELP I am looking for any footage of his fights and would be most grateful for any help people can provide. I would also appreciate any other information on him Missouri State Amateur Champion Name: Art Swiden Career Record: click Alias: The Pittsburgh Phantom Nationality: US American Birthplace: McKeesport, PA, USA Hometown: New Kensington, Pennsylvania, USA Born: 1928-02-11 Died: 2004-08-23 Age at Death: 76 Stance: Orthodox Height: 6′ 1″ Joey Giardello Joey Giardello was born Carmine Orlando Tilelli, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn, New York City, on 16 July 1930. When he was still a baby the family moved to Flatbush, a slightly upmarket district which he recalled as being “A nice neighborhood, we had a nice home”. In those days Brooklyn was not the ghetto which later produced world champions Mike Tyson, Riddick Bowe, and Mark Breland. Nevertheless growing up in New York in the 1930’s and 40’s brought its own difficulties and the young Giardello ran with street gangs and got involved in fights. He was always independent and, like so many of the war generation, grew up before his time. By the second half of 1945, World War II was officially over, but there was still plenty of mopping up to be done. The 15-year-old Carmine bought a birth certificate from an elder cousin named Joe Giardello, and joined the US Army. He was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division, but before he could go off and 2 put his new skills to use, his parents traced him and he was discharged. FIRST STEPS IN PHILLY The youngster didn't stay at home for long, preferring to move to Philadelphia, where he earned a living as a labourer. In October 1948, with only a few Army bouts behind him, he made his professional boxing debut in Trenton, New Jersey, and once again he used the name Giardello, hoping that any parental disapproval could be avoided. It went well and he knocked out Johnny Noel inside two rounds. After a couple of years, manager Jimmy Santore sold his contract to Carmine Graziano and Tony Ferrante. The Mob connections of the latter were undeniable – he was a relative of a known Mafia figure, Joe Bonnano – but how much. if any, use this was is not known. Giardello's argument that he would have had a world championship bout before the 1960s if his career had been run by the Mob is undeniable. The youngster's skill and speed marked him out as a prospect to watch and. by the end of 1949, he was unbeaten in 17 fights, with one draw. He eventually lost for the first time, in January 1950, when he travelled to New Haven, Connecticut, and was outpointed over eight rounds by Joe Di Martino, having boxed his way into a clear lead, only to fade over the later rounds. Nevertheless, he was back in action 10 days later, scoring the first of two back-to-back decisions over Johnny Bernardo. THE LEARNING PROCESS These were essential learning years for Giardello and, in 1950, he suffered two of only four stoppage defeats in his entire career – Carey Mace heat him because of a cut left eyebrow in the eighth round at the atmospheric St Nick's Arena in New York City. and Harold Green knocked him out with a left hook and a short right just before the end of the sixth round at the Eastern Parkway Arena in Brooklyn. Giardello had broken his nose in the third round against Green, but he was back in the ring 31 days later drawing an eight-rounder with Gene Roberts. The setbacks meant little in the long run but as the year closed it seemed, to the few who considered his career at all was destined for life on the club circuits of New York, New jersey and Pennsylvania. His first win of any national significance came in April 1951 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, when he outpointed Ernie The Rock. Durando, a respected middleweight. However, he lost his next fight, against Gus Rubicini, and ended the year with a pair of split decision defeats by world-rated Rocky Castellani and rising star Bobby Dykes. He dropped Castellani in the third round, and acquitted himself well, and gave Dykes a tremendous battle. 'Giardello, who can come back to Miami Beach any time, meant business,' wrote Ring correspondent Tom Ephrem. He then started 1952 with three draws – against Sal Di Martino, Sammy Giuliani 'and Joe Miceli – which meant he had gone five fights without a win. At last, however, he began to be noticed, and he broke into the rankings that year with victories in the Eastern Parkway Arena over Pierre Langlois of France, Billy Graham and Joey Giambra. 3 The victory over Graham earned him a No. 10 rating from Ring. It was a considerable upset at the time as Graham was using the fight as a warm-up for a fight with world welterweight champion Kid Gavilan. Giambra reversed his defeat when the pair met again in Buffalo, in New York State, but a return with Graham brought Giardello another win to confirm his right to be considered in the top bracket. Giardello's second victory against Graham was one of the most controversial incidents in boxing in the 1950s. He won a split decision, but New York commissioner Robert K. Christenberry disagreed with the scoring of a round on the card of judge Joe Agnello and altered it, giving the verdict to Graham. Giardello took the case to the Supreme Court and was legally awarded the points win. In 1953, Giardello lost a 12-round decision to Graham in a third meeting in Madison Square Garden – 'I went to a training camp for the first time in my life and I lost the fight.' said Giardello. He was also outpointed over 10 rounds by Johnny Saxton, but won his other six outings, including decisions over Gil Turner and Tuzo Portuguez from Costa Rica. Giardello said the Saxton defeat was a fix. “I was robbed in my own home town, Philadelphia, because of Blinky Palermo. He bought the fight. One official gave seven rounds even! I know I didn't lose it.' CAREER CRASHES When Giardello began 1954 with impressive stoppage wins over Garth Panter, Walter Cartier and Willie Troy, he was on course for a title challenge against Carl 'Bobo' Olson. However, he lost on points to Pierre Langlois in a return in May 1954, and after three more wins, the last one against the dangerous Ralph 'Tiger' Jones, he was involved in a car crash on the New Jersey Turnpike which left him with a damaged knee and sidelined for four months. His title chance had evaporated. After three wins at the start of 1955, Giardello was back in the frame and he actually signed an agreement to meet Olson...until disaster struck. Giardello was jailed for six months for his relatively minor part in a violent row at a petrol station. He was still on crutches at the time, but had used one of them to strike the pump attendant. In 1953, Giardello lost a 12-round decision to Graham in a third meeting in Madison Square Garden – 'I went to a training camp for the first time in my life and I lost the fight.' said Giardello. He was also outpointed over 10 rounds by Johnny Saxton, but won his other six outings, including decisions over Gil Turner and Tuzo Portuguez from Costa Rica. Giardello said the Saxton defeat was a fix. This in itself probably would not have amounted to a jail sentence, except for the fact that one of his companions also hit the poor man on the head with a pistol. Giardello was disgraced and his New York State licence confiscated. He served four and a half months in Holmesburg Prison, just outside Philadelphia. but while he was in jail, his father died. Giardello was allowed out to attend the funeral, but only with prison guards on either side. It was a complete humiliation. As he stood at the graveside, he promised himself that he would win the world title for his father. Further heartache followed when his second son, Carmen, was born mentally disabled. 'My kids were the reason I matured.' Giardello said years later. "The reason for going to church and saving my money and taking adult education courses and becoming a different person.' THE LONG ROAD BACK When Giardello returned home, he took his wife, Rosalie, and his children to Brooklyn, signed for a new 4 manager, Frank Laurenzi, and set about re-establishing himself as a worthy title challenger. The New York Commission, now under the leadership of Julius Helfand, reinstated his licence and he fought once a month until the end of the year. During that time, he had four bouts against Charlie Cotton, losing the first two in St Nick's Arena, but winning the third and fourth in Milwaukee and Cleveland. In February 1957. he outpointed Randy Sandy on a split verdict in Chicago, but then survived a scoring mix-up in Kansas City when it seemed be had lost against Willie Vaughn. The result was announced as a split decision win for Vaughn, but the referee used the 10-point scoring system instead of the five that was in use in Missouri at the time.