Giovanni ‘Nino’ Benvenuti was born on April 26, 1938 in
Trieste, Isola d´Istria, Italy. Benvenuti had movie-star good looks and a punch
that could knock a man cold. The former 1960 Olympic Champion was also a 3-time
world boxing champion. Undefeated in his first 62 fights, Nino captured the
imagination of not only boxing fans, but the general public. Lanky, but lethal
punching, he defended his world middleweight title 4 times. In 90 professional
fights, he won 82, 35 by knockout. A love of the night-life, brittle hands, and
too many fights added up to spell an early ending to his popular and colorful career.
He lost his last three fights, including two knockout defeats to Carlos Monzon.
It was said he was in training for a comeback a few years later, but he never
returned to the ring. After his boxing career he took advantage of his success
and fame in Italy and was lured into making a few films including one
Euro-western “Alive or Preferably Dead” (1969) which was released in the U.S.A.
as “Sundance Cassidy and Butch the Kid” to capitalize on the success of the
Paul Newman, Robert Redford western. Benvenuti’s billing was changed also and
he was credited as Robert Neuman. Benvenuti was inducted into the International
Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993. Today
Nino continues to promote the sport of boxing in Italy and around the world.
BENVENUTI, Nino
(aka Robert Neuman) (Giovanni
Benvenuti) [4/26/1938, Isola
d´Istria, Slovenia - ] - TV actor,
Olympic welterweight boxing champion [1960], world junior middleweight champion
[1965-1966], world middleweight champion [1967, 1968-1970], member
International Boxing Hall of Fame [1992], World Boxing Hall of Fame [1993].
Sundance Cassidy and Butch the Kid - 1969 (Ted Mulligan)
[as Robert Neuman]
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