By Steve Corbo
The young kid pictured above lied about his age to get into the military at the end of WW II. He used the birth certificate of a friend’s cousin to fool the recruiters and at the age of 16, entered the Army under a name other than his own. Born Carmine Orlando Tilelli, he would become known to the world as Joey Giardello.
He became a paratrooper. And although he entered the service too late to see combat in WW II, he served with the elite 82nd Airborne Division. Discharged from the Army in 1948, he kept his assumed name, and this super tough 18-year-old turned pro, launching a ring career which would span 19 years.
A master boxer known for his ability to take a punch, he “fought ‘em all”, racking up wins against some of the top contenders of the day including Ralph Tiger Jones, Bobby Boyd, Al Andrews, Holly Mims, and Del Flannigan. He even beat a past-his-prime Sugar Ray Robinson in a ten-round decision. His majority decision win over contender Henry Hank was voted by Ring Magazine as “The Fight of The Year”! In what has been described as a foul-filled street fight, he got a shot at Middleweight Champ Gene Fullmer. With the World Championship on the line, they battled for 15 rounds to a split draw.
Finally, after toiling in the game for 15 years, he climbed to the top of the mountain beating Dick Tiger on December 07, 1963, in Atlantic City, to capture the WBC Middleweight Championship of the World.
He lost the crown back to Dick Tiger a couple of years later and dropped a decision to Tiger in a third meeting. He continued to stay in the game and on November 06, 1967, he stepped into the ring to face the 23-0 Jack Rodgers. He dropped a decision to Rodgers in their previous meeting, but this time Giardello walked away with a split decision win. It was his last fight, almost 19 years to the day since he first joined the punch for pay ranks.
A fan favorite and crowd pleaser, he remained popular even after retirement from the ring. However, a renewed interest in his boxing career came about in 1999 with the release of the movie “The Hurricane” starring Denzel Washington as boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter. After winning the title in 1963, Giardello defended against Carter on December 14, 1964. Giardello walked away with a unanimous decision after 15 rounds. The scores were 70-67, 71-66, and 72-66 all in favor of Giardello. Yet the movie cast a shadow of doubt on that decision, intimating that it was unfair and Giardello had really lost the fight.
Giardello, right, attacks Carter in their 1964 matchup
Rightfully outraged, Giardello filed a lawsuit against the makers of the movie, claiming their unfair portrayal of that fight damaged his character and disgraced his reputation. The studio settled the lawsuit with Giardello for an undisclosed amount and, as part of the settlement, they were required to add a statement on the movie’s DVD noting that “liberties” had been taken with the fight scenes.
One of the game’s great warriors, he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. Joey Giardello hung up the gloves with a record (per boxrec.com) of 97 Wins – 26 Losses and 8 Draws. He passed away on September 04, 2008, at the age of 78.
