CARMEN BASILIO DAY

WHEREAS, We gather here today to honor the life and accomplishments of Carmen Basilio and to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of his victory bout against Sugar Ray Robinson at Yankee Stadium on September 23, 1957 allowing him to win the middleweight boxing championship of the world; and WHEREAS, Mr. Basilio, a native of Canastota, New York, has earned the respect and admiration of boxing fans all over the nation and world because of his competitive character and dedication of mind and spirit to the discipline of boxing, achieving two division championships, welterweight and middleweight, and also receiving two “Fighter of the Year” honors in 1955 and 1957 from the Boxing Writers Association of America; and WHEREAS, It is that same character and hometown spirit that inspired him to found, with the help of fellow citizens, the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York in 1982, allowing the town and all boxing fans around the world, for the first time, to showcase the achievements of boxing legends such as Muhammad Ali, Rocky Graziano, Jake LaMotta, Floyd Patterson and many others including Carmen Basilio in 1990; and WHEREAS, Carmen Basilio, one of the most popular boxers of his era, is a living testament, inspiration and role model for all those who aspire to be the best and dare to attain excellence. NOW, THEREFORE, I, NICHOLAS J. PIRRO, County Executive of the County of Onondaga, and I, MATTHEW J. DRISCOLL, Mayor of the City of Syracuse do hereby proclaim the nineteenth day of September, two thousand seven as CARMEN BASILIO DAY in Onondaga County and the City of Syracuse.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and caused the Seals of the County of Onondaga and the City of Syracuse to be imprinted this nineteenth day of September, two thousand seven.

______NICHOLAS J. PIRRO MATTHEW J. DRISCOLL County Executive Mayor