Carmen Basilio, Boxer Who Beat Sugar Ray Robinson for Title, Dies at 85

The New York Times ^ | November 7, 2012 | Richard Goldstein

[EveningStar]

Carmen Basilio, the welterweight and middleweight boxing champion of the 1950s who fought two brutal bouts with Sugar Ray Robinson, winning his middleweight title and then losing it to him, died Wednesday in Rochester. Basilio, who lived in Irondequoit, a suburb of Rochester, was 85.

[EveningStar]

Wikipedia

Professional boxing record from BoxRec

[fhayek]

If you beat Sugar Ray Robinson, you beat the best of all time.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[supremedoctrine]

A name I well remember from childhood, since he was my father’s favorite boxer, and my father was an amateur Army boxer, and I once asked him about Basilio, and he said “I’d hate to tangle with Carmen!” , laughing.
I can still see a newspaper photo of him with an impossible looking swollen left eye, almost totally closed.
Can anyone post it? It’s probably on Google.

[stylin19a]

Semper Fi, Marine.

[PLMerite]

[CommerceComet]

RIP, Carmen.

A great fighter who not only beat the real Sugar Ray but beat him while giving up quite a bit of size.

If you haven't seen the ESPN documentary Carmen Basilio and the Mob, you should. It's available on YouTube. You'll really respect how he threatened his career (and more) by standing up to the mob who dominated boxing at the time.

[M-cubed]

I can still see a newspaper photo of him with an impossible looking swollen left eye, almost totally closed.<<

I can too!...ya gotta love a warrior!

RIP Carmen!

[oh8eleven]

I met Basilio at a meeting of the Rochester Marine Corps reserves in 1982 (Basilio boxed in the MC during World War II).
He was given an award, although I can't recall what for. But I do recall that he had a handshake that could turn coal into diamonds.
RIP Cpl. Basilio ... Semper Fi.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Now, there was a man.

[RichInOC]

Sorry to hear that. I knew the name and was surprised he was still alive this long.

[donmeaker]

That great fight was in our introduction to boxing class at West Point.

They pointed out that he won the first fight fight long, and on points, but lost the next one short by knockout.

There was a suggestion that the judges highly rated his constant aggression.

A great fighter, and a great boxer.

[capt B]

judges rated aggression- Yes, in those days you LOST points if you weren’t fighting. NO “rope a dope”- Ali would have lost every “rope a dope”fight

[capt B]

“Judges highly rated aggression”- Yes, in those days you LOST points for not fighting- Ali would have lost every “rope a dope” fight- losing points for his 2 minutes of “rope a dope”, every fight

[supremedoctrine]

Thanks. I think I found the photo I was thinking of on google images, which was full of pix of him with swollen and cut eyes, which seemed to be his signature condition after a fight.

[supremedoctrine]

Thanks. I think I found the photo I was thinking of on google images, which was full of pix of him with swollen and cut eyes, which seemed to be his signature condition after a fight.

[supremedoctrine]

Thanks. I think I found the photo I was thinking of on google images, which was full of pix of him with swollen and cut eyes, which seemed to be his signature condition after a fight.