RIP Nino Benvenuti

 

Nino Benvenuti died in Rome on May 20^th he was 87. Benvenuti, was widely considered as Italy's greatest ever fighter, became world champion in two weight classes and won three world titles and an Olympic championship. Born Giovanni Benvenuti in Isola d´Istria, Slovenia on April 26, 1938, and was forced to leave his homeland in a mass exodus that still today represents one of the ugliest pages in the history of Italy at the end of the Second World War. Before the family moved to Trieste, which was administered by Italy. He rode his bicycle for miles to encourage and support his boxing talent – to train in the capital – and his talents immediately emerged, even on the international stage. A first disappointment came in 1956, with the exclusion from the Melbourne Games, immediately redeemed with a great home triumph at Rome Olympics 1960 as champion In 1961, having an amateur record of 120-0, he turned professional and won world titles in the light-middleweight division and twice in the middleweight division. Later he became an actor and appeared in one Spaghetti western “Alive or Preferably Dead” in 1969 as Ted Mulligan with his friend Giuliano Gemma.