1947 D. Cummings & Son Swop Card Manuel Ortiz. This set was one of the first full sets of boxing cards issued after the end of World War II. As such, it has gained quite a bit of interest from collectors looking for early post-war boxing releases.
The cards are distinctive, featuring black and white caricature images of popular boxers against a bold red background.
Fronts of the cards featured the fighter’s caricature and name inside of a box. The backs included the title, “Famous Fighters Swop Card,” along with the subject’s name and bio, as well as a card number. The bottoms of the cards had the D. Cummings name along with their 186 Howard Street address in Glasgow.
The set contains a total of 64 cards. And unlike most other post-war cards, the cards are smaller, similar to pre-war tobacco and caramel card issues. Many of the names are not that recognizable to collectors today. However, the set includes several Hall of Famers and stars, including Joe Louis, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, and others.
Here is a photo of the rubber match between Manuel Ortiz and Benny Goldberg.
Goldberg defeated Ortiz the last two previous meetings once in Ortiz pro debut and again in Ortiz's 12th fight.
This time it would be different. On November 23rd, 1943, Ortiz would win a decision against Goldberg and handing Goldberg his first loss of his pro career.
Referee Mushy Callahan had it 91-73, Judge Reggie Gilmore had it 91-72 and judge Charley Randolph had it 88-77 all for Ortiz.
Pictured here is Dan Tobey, Tommy Farmer, Manuel Ortiz, Mushy Callahan, Benny Goldberg and Sparky Rudolph.
Hollywood Legion Stadium publicist, Gabriel "Hap" Navarro, awards the great world bantamweight champion Manuel Ortiz at L.A. Press Club more than 70 years ago. Hap Navarro went from PR, to matchmaker, to boxing promoter at the Hollywood Legion from the late 1940's to late 1950's.
This is one of my all-time favorite boxing photos, Manuel Ortiz holding a kitten, you can see the wear and tear on his hand from the battles in the ring, the knuckle on his middle finger looks like hell. This is just an awesome image.
This is a wicked image of Manuel Ortiz, nice clear shot, standing in the ring with the necklace. I would love to own the original type 1 of this image.
It's unbelievable, but we have good film of Manuel Ortiz. Watching this footage of him, it's insane how great of an infighter he was, his brutality down in the trenches is a thing of beauty, banging away at the body, head, uppercuts. Here he is, one of the greatest bantams in history, champion for the better part of a decade, defended his title 19 times. The great Manuel Ortiz.
After two successful games, Capcom raised the bar with Mega Man 3, introducing new mechanics and some of the most iconic bosses in the series. It cemented the Blue Bomber as one of the NES’s biggest heroes.
🐶 Rush Joins the Fight: This was the first game to introduce Rush, Mega Man’s robot dog companion. With his Coil, Jet, and Marine transformations, Rush gave players new ways to traverse levels.
⚡ The Slide Move: Another first for the series, Mega Man could now slide under tight spaces and enemy fire. This simple move added a whole new layer of strategy to platforming and combat.
👊 Rival Proto Man: Mega Man’s mysterious brother, Proto Man, appeared throughout the game as both an obstacle and ally. His sudden whistle before battle became one of the game’s most memorable audio cues.
🎮 Double the Robot Masters: After defeating the first eight Robot Masters, players faced off against revisited bosses in revamped stages, essentially doubling the challenge and length of the game.
Mega Man 3 wasn’t just a sequel—it was a defining moment in the franchise, adding characters and mechanics that became staples of the series for decades to come.
Heavyweight giant Primo Carnera, future champion who stood about 6'6", poses with iconic 5'5" actor Charlie Chaplin on the set of the film "City Lights" in 1931. My goodness, look at the size of Carnera's fist, it almost covers Chaplin's entire face.
''I was 12 years old, and I must have weighed 125 pounds. There was this teacher in school who was very respected but used to spank everybody. One day I was playing in his classroom and he took a big ruler and spanked me. I began to cry, and I was very embarrassed because the girls in the classroom were laughing. The teacher must have weighed 180 pounds but l hit him. The teacher raised his hand but l hit him again - in his stomach - and he fell to the floor.
So the teacher put me in his car and said, 'I'm going to bring you home.' I thought to myself, 'This is going to be hell at home with my mother and father.' I knew I couldn't hit them and they were going to punish me. So l got out of the car and started running. The teacher yelled, 'Catch him, catch him,' and four or five people grabbed me.
The teacher said, 'Now l'm going to take you to the police station.' l flew through the window of the car, but somebody else grabbed me. We went to the police station and my father brought me home. When people learned of my fight, they told me: 'Hey, you should become a boxer.' And, of course, l did.''
Marvelous Marvin Hagler catches reigning middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo with a sharp southpaw right hand during their controversial 1979 clash.
The bout was ruled a draw, allowing Antuofermo to retain the title a decision that sparked outrage, as many believed Hagler had done more than enough to win. It would become one of the defining injustices that fueled Hagler’s legendary reign that followed.
''CIay has a miIIion doIIars worth of confidence and a dime's worth of courage. He can't punch; he can't hurt you; and l don't think he takes a good punch.
l'd rate him with Johnny Paycheck, Abe Simon, and Buddy Baer. A Iot of guys wouId have beaten him if he was around when l was. l wouId have whipped him.''
- Joe Louis
''What's this about Joe Louis beating me? SIow-moving shuffling Joe Louis beat me? He may hit hard, but that don't mean nothing if you can't find nothing to hit.
What's he gonna do when l'm jumping and sticking and moving? And don't say l can only do it for a minute, because l can keep it up for fifteen rounds, three minutes a round.
Now how is Joe Louis gonna get to me? WouId l just quit dancing that night and stand there and Iet him hit me? Joe Louis, you're reaIIy funny.''
Here's some more information about Rocky Castellani, he certainly deserves it, he was one of those tough Italians that fought in a notoriously stacked era for middleweights. Joey Giambra, Joey Giardello, Rocky Castellani, they had some tough Italians back then.
By: Bill Kashatus
On July 22, 1955, Rocky Castellani, a native of Luzerne, faced Sugar Ray Robinson in a nationally televised middleweight boxing match in San Francisco.
Castellani, with a career record of 60 wins, 8 losses and 4 draws, was the leading contender for the middleweight title and a 9-to-5 favorite in the fight.
Robinson, a former middleweight champion who’d recently returned to the ring after a two-year hiatus, was told that if he defeated the Northeastern Pennsylvanian he’d receive a title shot.
The two fighters appeared to be evenly matched. Castellani stood 5-foot-10 and weighed 160 pounds, and Robinson was 5-foot-11 and 1593/4 pounds. While Castellani was just 29 years old, the 34-year-old Robinson made up for the age difference with experience, having posted 136 career wins, more than twice his opponent’s total.
Castellani buckled Robinson’s knees in the first round, but it was a fairly even bout until the sixth when the Luzerne native put Robinson on the canvas with a jarring body blow. Referee Jack Downey began his count and reached “nine” before the former champ managed to take his feet. Robinson hung on to earn a 10-round split decision.
Robinson would go on to reclaim the world middleweight title from Carl “Bobo” Olson with a second-round knockout later that year. He retired in 1965 with a career record of 173 wins (108 by knockout), 19 losses and 6 draws. Today, he is considered by many to be the greatest boxer of all-time.
Castellani, on the other hand, retired in 1957 with a career record of 65 wins (16 by knockouts), 13 losses and 4 draws. Today, he is arguably the greatest boxer to hail from the Wyoming Valley.
Started at age 5
Born on May 26, 1926 at Luzerne, Attilio N. Castellani Jr. was the son of Italian immigrants Attilio Castellani and Rose Isopi Castellani. His uncle, Mike Castellani, an amatuer fighter from Swoyersville, laced a pair of gloves on young Attilio at the age of 5. Shortly after, he began going to local gyms with his cousins and holding boxing matches for money in the backyard of the family’s North Street home.
As a teenager, Castellani was forbidden from boxing by his father, so he fought under the assumed name “Roxy Wargo.”
“Boxing gave me the opportunity to be somebody,” Castellani recalled in a 1985 interview with The Citizens’ Voice. “I made good money climbing into the ring. I tried it as a young kid and liked it. It wasn’t hard at all.”
At age 16, Castellani enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and fought at Iwo Jima. He also continued boxing. At the end of World War II, he was selected to represent his unit in a boxing tournament, earning the titles “Middleweight Champion of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet” and “Champion of all China and Guam.”
After receiving an honorable discharge, Castellani began his professional boxing career in Scranton in a bout against Billy Kilroy. Although he broke his hand in the fight, Castellani said the contest marked a turning point in his career.
“Some six weeks after that I could only punch with one hand,” he recalled. “That’s how I was transformed into a boxer instead of a puncher.”
Castellani experienced early success. Between 1944 and 1951, he worked his way up the ranks to the No. 1 contender in the middleweight division, posting a record of 30-0-2 in his first 32 fights. On 33 occasions, he fought in Northeastern Pennsylvania: 17 times in Scranton, 14 times in Wilkes-Barre and twice in Hazleton. Starting in 1952, he fought at larger venues in New York City, Chicago, Cleveland and San Francisco.
“Rocky became a local hero in the 1950s,” recalled Buddy Rush, an old friend. “Everybody watched when his fights were televised on Friday nights.”
During those early years, Castellani’s success intimidated two other middleweight greats of his era: Jake LaMotta and Rocky Graziano. “Rocky and Jake didn’t want no part of me back then,” he recalled in the 1985 interview. For good reason, too.
“Rocky was simply the best boxer from this area and one of the quickest middleweights ever,” said local surgeon Dr. George Moses. “I remember seeing him box at Sandy Beach and at the old South Main Street Armory. Once, my father took me to Cleveland to see him fight against Gene Fullmer and Rocky went 15 rounds with him.”
Title shot
On Aug. 20, 1954, Castellani, then the No. 1-ranked contender, fought middleweight champ Carl “Bobo” Olson for the world title at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Castellani knocked down Olson in the third round, but lost a tough 15-round split decision.
Of course, the highlight of Castellani’s boxing career took place 11 months later when he fought the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson, a fight that continues to be featured on ESPN’s “Classic Fights of the Century.”
Although he knocked down the former champion in the sixth round, Castellani lost a disputed decision. Many boxing scholars believed Castellani actually won the 10-round fight by knockout only to officially lose by split decision.
Despite the controversial defeat, Castellani never complained.
“In all the years I knew him, I never heard him complain about anything,” said his nephew, Manny Santayana. “He never mentioned any regrets. He never looked back and he didn’t live life in the rearview mirror.”
On April 30, 1957 – four fights before his career came to an end – Castellani returned to the Wyoming Valley, winning a 10-round decision against Felix Benson in Wilkes-Barre.
After his retirement, Castellani and his family – wife, Mary, three sons and a daughter – relocated to Margate City, N.J., where he served for many years as a judge for the New Jersey Boxing Commission. He also operated Rocky Castellani & Sons restaurant in Atlantic City.
Still, Castellani “loved the Wyoming Valley and its people,” said Santayana. “This is where he learned to box and still has a lot of fans in the area.”
Prior to his death on Aug. 31, 2008, Rocky Castellani was able to enjoy several honors. He was inducted into both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Boxing Halls of Fame and was also enshrined into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Another good piece on Ricky Castellani, I love this stuff, can't get enough of it.
Gloves Gone By
ATTILIO “ROCKY” CASTELLANI
By: Jim Amato
He may have been one of the best middleweights to never hold a title. He was a ranked contender for almost a decade but he received only one title shot. That was fairly late in his fine career. He fought in the days when there only eight weight divisions with ONE champion per division. By today’s standards Attilio “Rocky” Castellani would have easily won a piece of a title.
Rocky was born on May 28, 1927 in Luzerne, Pennsylvania. He would die in the same town 81 years later. Rocky made his professional debut on February 14, 1944 fighting to a six round draw. He would lose his next two fights by knockout. It’s very hard to believe at this point that Rocky would one day become a top contender. He was tenacious though and he soon began to win more then he lost. He was stopped in four rounds by Billy Kilroy in 1946.He would only be halted one more time in his career and that was not until 1952. In fact Rocky was only defeated by kayo only four times in 83 career battles. Seeing the competition he faced, that is quite amazing !
Rocky beat Kilroy in a 1947 rematch and then he made his Madison Square Garden debut against rugged Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini. The father of Ray Mancini was a pretty tough guy himself. Rocky won a decision in this fight. He would defeat Lenny again later in the year.1948 was a good year for Rocky as he moved steadily up the ladder with wins over Harold Green, Herbie Kronowitz and clever boxer out of Niles, Ohio named Sonny Horne.
In 1949 Rocky lost a decision to Charley Fusari at the Garden. He would defeat the slick Tony Janiro in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Back at the Garden Castellani lost to the great Kid Gavilan. Rocky would then put together a ten fight win streak that would carry him into 1952 and establish him as a fighter to be contended with. Among his victims were Harold Green, Ernie Durando, Gene “Silent” Hairston and a rough fellow named Joey Giardello. In 1952 Rocky lost a controversial stoppage to Durando. He quickly regrouped to defeat Ralph “Tiger” Jones. He drew with the outstanding Billy Graham and he defeated another top-notch guy in Johnny Bratton. As you can see Rocky ran in fast company.
In December of 1952 Rocky made his debut at the famous but now long gone Cleveland Arena. Rocky would become quite popular there. That night he defeated a good fighter named Jimmy Flood. In 1953 Rocky would again defeat Tiger Jones. He would split a pair of verdicts with highly regarded Pierre Langlois.He then stopped a gutsy Clevelander named Jackie Keough. Rocky finished the year with a big win over Philly’s Gil Turner.
In 1954 Rocky would win a one sided decision over Durando. That set the stage for August 20th at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Rocky would face Carl “Bobo” Olson for the middleweight championship of the world. At this point Rocky had been a pro for a decade and a top contender for a half dozen years. The fight with Olson was well contested. Bobo was a very good fighter and he is in the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Rocky gave a good account of himself. He had Bobo down in the eleventh. Rocky was down in the twelfth. In the end Olson retained his title with a few points to spare.
In 1955 Rocky took on the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson. Ray was on the comeback trail and the winner of this fight would probably get another crack at the title. It was a very close fight Rocky floored Ray in the sixth round and had him hurt. Robinson survived and won a controversial split decision. Again Rocky was on the outside looking in. In 1956 at the Cleveland Arena Rocky took on Gene Fullmer. The bull like Fullmer took the early rounds as his strength and awkward style had Rocky on the defensive. By the middle rounds though Rocky had figured Gene out and was putting on a counter-punching clinic. Still in the judges eyes it was not enough and again Rocky was on the short end of a split decision.
From this point Rocky’s career began to wind down. He was still a viable contender but there were two losses to Joey Giambra. In 1957 Rocky lost to Bobby Boyd and Rory Calhoun and he decided to hang up the gloves. He put together a sterling record of 65-14-4 facing the cream of the crop. He was a fan favorite at the Garden, the Cleveland Arena and in Scranton. As a fan you knew, when Rocky Castellani stepped into the ring, you were going to get your money’s worth. Rocky would become a popular and highly respected fight judge.
I would like to thank Rocky’s son David and the rest of the Castellani family for sharing information and photos of Rocky. He was loved and respected by his family, friends and the sport of boxing.
Slugging It Out: Luzerne’s Rocky Castellani Set Out To Make Name For Himself
By: BRIAN MALINA
LOOKBACK: Area boxer in a Madison Square Garden boxing ring 50 years ago Rocky Castellani wanted to make a statement.
Known as a stylish boxer, the Luzerne native had won 34 of his first 39 fights, but only nine of those wins came by knockout. Castellani wanted to change that. “You can’t make money being strictly a boxer,” Castellani said in a May 14, 1952, article. “A guy with the tag Rocky should never be a boxer anyway. They see me billed as Rocky and come in expecting a war.”
He unveiled a new fighting style two days later against Billy Graham, a veteran boxer of more than 100 fights, 97-7-8, who had never been knocked down.
The result was a bloody, foul-laden slugfest that resulted in a
controversial draw. According to a published report, boos erupted from the crowd of 5,394 when the announcer said one of the three judges picked Graham as the winner, five rounds to four, with one even.
A second judge picked “the kid from coal town” five rounds to four, with one even. The referee, who also acted as the third judge, called the fight four rounds each, with two even.
Reached recently at his Atlantic City home, Castellani, 74, still believes he was the better fighter that night.
“I should have won,” Castellani said, adding that fighting in Graham’s hometown probably helped his opponent. “It’s up to the officials, somedays they’re bad, somedays they’re good.”
The draw also didn’t hurt Castellani’s career. Although the decision to try one bout as a slugger failed to produce a victory, it launched a very successful streak in which he won 16 of 17 fights, only four by knockout, leading up to a shot at the middleweight title in August 1954.
His lone defeat during his run to a title shot was a 12-round decision loss to Pierre Langlois in Feb. 1953. He avenged that loss four months later with a 10-round decision win.
Despite his success, Castellani’s paydays didn’t improve dramatically. Mary, his wife of 52 years, said he never received more than $10,000 for a bout.
More often, he received between $500 and $5,000 per fight. “Five hundred dollars was a good pay day,” said Rocky Castellani.
For his title bout against Carl “Bobo” Olson, Castellani said he fought for free. His manager, Alvin A. Naiman, agreed to put up $125,000 for Olson
and pay training expenses for Castellani.
“I wanted to get the title,” Castellani said recently. “If you waited for money, you wouldn’t get the fight.”
Published reports advancing the 1954 fight were vague about how much, or little, Castellani received for his title shot, often stating that “Rocky’s share is undetermined.”
Mary Castellani described Naiman as a millionaire who knew little about the fight game. Naiman took over Castellani’s career in 1953 when he bought the fighter’s contract from New York manager Tex Sullivan.
Sullivan guided Castellani’s career for a little over a year, taking over
after his previous manager, Thomas “Tommy Ryan” Eboli, was banned from boxing for assaulting a referee who counted Castellani out in a bout against Ernie Durando.
Although Naiman might not have had the savvy to steer Castellani to a more profitable career, he did have the resources to force a title fight.
In the summer of 1954 Bobo Olson was scheduled to defend his title against Joey Giardello when Naiman stepped in and guaranteed the champion a $125,000 payday if he would fight Castellani.
The giant payday for Olson triggered rumors that the fight was fixed. It also prompted many local residents to wager large amounts of money on Castellani, who was a 4-to-1 underdog, according to published reports.
But the large check for Olson didn’t create favorable conditions for Castellani. The bout was held in Olson’s adopted hometown of San Francisco and fought in a small ring – a disadvantage for a nimble boxer like Castellani.
On fight night, Olson barreled in to Castellani’s chest to land hard body shots and smother the challenger, preventing Castellani from snapping his jab.
By the fourth round, Castellani’s cornermen were screaming for him to “stick out his left hand” to create punching room, but to no avail as Olson continued to force the challenger into the corner, according to published reports.
In the fifth, Castellani briefly took control. A hard right to the jaw
stunned the champion. Midway through the sixth round Olson re-established control and opened a cut over Castellani’s left eye.
The bout continued much the same way, with Olson holding the advantage, until the 11th round when Castellani floored Olson with a straight right to the jaw. Olson was up by the count of three and slugged with Castellani for the remainder of the round.
In the 12th, Castellani hit the canvas. Olson landed a quick, overhand right to the jaw that sent Castellani crashing to the floor. Dazed, Castellani took a nine count before continuing.
For the final three rounds, the pair exchanged heavy blows as each tried for a knockout. Neither succeeded. After 15 rounds the fight went to the scorecards: The judges scored the fight 85-80, 87.5-77.5, and 89-76, all for Olson.
After the fight, Castellani revealed he broke his left thumb in the second round. But Castellani didn’t use that as an excuse, saying the injury didn’t cause him to alter his fight plan.
Olson, who was described in news clippings as “the tattooed champ with the hairy chest and balding head,” said Castellani was a tough opponent.
“He’s always moving away and you can’t set him up like a man moving in. He hit me with a couple of good rights,” Olson told reporters after the fight.
After the loss, Castellani returned to his training camp in Cleveland to begin the long road back to another title shot.
During the next three years he would fight 13 times, winning seven and dropping six, including a split decision loss to Sugar Ray Robinson, widely considered by boxing historians as the best fighter ever.
The Luzerne native closed his career on Oct. 18 1957 against Rory Calhoun, an up-and-coming power puncher. Calhoun won a lopsided 10-round decision.
Castellani retired at the age of 30 with a record of 65-13-4, with 16 KOs. He never got a second shot at the title.
After his fight career, Castellani moved to Atlantic City, where he opened a bar and restaurant. He also stayed active in boxing as a referee and a judge.
Castellani said despite his relatively low paydays and difficulty landing title fights, he doesn’t regret his time as a fighter.
“I wish I was 19 years old again, and do it all over,” Castellani said. “I had a very good time boxing and I was happy.”
@galaxy27 said:
double d, who are your top 10 boxers of all time........ranked
i'm sure compiling that list won't be an easy task
Hello galaxy, and welcome! Oh gosh, lists always drive me crazy. I've tried to make lists before and I always end up changing my mind on the rankings, so many great fighters. So I'll tell you what, I'll make a list of my favorite fighters in every weight division.☝️
But back to Rocky Castellani, he gave Sugar Ray Robinson hell in 1955, he was throwing bombs at Robinson and he caught Robinson with an absolutely brutal left hook and put him down for an eight count. Robinson in his 1970 autobiography had said that he wasn't sure if he was going
to avoid being knocked-out for the first time in his career after he was knocked down by Rocky Castellani.
I ain't kidding, Rocky Castellani fought in a deep, stacked era, he mixed it up with Sugar Ray Robinson, Gene Fullmer, Kid Gavilan, Holly Mims, Gil Turner, Joey Giambra, Ralph Tiger Jones, Billy Graham, Johnny Bratton, Joey Giardello, Ernie Durando, and held his own with all of them, his resume is ridiculous. I'm not about to attempt to cover all of his fights, so I'll just post whatever photos I can find here. This is an awesome image of Castellani during his fight with Gil Turner in 1953, he beat Turner on points. Turner was another bada$$ from that era, he was a gunslinger from Philadelphia who specialized in brawling, his fights were often all-out slugfests and that style of fighting made him very popular with fans, Turner was rarely in a dull fight.
Rocky Castellani vs Carl "Bobo" Olson in 1955, Olson was the world middleweight champion and this would be Castellani's only shot at the title. It was a vicious fight with both fighters tasting the canvas. It was a close fight but Olson retained his title by decision.
Rocky Castellani defeated John L. Sullivan (a British middleweight, not the famous 19th-century heavyweight) via a 10-round unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in February 1956. The bout was competitive early, but Castellani dominated the final rounds, landing significant punches, including a hard right in the 8th and a knockdown in the 9th.
Rocky Castellani vs Billy Graham on May 16th in 1952, I would love to have seen this fight, it was brutal, both fighters were busted open. By all accounts it was a back-and-forth war. Billy Graham was a great technician, and of course Graham is famous for having one of the greatest chins in boxing history, he was never knocked down in 126 career fights. Not once.
Credit: United Press
Billy Graham was still regarded as the No. 1 welterweight contender today by the NY Boxing Commission despite his 10 round draw with middleweight Rocky Castellani at MSG last night. Graham relinquished little of his prestige when held even by the younger and heavier Castellani of Luzerne, Pa., before 5,394 fans. Castellani outweighed the New Yorker 155 to 147 1/2. Although Graham was favored, only his aggressiveness and more solid punching earned him the even break with Rocky, who apparently is fighting at his peak. It was a see-saw bout in which each suffered such severe cuts he'll probably be out of action several weeks. Rocky suffered a gashed left brow, and Graham was cut above both eyes. There were no knockdowns, although Castellani was staggered twice in the 6th round and chased about the ring in the 8th, and Graham was knocked back on his heels in the 4th."
Referee Ruby Goldstein actually scored the bout 4-4-2 in rounds, but even using New York's supplemental point system in case of a draw, he still tabulated and Even score of 6-6. Although they did not tabulate a card in print, the Associated Press stated they had an identical unofficial card as Goldstein's.
This is an image from Rocky Castellani vs Gene Fullmer in 1956, this was an interesting fight, I've seen part of it on YouTube. Fullmer was one of the roughest, strongest, middleweights in history he would maul the ever living hell out of you. Castellani had his hands full with Fullmer, everyone that stepped in the ring with Fullmer had their hands full. But Castellani went the distance with Fullmer. It was interesting watching Castellani defend against Fullmer's bull rush attacks, Castellani did find success countering but Fullmer won by split decision.
Rocky Castellani wins a 10-round split decision over Ralph "Tiger" Jones on January 9, 1953 at Madison Square Garden. Castellani and Jones fought twice, Castellani win both bouts by decision.
Castellani Gains Split Decision Over Tiger Jones in Garden 10-Round Bout; DISSENTING BALLOT AMAZES THE CROWD Castellani Punctuates Fine Exhibition of Skill With Some Savage Flurries NIPS JONES' TITLE HOPES Middleweight Prospect Faces Trouble Only in 5th, Gains Fight With Langlois
By James P. Dawson
Credit: New York Times
Combining a superb exhibition of boxing skill with flurries of savage fighting, Rocky Castellani, Luzerne, Pa., middleweight, last night shattered the title dreams of Ralph (Tiger) Jones of Yonkers in ten fast rounds at Madison Square Garden, but he had to be content with a split decision. Virtually everyone in the crowd of 5,540 which paid receipts of $16,746 expected a unanimous decision, but Castellani was declared the victor only on the votes of Referee Al Berl and Judge Charley] Shortell. They over-rode a weird ballot handed up by the other judge, Bill Healy, one of the most experienced observers on the State, Athletic Commission's staff. Berl voted for Castellani, seven rounds to two, with one even. Shortell said Castellani won six rounds to three, with one even. Then came the announcement that Healy voted seven rounds to two, with one even, but for Jones. Fans about the ringside stood aghast at the announcement and a roar of disapproval echoed over the garden. Jones Rallies in Fifth This writer thought Castellani won the battle, nine rounds to one. Only in the fifth did Jones fight his way to the honors, and then it was with a desperate, reckless attack against a foe whose consummate cleverness and occasional outbursts of pure slugging were inescapable from first bell to last. By his victory, Castellani qualified for a bout Feb. 6 against Pierre Langlois, one of the French entrants in the eliminations to produce a candidate for the unclaimed world middleweight title. Twice Castellani spun his rival off balance with sharp rights and lefts. In the seventh, Jones went down after a left hook to the jaw, but it was because he was knocked off balance with the punch and no count was started. In the tenth a left hook to the jaw sent Jones to his knees, again because he was off balance. These were the nearest approaches to a knockdown. Rocky Ignores Cut A right-hand punch opened a cut over Castellani's left eye in the third round, but Rocky ignored the wound and pelted his adversary with both hands and from all angles. Jones rushed bullishly through the fifth and hurt Castellani with a succession of lefts and rights to the body. Ralph got closer to the target in this session and struck more often with full arm swings. Castellani weighed 159¾ pounds and Jones 154.
Comments
Manuel Ortiz working on the heavy bag.
Cool shot of Manuel Ortiz on the phone. These photos appear to be from newspaper articles, there's not a whole lot of photos of Ortiz.
Manuel Ortiz stepping into the ring.
Manuel Ortiz on the weight scale.
Another good up-close shot of Manuel Ortiz.
1947 D. Cummings & Son Swop Card Manuel Ortiz. This set was one of the first full sets of boxing cards issued after the end of World War II. As such, it has gained quite a bit of interest from collectors looking for early post-war boxing releases.
The cards are distinctive, featuring black and white caricature images of popular boxers against a bold red background.
Fronts of the cards featured the fighter’s caricature and name inside of a box. The backs included the title, “Famous Fighters Swop Card,” along with the subject’s name and bio, as well as a card number. The bottoms of the cards had the D. Cummings name along with their 186 Howard Street address in Glasgow.
The set contains a total of 64 cards. And unlike most other post-war cards, the cards are smaller, similar to pre-war tobacco and caramel card issues. Many of the names are not that recognizable to collectors today. However, the set includes several Hall of Famers and stars, including Joe Louis, Gene Tunney, Jack Dempsey, Sugar Ray Robinson, Rocky Graziano, and others.
Manuel Ortiz and his manager Tommy Farmer.
Awesome shot of Manuel Ortiz holding a ticket and his boxing license in 1942.
Manuel Ortiz training for the Dado Marino fight.
Here is a photo of the rubber match between Manuel Ortiz and Benny Goldberg.
Goldberg defeated Ortiz the last two previous meetings once in Ortiz pro debut and again in Ortiz's 12th fight.
This time it would be different. On November 23rd, 1943, Ortiz would win a decision against Goldberg and handing Goldberg his first loss of his pro career.
Referee Mushy Callahan had it 91-73, Judge Reggie Gilmore had it 91-72 and judge Charley Randolph had it 88-77 all for Ortiz.
Pictured here is Dan Tobey, Tommy Farmer, Manuel Ortiz, Mushy Callahan, Benny Goldberg and Sparky Rudolph.
Hollywood Legion Stadium publicist, Gabriel "Hap" Navarro, awards the great world bantamweight champion Manuel Ortiz at L.A. Press Club more than 70 years ago. Hap Navarro went from PR, to matchmaker, to boxing promoter at the Hollywood Legion from the late 1940's to late 1950's.
Like the caption says, when Manuel Ortiz was fighting he was farming.
Manuel Ortiz (third from left) standing beside James J. Jeffries, I don't recognize the others. I believe this photo was taken at Jeffries' farm.
This is awesome, someone owns this in a private collection, it's Manuel Ortiz's 1937-38 amateur boxing license, signed by Ortiz himself.
This is one of my all-time favorite boxing photos, Manuel Ortiz holding a kitten, you can see the wear and tear on his hand from the battles in the ring, the knuckle on his middle finger looks like hell. This is just an awesome image.
A classic fight pose shot of Manuel Ortiz.
This is a wicked image of Manuel Ortiz, nice clear shot, standing in the ring with the necklace. I would love to own the original type 1 of this image.
Another wicked image of Ortiz.
It's unbelievable, but we have good film of Manuel Ortiz. Watching this footage of him, it's insane how great of an infighter he was, his brutality down in the trenches is a thing of beauty, banging away at the body, head, uppercuts. Here he is, one of the greatest bantams in history, champion for the better part of a decade, defended his title 19 times. The great Manuel Ortiz.
Music break, one of the most talented musicians in the history of music.
These two photos are worth posting again, Manuel Ortiz wrapping his battle-scarred hands.
And Manuel Ortiz, hands wrapped, wearing the bantamweight strap he defended like his life depended on it.
One of my favorite games from my childhood.
Did You Know? - Mega Man 3 (1990)
After two successful games, Capcom raised the bar with Mega Man 3, introducing new mechanics and some of the most iconic bosses in the series. It cemented the Blue Bomber as one of the NES’s biggest heroes.
🐶 Rush Joins the Fight: This was the first game to introduce Rush, Mega Man’s robot dog companion. With his Coil, Jet, and Marine transformations, Rush gave players new ways to traverse levels.
⚡ The Slide Move: Another first for the series, Mega Man could now slide under tight spaces and enemy fire. This simple move added a whole new layer of strategy to platforming and combat.
👊 Rival Proto Man: Mega Man’s mysterious brother, Proto Man, appeared throughout the game as both an obstacle and ally. His sudden whistle before battle became one of the game’s most memorable audio cues.
🎮 Double the Robot Masters: After defeating the first eight Robot Masters, players faced off against revisited bosses in revamped stages, essentially doubling the challenge and length of the game.
Mega Man 3 wasn’t just a sequel—it was a defining moment in the franchise, adding characters and mechanics that became staples of the series for decades to come.
Mega Man 10, one of the most difficult bosses in the entire franchise, the infamous "Block Devil." Here is the stage in it's entirety.
Hey, how about a Primo Carnera photo?
Heavyweight giant Primo Carnera, future champion who stood about 6'6", poses with iconic 5'5" actor Charlie Chaplin on the set of the film "City Lights" in 1931. My goodness, look at the size of Carnera's fist, it almost covers Chaplin's entire face.
''I was 12 years old, and I must have weighed 125 pounds. There was this teacher in school who was very respected but used to spank everybody. One day I was playing in his classroom and he took a big ruler and spanked me. I began to cry, and I was very embarrassed because the girls in the classroom were laughing. The teacher must have weighed 180 pounds but l hit him. The teacher raised his hand but l hit him again - in his stomach - and he fell to the floor.
So the teacher put me in his car and said, 'I'm going to bring you home.' I thought to myself, 'This is going to be hell at home with my mother and father.' I knew I couldn't hit them and they were going to punish me. So l got out of the car and started running. The teacher yelled, 'Catch him, catch him,' and four or five people grabbed me.
The teacher said, 'Now l'm going to take you to the police station.' l flew through the window of the car, but somebody else grabbed me. We went to the police station and my father brought me home. When people learned of my fight, they told me: 'Hey, you should become a boxer.' And, of course, l did.''
Hmm, speaking of Teofilo Stevenson, cool stuff here, this is the photo that was used for the image on his 2024 Sport Kings Gum card.
"The Toy Bulldog" Mickey Walker knocks Bert Colima out of the ring before ending the fight on a 7th round disqualification in 1925.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler catches reigning middleweight champion Vito Antuofermo with a sharp southpaw right hand during their controversial 1979 clash.
The bout was ruled a draw, allowing Antuofermo to retain the title a decision that sparked outrage, as many believed Hagler had done more than enough to win. It would become one of the defining injustices that fueled Hagler’s legendary reign that followed.
“Ever since I came into this world, I've been fighting to stay alive and live a reasonably normal life. I've never been able to do it.”
James "Buster" Douglas wearing the heavyweight title belt, love this image with the Black gloves on.
''CIay has a miIIion doIIars worth of confidence and a dime's worth of courage. He can't punch; he can't hurt you; and l don't think he takes a good punch.
l'd rate him with Johnny Paycheck, Abe Simon, and Buddy Baer. A Iot of guys wouId have beaten him if he was around when l was. l wouId have whipped him.''
''What's this about Joe Louis beating me? SIow-moving shuffling Joe Louis beat me? He may hit hard, but that don't mean nothing if you can't find nothing to hit.
What's he gonna do when l'm jumping and sticking and moving? And don't say l can only do it for a minute, because l can keep it up for fifteen rounds, three minutes a round.
Now how is Joe Louis gonna get to me? WouId l just quit dancing that night and stand there and Iet him hit me? Joe Louis, you're reaIIy funny.''
Rocky Castellani, he was a 1950s middleweight, tough as nails.
Here's some more information about Rocky Castellani, he certainly deserves it, he was one of those tough Italians that fought in a notoriously stacked era for middleweights. Joey Giambra, Joey Giardello, Rocky Castellani, they had some tough Italians back then.
By: Bill Kashatus
On July 22, 1955, Rocky Castellani, a native of Luzerne, faced Sugar Ray Robinson in a nationally televised middleweight boxing match in San Francisco.
Castellani, with a career record of 60 wins, 8 losses and 4 draws, was the leading contender for the middleweight title and a 9-to-5 favorite in the fight.
Robinson, a former middleweight champion who’d recently returned to the ring after a two-year hiatus, was told that if he defeated the Northeastern Pennsylvanian he’d receive a title shot.
The two fighters appeared to be evenly matched. Castellani stood 5-foot-10 and weighed 160 pounds, and Robinson was 5-foot-11 and 1593/4 pounds. While Castellani was just 29 years old, the 34-year-old Robinson made up for the age difference with experience, having posted 136 career wins, more than twice his opponent’s total.
Castellani buckled Robinson’s knees in the first round, but it was a fairly even bout until the sixth when the Luzerne native put Robinson on the canvas with a jarring body blow. Referee Jack Downey began his count and reached “nine” before the former champ managed to take his feet. Robinson hung on to earn a 10-round split decision.
Robinson would go on to reclaim the world middleweight title from Carl “Bobo” Olson with a second-round knockout later that year. He retired in 1965 with a career record of 173 wins (108 by knockout), 19 losses and 6 draws. Today, he is considered by many to be the greatest boxer of all-time.
Castellani, on the other hand, retired in 1957 with a career record of 65 wins (16 by knockouts), 13 losses and 4 draws. Today, he is arguably the greatest boxer to hail from the Wyoming Valley.
Started at age 5
Born on May 26, 1926 at Luzerne, Attilio N. Castellani Jr. was the son of Italian immigrants Attilio Castellani and Rose Isopi Castellani. His uncle, Mike Castellani, an amatuer fighter from Swoyersville, laced a pair of gloves on young Attilio at the age of 5. Shortly after, he began going to local gyms with his cousins and holding boxing matches for money in the backyard of the family’s North Street home.
As a teenager, Castellani was forbidden from boxing by his father, so he fought under the assumed name “Roxy Wargo.”
“Boxing gave me the opportunity to be somebody,” Castellani recalled in a 1985 interview with The Citizens’ Voice. “I made good money climbing into the ring. I tried it as a young kid and liked it. It wasn’t hard at all.”
At age 16, Castellani enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and fought at Iwo Jima. He also continued boxing. At the end of World War II, he was selected to represent his unit in a boxing tournament, earning the titles “Middleweight Champion of the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet” and “Champion of all China and Guam.”
After receiving an honorable discharge, Castellani began his professional boxing career in Scranton in a bout against Billy Kilroy. Although he broke his hand in the fight, Castellani said the contest marked a turning point in his career.
“Some six weeks after that I could only punch with one hand,” he recalled. “That’s how I was transformed into a boxer instead of a puncher.”
Castellani experienced early success. Between 1944 and 1951, he worked his way up the ranks to the No. 1 contender in the middleweight division, posting a record of 30-0-2 in his first 32 fights. On 33 occasions, he fought in Northeastern Pennsylvania: 17 times in Scranton, 14 times in Wilkes-Barre and twice in Hazleton. Starting in 1952, he fought at larger venues in New York City, Chicago, Cleveland and San Francisco.
“Rocky became a local hero in the 1950s,” recalled Buddy Rush, an old friend. “Everybody watched when his fights were televised on Friday nights.”
During those early years, Castellani’s success intimidated two other middleweight greats of his era: Jake LaMotta and Rocky Graziano. “Rocky and Jake didn’t want no part of me back then,” he recalled in the 1985 interview. For good reason, too.
“Rocky was simply the best boxer from this area and one of the quickest middleweights ever,” said local surgeon Dr. George Moses. “I remember seeing him box at Sandy Beach and at the old South Main Street Armory. Once, my father took me to Cleveland to see him fight against Gene Fullmer and Rocky went 15 rounds with him.”
Title shot
On Aug. 20, 1954, Castellani, then the No. 1-ranked contender, fought middleweight champ Carl “Bobo” Olson for the world title at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Castellani knocked down Olson in the third round, but lost a tough 15-round split decision.
Of course, the highlight of Castellani’s boxing career took place 11 months later when he fought the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson, a fight that continues to be featured on ESPN’s “Classic Fights of the Century.”
Although he knocked down the former champion in the sixth round, Castellani lost a disputed decision. Many boxing scholars believed Castellani actually won the 10-round fight by knockout only to officially lose by split decision.
Despite the controversial defeat, Castellani never complained.
“In all the years I knew him, I never heard him complain about anything,” said his nephew, Manny Santayana. “He never mentioned any regrets. He never looked back and he didn’t live life in the rearview mirror.”
On April 30, 1957 – four fights before his career came to an end – Castellani returned to the Wyoming Valley, winning a 10-round decision against Felix Benson in Wilkes-Barre.
After his retirement, Castellani and his family – wife, Mary, three sons and a daughter – relocated to Margate City, N.J., where he served for many years as a judge for the New Jersey Boxing Commission. He also operated Rocky Castellani & Sons restaurant in Atlantic City.
Still, Castellani “loved the Wyoming Valley and its people,” said Santayana. “This is where he learned to box and still has a lot of fans in the area.”
Prior to his death on Aug. 31, 2008, Rocky Castellani was able to enjoy several honors. He was inducted into both the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Boxing Halls of Fame and was also enshrined into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
Another good piece on Ricky Castellani, I love this stuff, can't get enough of it.
Gloves Gone By
ATTILIO “ROCKY” CASTELLANI
By: Jim Amato
He may have been one of the best middleweights to never hold a title. He was a ranked contender for almost a decade but he received only one title shot. That was fairly late in his fine career. He fought in the days when there only eight weight divisions with ONE champion per division. By today’s standards Attilio “Rocky” Castellani would have easily won a piece of a title.
Rocky was born on May 28, 1927 in Luzerne, Pennsylvania. He would die in the same town 81 years later. Rocky made his professional debut on February 14, 1944 fighting to a six round draw. He would lose his next two fights by knockout. It’s very hard to believe at this point that Rocky would one day become a top contender. He was tenacious though and he soon began to win more then he lost. He was stopped in four rounds by Billy Kilroy in 1946.He would only be halted one more time in his career and that was not until 1952. In fact Rocky was only defeated by kayo only four times in 83 career battles. Seeing the competition he faced, that is quite amazing !
Rocky beat Kilroy in a 1947 rematch and then he made his Madison Square Garden debut against rugged Lenny “Boom Boom” Mancini. The father of Ray Mancini was a pretty tough guy himself. Rocky won a decision in this fight. He would defeat Lenny again later in the year.1948 was a good year for Rocky as he moved steadily up the ladder with wins over Harold Green, Herbie Kronowitz and clever boxer out of Niles, Ohio named Sonny Horne.
In 1949 Rocky lost a decision to Charley Fusari at the Garden. He would defeat the slick Tony Janiro in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Back at the Garden Castellani lost to the great Kid Gavilan. Rocky would then put together a ten fight win streak that would carry him into 1952 and establish him as a fighter to be contended with. Among his victims were Harold Green, Ernie Durando, Gene “Silent” Hairston and a rough fellow named Joey Giardello. In 1952 Rocky lost a controversial stoppage to Durando. He quickly regrouped to defeat Ralph “Tiger” Jones. He drew with the outstanding Billy Graham and he defeated another top-notch guy in Johnny Bratton. As you can see Rocky ran in fast company.
In December of 1952 Rocky made his debut at the famous but now long gone Cleveland Arena. Rocky would become quite popular there. That night he defeated a good fighter named Jimmy Flood. In 1953 Rocky would again defeat Tiger Jones. He would split a pair of verdicts with highly regarded Pierre Langlois.He then stopped a gutsy Clevelander named Jackie Keough. Rocky finished the year with a big win over Philly’s Gil Turner.
In 1954 Rocky would win a one sided decision over Durando. That set the stage for August 20th at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Rocky would face Carl “Bobo” Olson for the middleweight championship of the world. At this point Rocky had been a pro for a decade and a top contender for a half dozen years. The fight with Olson was well contested. Bobo was a very good fighter and he is in the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. Rocky gave a good account of himself. He had Bobo down in the eleventh. Rocky was down in the twelfth. In the end Olson retained his title with a few points to spare.
In 1955 Rocky took on the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson. Ray was on the comeback trail and the winner of this fight would probably get another crack at the title. It was a very close fight Rocky floored Ray in the sixth round and had him hurt. Robinson survived and won a controversial split decision. Again Rocky was on the outside looking in. In 1956 at the Cleveland Arena Rocky took on Gene Fullmer. The bull like Fullmer took the early rounds as his strength and awkward style had Rocky on the defensive. By the middle rounds though Rocky had figured Gene out and was putting on a counter-punching clinic. Still in the judges eyes it was not enough and again Rocky was on the short end of a split decision.
From this point Rocky’s career began to wind down. He was still a viable contender but there were two losses to Joey Giambra. In 1957 Rocky lost to Bobby Boyd and Rory Calhoun and he decided to hang up the gloves. He put together a sterling record of 65-14-4 facing the cream of the crop. He was a fan favorite at the Garden, the Cleveland Arena and in Scranton. As a fan you knew, when Rocky Castellani stepped into the ring, you were going to get your money’s worth. Rocky would become a popular and highly respected fight judge.
I would like to thank Rocky’s son David and the rest of the Castellani family for sharing information and photos of Rocky. He was loved and respected by his family, friends and the sport of boxing.
One last write-up on Rocky Castellani.
Slugging It Out: Luzerne’s Rocky Castellani Set Out To Make Name For Himself
By: BRIAN MALINA
LOOKBACK: Area boxer in a Madison Square Garden boxing ring 50 years ago Rocky Castellani wanted to make a statement.
Known as a stylish boxer, the Luzerne native had won 34 of his first 39 fights, but only nine of those wins came by knockout. Castellani wanted to change that. “You can’t make money being strictly a boxer,” Castellani said in a May 14, 1952, article. “A guy with the tag Rocky should never be a boxer anyway. They see me billed as Rocky and come in expecting a war.”
He unveiled a new fighting style two days later against Billy Graham, a veteran boxer of more than 100 fights, 97-7-8, who had never been knocked down.
The result was a bloody, foul-laden slugfest that resulted in a
controversial draw. According to a published report, boos erupted from the crowd of 5,394 when the announcer said one of the three judges picked Graham as the winner, five rounds to four, with one even.
A second judge picked “the kid from coal town” five rounds to four, with one even. The referee, who also acted as the third judge, called the fight four rounds each, with two even.
Reached recently at his Atlantic City home, Castellani, 74, still believes he was the better fighter that night.
“I should have won,” Castellani said, adding that fighting in Graham’s hometown probably helped his opponent. “It’s up to the officials, somedays they’re bad, somedays they’re good.”
The draw also didn’t hurt Castellani’s career. Although the decision to try one bout as a slugger failed to produce a victory, it launched a very successful streak in which he won 16 of 17 fights, only four by knockout, leading up to a shot at the middleweight title in August 1954.
His lone defeat during his run to a title shot was a 12-round decision loss to Pierre Langlois in Feb. 1953. He avenged that loss four months later with a 10-round decision win.
Despite his success, Castellani’s paydays didn’t improve dramatically. Mary, his wife of 52 years, said he never received more than $10,000 for a bout.
More often, he received between $500 and $5,000 per fight. “Five hundred dollars was a good pay day,” said Rocky Castellani.
For his title bout against Carl “Bobo” Olson, Castellani said he fought for free. His manager, Alvin A. Naiman, agreed to put up $125,000 for Olson
and pay training expenses for Castellani.
“I wanted to get the title,” Castellani said recently. “If you waited for money, you wouldn’t get the fight.”
Published reports advancing the 1954 fight were vague about how much, or little, Castellani received for his title shot, often stating that “Rocky’s share is undetermined.”
Mary Castellani described Naiman as a millionaire who knew little about the fight game. Naiman took over Castellani’s career in 1953 when he bought the fighter’s contract from New York manager Tex Sullivan.
Sullivan guided Castellani’s career for a little over a year, taking over
after his previous manager, Thomas “Tommy Ryan” Eboli, was banned from boxing for assaulting a referee who counted Castellani out in a bout against Ernie Durando.
Although Naiman might not have had the savvy to steer Castellani to a more profitable career, he did have the resources to force a title fight.
In the summer of 1954 Bobo Olson was scheduled to defend his title against Joey Giardello when Naiman stepped in and guaranteed the champion a $125,000 payday if he would fight Castellani.
The giant payday for Olson triggered rumors that the fight was fixed. It also prompted many local residents to wager large amounts of money on Castellani, who was a 4-to-1 underdog, according to published reports.
But the large check for Olson didn’t create favorable conditions for Castellani. The bout was held in Olson’s adopted hometown of San Francisco and fought in a small ring – a disadvantage for a nimble boxer like Castellani.
On fight night, Olson barreled in to Castellani’s chest to land hard body shots and smother the challenger, preventing Castellani from snapping his jab.
By the fourth round, Castellani’s cornermen were screaming for him to “stick out his left hand” to create punching room, but to no avail as Olson continued to force the challenger into the corner, according to published reports.
In the fifth, Castellani briefly took control. A hard right to the jaw
stunned the champion. Midway through the sixth round Olson re-established control and opened a cut over Castellani’s left eye.
The bout continued much the same way, with Olson holding the advantage, until the 11th round when Castellani floored Olson with a straight right to the jaw. Olson was up by the count of three and slugged with Castellani for the remainder of the round.
In the 12th, Castellani hit the canvas. Olson landed a quick, overhand right to the jaw that sent Castellani crashing to the floor. Dazed, Castellani took a nine count before continuing.
For the final three rounds, the pair exchanged heavy blows as each tried for a knockout. Neither succeeded. After 15 rounds the fight went to the scorecards: The judges scored the fight 85-80, 87.5-77.5, and 89-76, all for Olson.
After the fight, Castellani revealed he broke his left thumb in the second round. But Castellani didn’t use that as an excuse, saying the injury didn’t cause him to alter his fight plan.
Olson, who was described in news clippings as “the tattooed champ with the hairy chest and balding head,” said Castellani was a tough opponent.
“He’s always moving away and you can’t set him up like a man moving in. He hit me with a couple of good rights,” Olson told reporters after the fight.
After the loss, Castellani returned to his training camp in Cleveland to begin the long road back to another title shot.
During the next three years he would fight 13 times, winning seven and dropping six, including a split decision loss to Sugar Ray Robinson, widely considered by boxing historians as the best fighter ever.
The Luzerne native closed his career on Oct. 18 1957 against Rory Calhoun, an up-and-coming power puncher. Calhoun won a lopsided 10-round decision.
Castellani retired at the age of 30 with a record of 65-13-4, with 16 KOs. He never got a second shot at the title.
After his fight career, Castellani moved to Atlantic City, where he opened a bar and restaurant. He also stayed active in boxing as a referee and a judge.
Castellani said despite his relatively low paydays and difficulty landing title fights, he doesn’t regret his time as a fighter.
“I wish I was 19 years old again, and do it all over,” Castellani said. “I had a very good time boxing and I was happy.”
double d, who are your top 10 boxers of all time........ranked
i'm sure compiling that list won't be an easy task
Hello galaxy, and welcome! Oh gosh, lists always drive me crazy. I've tried to make lists before and I always end up changing my mind on the rankings, so many great fighters. So I'll tell you what, I'll make a list of my favorite fighters in every weight division.☝️
Pound-for-pound - Sugar Ray Robinson
Heavyweight - Joe Louis
Light Heavyweight - Ezzard Charles
Cruiserweight - Evander Holyfield
Middleweight - Marvin Hagler
Welterweight - Kid Gavilan
Lightweight - Oscar "Battling" Nelson
Featherweight - Salvador Sanchez
Bantamweight - Masahiko "Fighting" Harada
Flyweight - Jimmy Wilde
Strawweight - Ricardo Lopez
@Saint Ezzard
the bottom 5 i am completely unfamiliar with, so i'll have to educate myself!
Don't feel bad, I'm still learning myself, the sport is very deep and complex. 👍
But back to Rocky Castellani, he gave Sugar Ray Robinson hell in 1955, he was throwing bombs at Robinson and he caught Robinson with an absolutely brutal left hook and put him down for an eight count. Robinson in his 1970 autobiography had said that he wasn't sure if he was going
to avoid being knocked-out for the first time in his career after he was knocked down by Rocky Castellani.
Here are the highlights from Castellani-Robinson, you can see the vicious left hook he catches Robinson with.
I ain't kidding, Rocky Castellani fought in a deep, stacked era, he mixed it up with Sugar Ray Robinson, Gene Fullmer, Kid Gavilan, Holly Mims, Gil Turner, Joey Giambra, Ralph Tiger Jones, Billy Graham, Johnny Bratton, Joey Giardello, Ernie Durando, and held his own with all of them, his resume is ridiculous. I'm not about to attempt to cover all of his fights, so I'll just post whatever photos I can find here. This is an awesome image of Castellani during his fight with Gil Turner in 1953, he beat Turner on points. Turner was another bada$$ from that era, he was a gunslinger from Philadelphia who specialized in brawling, his fights were often all-out slugfests and that style of fighting made him very popular with fans, Turner was rarely in a dull fight.
Rocky Castellani vs Holly Mims in 1955. Castellani won by unanimous decision, and dropped Mims in the 8th round with a left hook.
Rocky Castellani rocks Pedro Gonzalez with a hard right off the jaw in the 10th round of their bout in 1955. Castellani won by TKO.
Rocky Castellani vs Carl "Bobo" Olson in 1955, Olson was the world middleweight champion and this would be Castellani's only shot at the title. It was a vicious fight with both fighters tasting the canvas. It was a close fight but Olson retained his title by decision.
Rocky Castellani defeated John L. Sullivan (a British middleweight, not the famous 19th-century heavyweight) via a 10-round unanimous decision at Madison Square Garden in February 1956. The bout was competitive early, but Castellani dominated the final rounds, landing significant punches, including a hard right in the 8th and a knockdown in the 9th.
Rocky Castellani vs Billy Graham on May 16th in 1952, I would love to have seen this fight, it was brutal, both fighters were busted open. By all accounts it was a back-and-forth war. Billy Graham was a great technician, and of course Graham is famous for having one of the greatest chins in boxing history, he was never knocked down in 126 career fights. Not once.
Credit: United Press
Billy Graham was still regarded as the No. 1 welterweight contender today by the NY Boxing Commission despite his 10 round draw with middleweight Rocky Castellani at MSG last night. Graham relinquished little of his prestige when held even by the younger and heavier Castellani of Luzerne, Pa., before 5,394 fans. Castellani outweighed the New Yorker 155 to 147 1/2. Although Graham was favored, only his aggressiveness and more solid punching earned him the even break with Rocky, who apparently is fighting at his peak. It was a see-saw bout in which each suffered such severe cuts he'll probably be out of action several weeks. Rocky suffered a gashed left brow, and Graham was cut above both eyes. There were no knockdowns, although Castellani was staggered twice in the 6th round and chased about the ring in the 8th, and Graham was knocked back on his heels in the 4th."
Referee Ruby Goldstein actually scored the bout 4-4-2 in rounds, but even using New York's supplemental point system in case of a draw, he still tabulated and Even score of 6-6. Although they did not tabulate a card in print, the Associated Press stated they had an identical unofficial card as Goldstein's.
This is an image from Rocky Castellani vs Gene Fullmer in 1956, this was an interesting fight, I've seen part of it on YouTube. Fullmer was one of the roughest, strongest, middleweights in history he would maul the ever living hell out of you. Castellani had his hands full with Fullmer, everyone that stepped in the ring with Fullmer had their hands full. But Castellani went the distance with Fullmer. It was interesting watching Castellani defend against Fullmer's bull rush attacks, Castellani did find success countering but Fullmer won by split decision.
Rocky Castellani wins a 10-round split decision over Ralph "Tiger" Jones on January 9, 1953 at Madison Square Garden. Castellani and Jones fought twice, Castellani win both bouts by decision.
Castellani Gains Split Decision Over Tiger Jones in Garden 10-Round Bout; DISSENTING BALLOT AMAZES THE CROWD Castellani Punctuates Fine Exhibition of Skill With Some Savage Flurries NIPS JONES' TITLE HOPES Middleweight Prospect Faces Trouble Only in 5th, Gains Fight With Langlois
By James P. Dawson
Credit: New York Times
Combining a superb exhibition of boxing skill with flurries of savage fighting, Rocky Castellani, Luzerne, Pa., middleweight, last night shattered the title dreams of Ralph (Tiger) Jones of Yonkers in ten fast rounds at Madison Square Garden, but he had to be content with a split decision. Virtually everyone in the crowd of 5,540 which paid receipts of $16,746 expected a unanimous decision, but Castellani was declared the victor only on the votes of Referee Al Berl and Judge Charley] Shortell. They over-rode a weird ballot handed up by the other judge, Bill Healy, one of the most experienced observers on the State, Athletic Commission's staff. Berl voted for Castellani, seven rounds to two, with one even. Shortell said Castellani won six rounds to three, with one even. Then came the announcement that Healy voted seven rounds to two, with one even, but for Jones. Fans about the ringside stood aghast at the announcement and a roar of disapproval echoed over the garden. Jones Rallies in Fifth This writer thought Castellani won the battle, nine rounds to one. Only in the fifth did Jones fight his way to the honors, and then it was with a desperate, reckless attack against a foe whose consummate cleverness and occasional outbursts of pure slugging were inescapable from first bell to last. By his victory, Castellani qualified for a bout Feb. 6 against Pierre Langlois, one of the French entrants in the eliminations to produce a candidate for the unclaimed world middleweight title. Twice Castellani spun his rival off balance with sharp rights and lefts. In the seventh, Jones went down after a left hook to the jaw, but it was because he was knocked off balance with the punch and no count was started. In the tenth a left hook to the jaw sent Jones to his knees, again because he was off balance. These were the nearest approaches to a knockdown. Rocky Ignores Cut A right-hand punch opened a cut over Castellani's left eye in the third round, but Rocky ignored the wound and pelted his adversary with both hands and from all angles. Jones rushed bullishly through the fifth and hurt Castellani with a succession of lefts and rights to the body. Ralph got closer to the target in this session and struck more often with full arm swings. Castellani weighed 159¾ pounds and Jones 154.