Who was the best Italian born and raised heavyweight of my time (1965 to present)? Was it Lorenzo Zanon who gave Jerry Quarry and Ken Norton trouble before being stopped? Zanon also unsuccessfully challenged Larry Holmes for the title.
Was it Francisco Damiani who defeated Teofilo Stevenson as an amateur? The same Damiani who as a professional was just a few rounds away from winning the WBO version of the heavyweight title. Damiani was outboxing the highly regarded Ray Mercer for eight uneventful rounds. In the ninth round Mercer connected with a smash to Damiani’s nose that ended the fight and crowned Mercer as the WBO champion.
Was it Alfio Righetti? He turned pro in 1974 and won his first 21 bouts. Win #22 came in 1976 when he beat tough Bepi Ros. In his next fight Righetti won the Italian heavyweight title defeating Dante Cane.
In 1977 Alfio lost a decision to up and coming Olympic Gold Medalist Leon Spinks. Righetti would go on to win his next nine battles. In 1979 he met fellow countryman Lorenzo Zanon for the European title. After twelve rounds it was adjudged a draw thus Zanon retained his title.
In his next fight Righetti would meet Cleveland, Ohio journeyman Terry Mims. In a major upset Mims halted Righetti in round one. That was Alfio’s last fight. Final record 36-2-1 with 17 knockout victories.
On a side note, Terry Mims ended his career with a 13-16 record. He lost to the likes of Michael Dokes, Duane Bobick, Tex Cobb, Bernard Benton and Evander Holyfield. He holds a victory over Leon Spinks.
One last thing…Was Primo Carnera the best Italian born and raised heavyweight of all time ? I guess a case could be made for him. He developed into a decent boxer with a fairly effective left jab. He was strong as an ox and game to the core. At this point I would have to say that he was better then today’s giant champion Nickolai Valuev.