Tony Canzoneri

Tony Canzoneri was an American professional boxer who is widely hailed as one of the greatest fighters of his time. Born on November 6, 1908, in Slidell, Louisiana, Canzoneri was a three-division world champion who held a total of five world titles. Throughout his career, he fought in the bantamweight to light welterweight weight classes, leaving behind an impressive record of 141 wins, 24 losses, 10 draws, and one loss via knockout.

Early Career

Canzoneri's professional boxing career spanned more than 14 years, from 1925 to 1939. He made his debut at the age of 16 against Jack Grodner on July 24, 1925. Canzoneri won via first-round knockout and then went on to win 18 more consecutive fights, which included four wins via stoppage. He suffered his first loss on November 6, 1926, against Davey Abad via a ten-round decision, ending his 28-fight win streak.

Canzoneri's first world title fight was on March 26, 1927, against Bud Taylor, with the NBA (vacant) bantamweight title on the line. The fight ended in a draw. However, he went on to become a two-time unified world champion in lightweight and featherweight categories, winning three world titles at two weight classes.

World Title Wins

Canzoneri's first world title win was on February 10, 1928, against Benny Bass for the World Featherweight title, which he defended once. He then moved up a weight class to challenge World Lightweight Champion Sammy Mandell, losing by a decision in ten rounds. In 1930, he challenged Al Singer for the title and won via a first-round knockout to become a two-division world champion.

Canzoneri became a three-division world champion by knocking out Jack Kid Berg in the third round on April 24, 1931. He, Barney Ross, and Henry Armstrong were the only boxers in history allowed to hold two or more world titles simultaneously. Canzoneri lost his world light welterweight championship to Johnny Jadick but continued to retain his lightweight belt by defending it against the likes of Billy Petrolle and his brother Frankie Petrolle.

Canzoneri regained his world light welterweight title, which he had lost to Johnny Jadick, by beating Battling Shaw by a decision. However, he lost both his belts when fighting Barney Ross, first relinquishing the lightweight title and losing the light welterweight title in their rematch.

On May 10, 1935, Canzoneri fought Lou Ambers for the world lightweight title and won via a 15-round unanimous decision. After successfully defending his Lightweight title once, he lost it again in a rematch with Ambers by a 15-round decision. There was a rubber match between the two, and Ambers once again won via a decision in 15 rounds.

Career Highlights

Canzoneri fought a total of 175 times during his professional career, winning 141 of them. He was among the very best of his generation and was known for his great performances in his fights. Some of his memorable fights and notable victories include wins over 10 Hall-of-Famers such as Jimmy McLarnin, Lou Ambers, Baby Arizmendi, Kid Chocolate, Billy Petrolle, Jack Kid Berg, Benny Bass, Bud Taylor, Johnny Dundee, and Tommy Ryan. Al Singer, Billy Townsend, and Frankie Petrolle are also among his achievements. Canzoneri retired from professional boxing with a record of 141-24-10, which included 43 knockout wins and one loss via knockout, and three title wins.

In his first world-title fight on March 26, 1927, Tony Canzoneri had a draw against Bud Taylor via a ten-round PTS. He was fighting for the NBA (vacant) bantamweight title. On October 24, 1927, Canzoneri won the NYSAC and The Ring featherweight titles from Johnny Dundee, beating Dundee via a 15-round unanimous decision. He then defended his title on December 30, 1927, against Bud Taylor via a 10th round unanimous decision.

One of his best performances came on November 14, 1930, when Canzoneri won the NBA, NYSAC, and The Ring lightweight titles from Al Singer, knocking him out in the first round. He had unified the title with his previous featherweight world championship, making him a two-time unified world champion. On April 24, 1931, Canzoneri became a three-time unified world champion by beating Jack Kid Berg via a third-round KO, holding the NBA, NYSAC, The Ring, and NBA lightweight world-champion belts. He beat Jimmy McLarnin via a 10th-round unanimous decision on May 8, 1936.

Career Summary

Canzoneri had a total of 24 losses in his professional boxing career, nine of which were in title bouts, and 15 were in non-title bouts. He was stopped once and lost 23 times via decision. Canzoneri's last professional fight was against Al Bummy Davis at 30 years of age, on November 1, 1939, which he lost via a 3rd round TKO. On December 9, 1959, Canzoneri died in Manhattan of a heart attack. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990.

Conclusion

Tony Canzoneri was an outstanding boxer who left a lasting legacy in the world of professional boxing. His record of five world titles and 141 wins will forever be remembered by his fans and boxing enthusiasts. Throughout his career, Canzoneri faced some of the best boxers of his time, and he emerged victorious in many significant fights. Even though he may not be as widely known as some of the other boxing greats, Canzoneri's incredible career undoubtedly earned him a place in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

Tony Canzoneri Fight Record