JOEY GIARDELLO PASSES AWAY
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 05 Sep 2008
Former WBC and WBA middleweight champion Joey Giardello has passed away in New Jersey. He was 78.
Regarded as the greatest middleweight to come out of Philadelphia, Giardello won the title with a 15 round decision over Dick Tiger on December 7, 1963 but lost the title in a rematch, also by decision, on October 21, 1965.
Giardello had a record of 101 wins, 25 losses, 7 draws with 33 wins coming by way of knockouts.
His last ring appearance was against Jack Rodgers over whom he won a ten round unanimous decision on November 6, 1967.
In 1962 Giardello?s majority ten round decision over Henry Hank was voted ?Fight of the Year? by the prestigious Ring Magazine, the acknowledged ?Bible of Boxing.?
One of Giardello?s most memorable wins was over one of the greatest fighters of all-time, Sugar Ray Robinson.
Giardello dropped Robinson in the fourth round en route to a unanimous ten round decision on June 24, 1963.
Hall-of-Fame promoter J. Russell Peltz was quoted as saying by Fight News that Giardello was ?one of the few white fighters of his era who fought every tough black guy out there.?
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