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Tony DeMarco

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For an American dancer, see Tony DeMarco (dancer).
Tony DeMarco
DeMarco in 2010
Born
Leonardo Liotta

(1932-01-14)January 14, 1932
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 11, 2021(2021-10-11) (aged 89)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Other namesBoston Bomber, The Flame and Fury of Fleet Street
Statistics
Weight(s)Welterweight
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights71
Wins58
Wins by KO33
Losses12
Draws1

Tony DeMarco (January 14, 1932 – October 11, 2021), born Leonardo Liotta,[1] was an American boxer and World Welterweight Champion.[2] Born to Sicilian immigrants from Sciacca (AG), Vincent and Giacomina, DeMarco grew up in the North End neighborhood of Boston.

DeMarco was also, for a short time, a resident of Phoenix, Arizona,[3] where he was a business owner and where he suffered the death of his young son by way of a car-bicycle collision.

Career

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Due to the minimum age of eighteen, in order to box professionally, Liotta used the baptismal certificate of Tony DeMarco so that he could compete.[4] DeMarco had his first professional fight when he was sixteen years old. On October 21, 1948, he knocked out Mestor Jones in one round.

DeMarco fought the top fighters in his division during the 1950s and defeated top contenders and champions like Paddy DeMarco, Teddy "Red Top" Davis, Chico Vejar, and Don Jordan. The highlight of his career came on April 1, 1955, when he scored a technical knock out (TKO) over Johnny Saxton in the 14th round of their title bout to capture the world's welterweight title.

A statue of Tony DeMarco in Boston's historic North End

Despite winning many bouts to become champion, he is best remembered for his two championship matches with hall of famer Carmen Basilio in 1955. Both fights were toe to toe slugfests with several ebbs and flows that kept the fans at the edges of their seats. Both fights ended in the 12th round with DeMarco suffering a TKO. In their first bout, DeMarco was the defending champion. He risked his title by taking on Basilio, who was the top ranked contender. Although Basilio prevailed, the fight was so exciting that the pair were rematched. The second fight was almost a carbon copy of the first with Basilio wearing down DeMarco, but not before a wicked DeMarco left hook had Basilio out on his feet. DeMarco was unable to capitalize on this advantage and lost the match on a 12-round TKO.

Legacy

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Tony DeMarco's Living Room Lounge was located in this building at 4007 E. Camelback Road in Phoenix, Arizona. When he died, DeMarco no longer owned the property which now belongs to the U-Haul Co.

DeMarco's legacy is an undying part of Boston's history. Training under Boston greats such as Frankie Waters, DeMarco was able to sell out the Boston Garden, breaking attendance records. Mayor Thomas Menino even honored DeMarco with a street, named after him, in Boston's famous North End. The street, which is perpendicular to Atlantic Avenue, is named "Tony DeMarco Way".

DeMarco received many honors, including an induction in the Official National Italian American Hall of Fame in Chicago. Looking back on his career, DeMarco remarked "Mainly I consider myself a slugger." DeMarco once fought on the undercard to Rocky Marciano. Boxing, Boston and Tony DeMarco In his last bout, DeMarco won a ten-round decision over Stefan Redl in Boston on February 6, 1962.[5]

A statue of DeMarco unveiled on October 20, 2012, at the corners of Hanover and Cross Streets[6] in Boston's historic North End was designed by sculptor Harry Weber, and a full-length documentary by filmmaker Marino Amoruso based on DeMarco's autobiography Nardo: Memoirs of a Boxing Champion is in the works. DeMarco was also featured in "The Flame and Fury of Fleet Street," a segment of the documentary, Boston's North End: An Italian American Story.

DeMarco was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame as a member of the class of 2019.[7]

Professional boxing record

[edit]
71 fights 58 wins 12 losses
By knockout 33 7
By decision 25 5
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round Date Location Notes
71 Win 58–12–1 Stefan Redl UD 10 Feb 6, 1962 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
70 Win 57–12–1 Don Jordan KO 2 (10) Dec 19, 1961 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
69 Loss 56–12–1 Denny Moyer TKO 2 (10) Feb 10, 1960 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
68 Win 56–11–1 Edward G. Connors UD 10 Apr 20, 1959 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
67 Win 55–11–1 George Monroe TKO 8 (10) Mar 11, 1959 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
66 Loss 54–11–1 Virgil Akins TKO 12 (15) Jan 21, 1958 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. For Massachusetts world welterweight title
65 Loss 54–10–1 Virgil Akins KO 14 (15) Oct 29, 1957 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. For vacant Massachusetts world welterweight title
64 Win 54–9–1 Walter Byars MD 10 May 25, 1957 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
63 Win 53–9–1 Larry Boardman UD 10 Mar 30, 1957 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
62 Win 52–9–1 Gaspar Ortega UD 10 Feb 9, 1957 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
61 Loss 51–9–1 Gaspar Ortega SD 10 Dec 21, 1956 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
60 Loss 51–8–1 Gaspar Ortega SD 10 Nov 23, 1956 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
59 Win 51–7–1 Kid Gavilán UD 10 Oct 13, 1956 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
58 Win 50–7–1 Vince Martinez UD 10 Jun 16, 1956 Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
57 Win 49–7–1 Arthur Persley UD 10 Apr 28, 1956 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
56 Win 48–7–1 Wallace Bud Smith TKO 9 (10) Mar 5, 1956 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
55 Loss 47–7–1 Carmen Basilio TKO 12 (15) Nov 30, 1955 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. For NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
54 Win 47–6–1 Chico Vejar TKO 1 (10) Sep 14, 1955 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
53 Loss 46–6–1 Carmen Basilio TKO 12 (15) Jun 10, 1955 War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S. Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
52 Win 46–5–1 Johnny Saxton TKO 14 (15) Apr 1, 1955 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
51 Draw 45–5–1 Jimmy Carter PTS 10 Feb 11, 1955 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
50 Win 45–5 Pat Manzi TKO 1 (10) Nov 6, 1954 Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
49 Win 44–5 Chris Christensen TKO 6 (10) Sep 25, 1954 Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
48 Win 43–5 George Araujo TKO 5 (10) Jul 12, 1954 Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
47 Win 42–5 Johnny Cesario UD 10 May 22, 1954 Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
46 Win 41–5 Carlos Chavez UD 10 Apr 24, 1954 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
45 Win 40–5 Wilbur Wilson KO 2 (10) Mar 15, 1954 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
44 Win 39–5 Wilbur Wilson UD 10 Jan 18, 1954 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
43 Win 38–5 Teddy Davis UD 10 Dec 12, 1953 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
42 Win 37–5 Paddy DeMarco SD 10 Oct 10, 1953 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
41 Win 36–5 Chick Boucher TKO 6 (10) Sep 19, 1953 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
40 Win 35–5 Bertie Conn TKO 1 (10) Sep 10, 1953 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
39 Win 34–5 Terry Young TKO 5 (10) Aug 3, 1953 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
38 Win 33–5 Pat Demers TKO 6 (10) Jul 18, 1953 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
37 Win 32–5 Jimmy Redding KO 2 (8) Jun 25, 1953 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
36 Win 31–5 Ken Parsley KO 6 (8) Jun 13, 1953 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
35 Loss 30–5 Gene Poirier PTS 8 May 15, 1952 Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
34 Loss 30–4 Brian Kelly UD 8 May 1, 1952 Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
33 Win 30–3 Puggy Brown KO 5 (6) Mar 6, 1952 Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
32 Win 29–3 Jackie O'Brien SD 8 Mar 1, 1952 Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
31 Win 28–3 Abdoul Ali KO 2 (4) Feb 26, 1952 Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
30 Win 27–3 Freeman King SD 8 Feb 18, 1952 Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
29 Win 26–3 Julio Colon KO 3 (6) Jan 26, 1952 Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
28 Win 25–3 Llewellyn Richardson PTS 6 Jan 15, 1952 Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
27 Win 24–3 Manny Santos TKO 2 (6) Dec 17, 1951 Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
26 Win 23–3 Joe Torrens PTS 4 Dec 7, 1951 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
25 Win 22–3 Stanley Hilliard KO 4 (6) Nov 27, 1951 Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
24 Win 21–3 Freeman King SD 6 Oct 1, 1951 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
23 Loss 20–3 Chick Boucher TKO 4 (4) Mar 12, 1951 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
22 Win 20–2 Reggie Martina KO 1 (4) Feb 19, 1951 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
21 Win 19–2 Larry Griffin UD 8 Jan 18, 1951 Exposition Building, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
20 Win 18–2 Ken Murray KO 2 (8) Jan 11, 1951 Exposition Building, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
19 Win 17–2 Ken Murray UD 6 Dec 11, 1950 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
18 Win 16–2 Joe Wright UD 6 Oct 30, 1950 Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
17 Win 15–2 Des Shanley UD 4 Oct 9, 1950 Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
16 Win 14–2 Bobby Weaver TKO 3 (4) Sep 25, 1950 Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
15 Win 13–2 Ricky Ferreira PTS 6 Sep 19, 1950 Page Arena, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
14 Win 12–2 Roger Ringuette TKO 1 (4) Jul 10, 1950 Braves Field, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
13 Win 11–2 Bobby Veal KO 2 (6) Feb 20, 1950 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
12 Loss 10–2 Art Suffoletta RTD 5 (6) Jan 9, 1950 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
11 Win 10–1 Frankie Steele TKO 3 (4) Dec 19, 1949 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
10 Win 9–1 Frankie Steele SD 4 Nov 14, 1949 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
9 Win 8–1 Vic Young TKO 1 (6) Oct 21, 1949 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
8 Loss 7–1 Jay White PTS 6 Oct 7, 1949 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
7 Win 7–0 Roger Lessard KO 5 (6) Sep 12, 1949 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
6 Win 6–0 Ray Dulmaine RTD 1 (6) Feb 17, 1949 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
5 Win 5–0 Joe Palaza TKO 2 (6) Jan 14, 1949 Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
4 Win 4–0 George Silva PTS 6 Dec 14, 1948 North Street Arena, Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Billy Shea TKO 3 (4) Dec 10, 1948 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 Meteor Jones KO 2 (4) Nov 16, 1948 Salem Arena, Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Meteor Jones KO 1 (6) Oct 21, 1948 Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tony DeMarco". thecruelestsport. 3 June 2023.
  2. ^ "The Lineal Welterweight Champs". Cyber Boxing Zone.
  3. ^ Franklin, Bobby (12 December 2018). "Long Time Coming: Tony DeMarco To Finally Be Inducted Into Hall Of Fame". Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  4. ^ https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Nardo:_Memoirs_of_a_Boxing_Champion [bare URL]
  5. ^ http://boxrec.com/list_bouts.php?human_id=260221&cat=boxer [dead link]
  6. ^ Conti, Matt (20 October 2012). "Tony DeMarco Statue Unveiled at Historic Ceremony in North End [Photos]". NorthEndWaterfront.com.
  7. ^ "Class of 2019 Announced in Canastota!". International Boxing Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
[edit]
Sporting positions
World boxing titles
Preceded by NYSAC welterweight champion
April 1, 1955 – June 10, 1955 		Succeeded by
NBA welterweight champion
April 1, 1955 – June 10, 1955
The Ring welterweight champion
April 1, 1955 – June 10, 1955
Undisputed welterweight champion
April 1, 1955 – June 10, 1955
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