Primo Carnera

Primo Carnera
Primo Carnera
Born	(1906-10-26)26 October 1906 Sequals, Italy
Died	29 June 1967(1967-06-29) (aged 60) Sequals, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Reach	216 cm (85 in)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	103
Wins	89
Wins by KO	72
Losses	14
Draws	0
No contests	0

Primo Carnera (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpriːmo karˈnɛːra]; 26 October 1906 – 29 June 1967), nicknamed the Ambling Alp, was an Italian professional boxer and the World Heavyweight Champion from 29 June 1933 to 14 June 1934.

Personal life

Primo Carnera was born in Sequals, then in the Province of Udine, now in the Province of Pordenone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia at the north-easternmost corner of Italy.

On 13 March 1939, Carnera married Giuseppina Kovačič (1913–1980), a post office clerk from Gorizia.

In 1953 they became American citizens. They settled in Los Angeles, where Carnera opened a restaurant and a liquor store. They had two children, Umberto and Giovanna Maria. Umberto became a medical doctor.

Carnera died in 1967 in his native town of a combination of liver disease and complications from diabetes.

Biography

Carnera was touted in America as being 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall and thus the tallest heavyweight in history (up until that time), but he was actually 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall. He fought at as much as 275 pounds (125 kg). Jess Willard who stood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) was the tallest world heavyweight champion in boxing history until Nikolai Valuev, at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) and 328 pounds (149 kg). Though an inch shorter than Willard, he was around 40 lb heavier and was the heaviest champion in boxing history until Valuev.

At a time when the average height in Italy was approximately 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and in the United States 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), Carnera was considered a giant.

He enjoyed a sizable reach advantage over most rivals, and when seen on fight footage, he seems like a towering giant compared to many heavyweights of his era, who were usually at least 60 pounds (27 kg) lighter and 7 inches (18 cm) shorter. One publicity release about him read in part: "For breakfast, Primo has a quart of orange juice, two quarts of milk, nineteen pieces of toast, fourteen eggs, a loaf of bread and half a pound of Virginia ham." His size earned him the nickname "The Ambling Alp". Time magazine called him "The Monster".

Boxing career

Primo Carnera silent newsreel 1933

12 September 1928 was the date of Carnera's first professional fight, against Leon Sebilo, in Paris. Carnera won by knockout in round two. He won his first six bouts, then lost to Franz Diener by disqualification in round one at Leipzig. Then, he won seven more bouts in a row before meeting Young Stribling. He and Stribling exchanged disqualification wins, Carnera winning the first in four rounds, and Stribling winning the rematch in round seven. In Carnera's next bout he avenged his defeat to Diener with a knockout in round six.

In 1930, he moved to the United States, where he toured extensively, winning his first seventeen bouts there by knockout. George Godfrey broke the knockout streak in Philadelphia by losing to Carnera by disqualification in the fifth round. In 1932, Carnera faced the tallest heavyweight in history up to that point, Santa Camarão, a 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) Portuguese fighter. Carnera won the fight in a sixth-round knockout.

On 10 February 1933, he knocked out Ernie Schaaf in thirteen rounds in New York City. Schaaf died four days later. For his next fight, Carnera faced the world heavyweight champion, Jack Sharkey, on June 29, at the Madison Square Garden Bowl in Queens, New York. Carnera became world champion by knocking out Sharkey in round six.

He retained the title against Paulino Uzcudun and Tommy Loughran, both by decision in 15 rounds, but in his next fight on 14 June 1934 against Max Baer, Carnera was knocked down 11 times in 11 rounds, according to the Associated Press before referee Arthur Donovon stopped the fight. However there is disagreement regarding how many times Carnera was knocked down with sources giving conflicting totals of 7, 10, 11 and 12. Boxing historian and The Ring Magazine founder Nat Fleischer, who was ringside for the fight, stated in the August 1934 issue The Ring Magazine that Carnera was knocked down 12 times and slipped once after a missed punch.

After that, Carnera won his next four fights, three of them as part of a South American tour that took him to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, as well as two exhibitions fought on the South American continent. But then, on 25 June 1935, he was knocked out in six rounds by Joe Louis.

For the next two and a half years, he won five and lost three of eight total fights. But in 1938, Carnera, a diabetic, had to have a kidney removed, which forced him into retirement by 1944. Carnera's record was 89 wins and 14 losses. His 72 wins by knockout made him a member of the exclusive club of boxers that won 50 or more bouts by knockout.

Legacy

Carnera was the third European to hold the world heavyweight championship after Bob Fitzsimmons and Max Schmeling. He would be the last until Ingemar Johansson claimed the title against Floyd Patterson in 1959, over a quarter of a century later.

Carnera's 1933 title defense against Tommy Loughran held the record for the greatest weight differential between two combatants in a world title fight (86Ibs) for 73 years until the reign of Nikolai Valuev, who owns the current record for the 105½Ibs weight advantage he held in his 2006 defense against Monte Barrett.

Valuev also broke Carnera's record of 270Ibs to become the heaviest world champion in history, weighing as high as 328Ibs during his reign. Carnera still ranks as the second-heaviest, over eighty years after he held the title.

Carnera's 1933 title defense against Paulino Uzcudun in Italy was the first Heavyweight title fight to be held in Europe since Jack Johnson's title defence against Frank Moran in Paris in 1913. It would be the last such occasion until Muhammad Ali defended the title against Henry Cooper in London in 1966. Carnera-Uzcudun was the first World Heavyweight championship fight to be contested between two Europeans. It was not until Lennox Lewis defended the WBC heavyweight title against fellow-Englishman Frank Bruno in 1993, sixty years later, that this would occur again.

Trailing only Ezzard Charles and his 95 wins, Carnera holds the second-most victories of all heavyweight champions with 88. Carnera's 71 career knockouts is the most of any world heavyweight champion.

Acting career

Carnera appeared in a short film in 1931. During his tenure as world champion he played a fictional version of himself in the 1933 film The Prizefighter and the Lady starring Max Baer and Myrna Loy. Here he plays the heavyweight champion who barely holds onto his title with a draw decision after a furious fight with Baer. The film was made just the year before Carnera fought Baer for real, in a bout that was as wild as the film version, but ended with a knockout loss for Carnera.

Carnera had a non-speaking bit part in the 1949 movie Mighty Joe Young. He played himself in the tug-of-war scene with the giant gorilla. After being pulled by the ape into a pool of water, Carnera throws a couple of futile punches to Joe's chin.

He also played a bully boy wrestler in Carol Reed's film A Kid for Two Farthings (1955) based around London's Petticoat Lane Market where he has a match against a local bodybuilder who is getting married to Diana Dors.

Primo appeared in at least 10 Italian films between 1939 and 1943, as well as several in the 1950s, like Prince Valiant, in the role of Sligon. His last screen role was as the giant Antaeus alongside Steve Reeves in Hercules Unchained (USA Title, filmed in Italy, 1959, original title Ercole e la regina di Lidia).

Wrestling career

In 1945 he returned temporarily to boxing and won two fights. But the next year, after three losses against Luigi Musina his talent for wrestling was discovered. In 1946 he became a professional wrestler and was immediately a huge success at the box office. For several years he was one of the top draws in wrestling. Carnera continued to be an attraction into the 1960s. Max Baer attended at least one of Carnera's wrestling matches. Carnera won his debut on 22 August 1946, when he defeated Tommy O'Toole in California. On 23 October 1946, Carnera won his 41st consecutive wrestling match by defeating Jules Strongbow. On 19 November 1946, Carnera beat Harry Kruskamp to remain undefeated at 65-0-0.

Primo Carnera went 120 straight wrestling matches undefeated (119-0-1) before suffering his first loss to Yvon Robert in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on 20 August 1947. Carnera's greatest victory took place on 7 December 1947 when he defeated former world heavyweight champion Ed "Strangler" Lewis.

In May 1948, Carnera took a 143-1-1 record against world heavyweight champion Lou Thesz. Thesz defeated Carnera in a world title defense.

In The Ring, August 1962, page 38, Carnera "flattened" Ox Anderson in a heavyweight wrestling match in Los Angeles.

Accusations

According to boxing historian Herbert Goldman, Carnera was "very much mob controlled." Carnera met his first serious heavyweight contender, Young Stribling, in 1929, and won when Stribling fouled him. In a rematch, he fouled Stribling. His 1930 fight against California club fighter Bombo Chevalier in Emeryville was considered fixed, and Carnera was banned from fighting in California. His 1930 match against George Godfrey was controversial, as Godfrey was disqualified in the sixth round when he was clearly getting the better of Carnera.

Time magazine, in an 5 October 1931 cover story on Carnera before he won the heavyweight title, commented on his odd career:

Since his arrival in the US, backed by a group of prosperous but shady entrepreneurs, Carnera's career has been less glorious than fantastic. His first opponents—Big Boy Peterson, Elzear Rioux, Cowboy Owens—were known to be incompetent but their feeble opposition to Carnera suggested that they had been bribed to lose. Suspicion concerning the Monster's abilities became almost universal when another adversary, Bombo Chevalier, stated that one of his own seconds had threatened to kill him unless he lost to Carnera. Against the huge, lazy, amiable Negro George Godfrey (249 lb), he won on a foul. But only one of 33 US opponents has defeated Monster Carnera—fat, slovenly Jimmy Maloney, whom Sharkey beat five years ago. In a return fight, at Miami last March, Carnera managed to outpoint Maloney.

Depictions in popular culture

In film

Requiem for a Heavyweight, Rod Serling's 1956 Emmy Award-winning teleplay for Playhouse 90 directed by Ralph Nelson (who also won an Emmy), focused on down-and-out former heavyweight boxer Harlan "Mountain" McClintock. The travails of McClintock, who was played by Jack Palance (Sean Connery played the part on British television and Anthony Quinn essayed the role in the 1962 film), was thought by many boxing fans to resemble Carnera's life.

In 1947, fighting aficionado Budd Schulberg wrote The Harder They Fall, a novel about a giant boxer whose fights are fixed. It was adapted into Mark Robson's 1956 film, which starred Humphrey Bogart. A highlight was the appearance of Max Baer, playing a fighter the mob could not fix who destroys the giant in his first fair fight. Critics drew parallels with the real-life Baer-Carnera fight two decades before. In response, Carnera unsuccessfully sued the film's company.

Carnera was played by Matthew G. Taylor in the 2005 film Cinderella Man, a film about the life of fellow boxer James J. Braddock.

In 2008, the actor Andrea Iaia played Carnera in the Italian biographical film Carnera: The Walking Mountain, directed by Renzo Martinelli.

In 2013, Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche named a motorbike, the 1983 BMW R80RT Carnera, in honor of Carnera.

In comics

In 1947, Carnera, an Italian comic book series sporting a fictional version of Primo Carnera, was produced. In 1953, it was translated into German. A facsimile version was published in 2010.

Another popular Italian comic character, Dick Fulmine, was graphically inspired by Carnera.

In literature

Carnera is mentioned by Bertie Wooster in 'Right Ho, Jeeves', by P.G. Wodehouse on p234

In his 1933 collection of short stories Mulliner Nights. PG Wodehouse wrote: "He was built on large lines, and seemed to fill the room to overflowing. In physique he was not unlike what Primo Carnera would have been if Carnera hadn't stunted his growth by smoking cigarettes when a boy."

In music

The Yeasayer song Ambling Alp, from their 2010 album Odd Blood references Carnera by his nickname in the title and second verse. Both Carnera and German boxer Max Schmeling are referenced for their bouts with American Joe Louis.

In mathematics

The googolplex is jokingly said to have been defined as a one followed by a very large but specific number of zeros in order to ensure that Carnera would not be considered a better mathematician than Albert Einstein, implying that Carnera would defeat Einstein in an endurance contest.

Professional boxing record

Boxing record

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Round	Time	Date	Location	Notes
Loss	89–14	Luigi Musina	UD	8		12 May 1946	Gorizia, Italy
Loss	89–13	Luigi Musina	PTS	8		19 March 1946	Trieste, Italy
Loss	89–12	Luigi Musina	TKO	7		21 November 1945	Milan, Italy
Win	89–11	Sam Gardner	KO	1		25 September 1945	Trieste, Italy
Win	88–11	Michel Blevens	KO	3		22 July 1945	Udine, Italy
Win	87–11	Joseph Zupan	KO	2 (10)		4 December 1937	Zirkus, Budapest, Hungary
Loss	86–11	Albert di Meglio	PTS	10		18 November 1937	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
Loss	86–10	Leroy Haynes	TKO	3 (10)		27 May 1936	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Loss	86–9	Leroy Haynes	TKO	3 (10)		16 March 1936	Arena, Philadelphia, USA
Win	86–8	Isidoro Gastanaga	TKO	5 (10)		6 March 1936	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Win	85–8	Big Boy Brackey	TKO	4 (10)	1:06	9 December 1935	Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, USA
Win	84–8	Ford Smith	UD	10		25 November 1935	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Win	83–8	Walter Neusel	TKO	4 (15)		1 November 1935	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Loss	82–8	Joe Louis	TKO	6 (15)	2:32	25 June 1935	Yankee Stadium, The Bronx, New York, USA
Win	82–7	Ray Impelletiere	TKO	9 (10)		15 March 1935	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Win	81–7	Erwin Klausner	KO	6 (12)		22 January 1935	Estádio Manuel Schwartz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Win	80–7	Seal Harris	KO	7 (10)		13 January 1935	Estádio da Floresta, São Paulo, Brazil
Win	79–7	Victorio Campolo	PTS	12		1 December 1934	Club Atlético Independiente, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Loss	78–7	Max Baer	TKO	11 (15)	2:16	14 June 1934	Madison Square Garden Bowl, Long Island City, New York, USA	Lost NBA, NYSAC and World Heavyweight titles.
Win	78–6	Tommy Loughran	UD	15		1 March 1934	Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, USA	Retained NBA, NYSAC and World Heavyweight titles.
Win	77–6	Paulino Uzcudun	UD	15		22 October 1933	Piazza di Siena, Rome, Italy	Won IBU Heavyweight title.
Win	76–6	Jack Sharkey	KO	6 (15)	2:27	29 June 1933	Madison Square Garden Bowl, Long Island City, New York, USA	Won NBA, NYSAC and World Heavyweight titles.
Win	75–6	Ernie Schaaf	KO	13 (15)		10 February 1933	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Win	74–6	Young Spence	KO	1 (10)		30 December 1932	Fair Park Arena, Dallas, USA
Win	73–6	James Merriott	KO	1 (10)		20 December 1932	City Auditorium, Galveston, Texas, USA
Win	72–6	Joe Rice	KO	2 (10)		19 December 1932	Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Win	71–6	KO Christner	KO	4 (10)		15 December 1932	City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Win	70–6	Big Boy Peterson	TKO	2 (10)		13 December 1932	Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA
Win	69–6	King Levinsky	PTS	10		9 December 1932	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Win	68–6	John Schwake	KO	7 (10)	2:16	2 December 1932	Coliseum, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Win	67–6	Jose Santa	TKO	6 (10)		18 November 1932	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Win	66–6	Les Kennedy	KO	3 (10)		4 November 1932	Arena, Boston, USA
Win	65–6	Jack Taylor	KO	2 (10)		17 October 1932	Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Win	64–6	Gene Stanton	KO	6 (10)		13 October 1932	114th Infantry Armory, Camden, New Jersey, USA
Win	63–6	Ted Sandwina	KO	4 (10)		7 October 1932	Benjamin Field Arena, Tampa, Florida, USA
Win	62–6	Art Lasky	NWS	10		1 September 1932	Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Win	61–6	Jack Gagnon	KO	1 (10)	1:35	19 August 1932	Tiverton, Rhode Island, USA
Loss	60–6	Stanley Poreda	PTS	10		16 August 1932	Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, USA
Win	60–5	Hans Birkie	PTS	10		2 August 1932	Queensboro Stadium, Long Island City, New York, USA
Win	59–5	Jerry Pavelec	TKO	5 (10)	0:51	28 July 1932	Playground Arena, West New York, New Jersey, USA
Win	58–5	Jack Gross	TKO	7 (10)	2:50	20 July 1932	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Loss	57–5	Larry Gains	PTS	10		30 May 1932	White City Stadium, London, England, UK
Win	57–4	Hans Schoenrath	TKO	3 (10)		15 May 1932	San Siro, Milan, Italy
Win	56–4	Maurice Griselle	TKO	10 (10)		29 April 1932	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
Win	55–4	Don McCorkindale	PTS	10		7 April 1932	Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK
Win	54–4	George Cook	KO	4 (10)		23 March 1932	Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK
Win	53–4	Pierre Charles	PTS	10		29 February 1932	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
Win	52–4	Ernst Gühring	TKO	5 (10)		5 February 1932	Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany
Win	51–4	Moise Bouquillon	TKO	2 (10)		25 January 1932	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
Win	50–4	Victorio Campolo	KO	2 (15)	1:27	27 November 1931	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Win	49–4	King Levinsky	PTS	10		19 November 1931	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Loss	48–4	Jack Sharkey	UD	15		12 October 1931	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, USA	This match was billed as being for the American Heavyweight title.
Win	48–3	Armando de Carolis	KO	2 (10)	1:08	6 August 1931	Shellpot Park, Brandywine Hundred, Delaware, USA
Win	47–3	Roberto Roberti	TKO	3 (10)	2:25	4 August 1931	Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, USA
Win	46–3	Knute Hansen	KO	1 (10)	2:10	24 July 1931	Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York, USA
Win	45–3	Bud Gorman	KO	2 (10)	2:35	30 June 1931	Mutual Street Arena, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Win	44–3	Umberto Torriani	KO	2 (10)	0:43	26 June 1931	Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, USA
Win	43–3	Pat Redmond	KO	1 (10)	2:24	15 June 1931	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, USA
Win	42–3	Jim Maloney	PTS	10		5 March 1931	Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, USA
Win	41–3	Reggie Meen	TKO	2 (6)		18 December 1930	Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK
Win	40–3	Paulino Uzcudun	SD	10		30 November 1930	Estadio Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain
Loss	39–3	Jim Maloney	PTS	10		7 October 1930	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Win	39–2	Jack Gross	KO	4 (10)		17 September 1930	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Win	38–2	Pat McCarthy	KO	2 (10)	1:16	8 September 1930	Velodrome, Newark, New Jersey, USA
Win	37–2	Riccardo Bertazzolo	TKO	3 (15)		30 August 1930	Auditorium, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
Win	36–2	George Cook	KO	2 (10)		29 July 1930	Taylor Bowl, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Win	35–2	Bearcat Wright	KO	4 (10)		17 July 1930	Omaha, Nebraska, USA
Win	34–2	George Godfrey	DQ	5 (10)	1:13	23 June 1930	Shibe Park, Philadelphia, USA
Win	33–2	KO Christner	KO	4 (10)	1:20	5 June 1930	Fairgrounds Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Win	32–2	Sam Baker	KO	1 (10)		22 April 1930	Ice Coliseum, Portland, Oregon, USA
Win	31–2	Leon Chevalier	TKO	6 (10)		14 April 1930	Oaks Park, Emeryville, California, USA
Win	30–2	Neal Clisby	KO	2 (10)	0:40	8 April 1930	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, USA
Win	29–2	Jack McAuliffe II	KO	1 (10)	2:18	28 March 1930	Stockyards Stadium, Denver, Colorado, USA
Win	28–2	George Trafton	KO	1 (10)	0:54	26 March 1930	Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Win	27–2	Frank Zaveta	KO	1 (10)	1:51	20 March 1930	Jacksonville, Florida, USA
Win	26–2	Chuck Wiggins	KO	2 (10)		17 March 1930	Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Win	25–2	Sully Montgomery	KO	2 (10)	1:15	11 March 1930	Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Win	24–2	Roy Ace Clark	KO	6 (10)	2:38	3 March 1930	Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Win	23–2	Farmer Lodge	KO	2 (10)	1:22	24 February 1930	Heinemann Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Win	22–2	Johnny Erickson	KO	2 (10)	1:45	17 February 1930	Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA
Win	21–2	Jim Sigman	KO	1 (8)	1:35	14 February 1930	Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Win	20–2	Buster Martin	KO	2 (10)	0:56	11 February 1930	Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Win	19–2	Billy Owens	KO	2 (10)	2:22	6 February 1930	Armory, Newark, New Jersey, USA
Win	18–2	Elzear Rioux	KO	1 (10)	0:47	31 January 1930	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Win	17–2	Big Boy Peterson	KO	1 (10)	1:10	24 January 1930	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
Win	16–2	Franz Diener	TKO	6 (15)		17 December 1929	Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK
Loss	15–2	Young Stribling	DQ	7 (10)		7 December 1929	Vélodrome d'hiver, Paris, France
Win	15–1	Young Stribling	DQ	4 (15)		18 November 1929	Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK
Win	14–1	Jack Stanley	TKO	1 (8)	1:45	17 October 1929	Royal Albert Hall, London, England, UK
Win	13–1	Hermann Jaspers	KO	3 (10)		18 September 1929	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
Win	12–1	Feodor Nikolaeff	KO	1		30 August 1929	Dieppe, Seine-Maritime, France
Win	11–1	Joe Thomas	TKO	4		25 August 1929	Arènes du Prado, Marseille, France
Win	10–1	José Leté	UD	10		14 August 1929	Atocha, San Sebastián, Spain
Win	9–1	Jack Humbeeck	TKO	6 (10)		26 June 1929	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
Win	8–1	Marcel Nilles	TKO	3 (10)		30 May 1929	Cirque de Paris, Paris, France
Win	7–1	Moise Bouquillon	PTS	10		22 May 1929	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
Loss	6–1	Franz Diener	DQ	1 (10)		28 April 1929	Leipzig, Germany
Win	6–0	Ernst Roesemann	TKO	5 (8)		18 January 1929	Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany
Win	5–0	Constant Barrick	KO	3		1 December 1928	Vélodrome d'hiver, Paris, France
Win	4–0	Epifanio Islas	UD	10		25 November 1928	Palazzo Dello Sport, Milan, Italy
Win	3–0	Salvatore Ruggirello	TKO	4 (10)		30 October 1928	Cirque de Paris, Paris, France
Win	2–0	Joe Thomas	KO	3		25 September 1928	Cirque de Paris, Paris, France
Win	1–0	Leon Sebilo	TKO	2		12 September 1928	Salle Wagram, Paris, France	Carnera's professional debut.

Championships and accomplishments

Boxing

• International Boxing Union
  • IBU Heavyweight Championship (22 October 1933 – 21 June 1935; vacated)
• National Boxing Association
  • NBA World Heavyweight Championship (29 June 1933 – 14 June 1934)
• New York State Athletic Commission
  • NYSAC World Heavyweight Championship (29 June 1933 – 14 June 1934)

Professional wrestling

• NWA Hollywood Wrestling
  • NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobo Brazil
• NWA San Francisco
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) – with Sandor Szabo

See also

• Legends of Italian sport - Walk of Fame
• List of lineal boxing world champions
• List of heavyweight boxing champions

Bibliography

• Page, Joseph S. (2010). Primo Carnera: The Life and Career of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-4810-4.

External links

• Boxing record for Primo Carnera from BoxRec (registration required)
• Primo Carnera - CBZ Profile
• Carnera: The Walking Mountain at IMDb
• Primo Carnera Photos
• Primo Carnera at Find a Grave