Young Corbett III: Difference between revisions
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==Family== |
==Family== |
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He is the great-grandfather of [[ |
He is the great-grandfather of [[St. Louis Rams]] safety [[Matt Giordano]]. |
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==References== |
==References== |
Revision as of 17:43, 6 October 2013
Young Corbett III | |
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Born | Raffaele Giordano May 27, 1905 |
Died | July 15, 1993 (age 88) |
Nationality | Italian |
Other names | "Young" |
Statistics | |
Weight(s) | Welterweight |
Stance | Southpaw |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 151 |
Wins | 123 |
Wins by KO | 33 |
Losses | 11 |
Draws | 17 |
Young Corbett III (born Raffaele Giordano, May 27, 1905 - July 15, 1993) was an Italian-American boxer. Regarded by many as one of the greatest fighters of all time, he was the world Welterweight boxing champion in 1933 and the Middleweight champion in 1938.
Biography
Born in Rionero in Vulture, in the Italian region of Basilicata,[1] from Vito Giordano and Gelsomina Capobianco, he moved with his family to the United States when he was still an infant and was registered as Raffaele Capabianca Giordano. They lived in Pittsburgh and then in Fresno (California). He began boxing in 1919 as "Ralph Giordano" (later changed in "Young Corbett III") while still a 14-year-old "newsboy."[2]
A tough southpaw, Corbett fought many great fighters of his era. For example, he engaged in a four-fight series with future welterweight champion Young Jack Thompson, winning three and drawing once. He also scored wins over Jack Zivic, Sgt. Sammy Baker, and welterweight champion Jackie Fields and future middleweight king Ceferino Garcia.
On February 22, 1933, Corbett captured the welterweight championship of the world by decisioning Jackie Fields over 10 rounds. Three months later, he was dethroned by Hall of Famer Jimmy McLarnin via a one round knockout.[3]
Corbett then moved up to the middleweight division. He scored wins over future light heavy champ Gus Lesnevich (TKO 5), as well as Hall of Famers Mickey Walker, Billy Conn. On February 22, 1938 he beat Fred Apostoli, winning the middleweight championship. On November 18 of that year, he challenged Apostoli again, but was stopped in 8 rounds. Corbett boxed until 1940, when he retired with a 123-11-17 (33KOs) record. He died in Auberry, California.
Beside the boxing career, he was a physical education teacher for the California Highway Patrol and a grape grower.[4] A statue of him, posed in a fighting stance and boxing gloves, was erected in Fresno. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2004.[5]
Family
He is the great-grandfather of St. Louis Rams safety Matt Giordano.
References
External links
- Boxing record for Young Corbett III from BoxRec (registration required)