Carmen Basilio vs Gene Fullmer I DUAL SIGNED 1959 World middleweight title weigh-in black & white 8" x 10" photo.

28th September 1959, Cow Palace, San Francisco.

Fullmer W TKO14
The Ring Magazine - 1959 fight of the year.

Condition very good (slightly grainy image)

Price: £ SOLD

Carmen Basilio vs Gene Fullmer I

Carmen Basilio two-division champion was one of the most popular fighters or his era. His tough, gritty style not only won him world titles, but it was the heart and desire he displayed in the ring that won him a place in the hearts of 1950s boxing fans, as well as two "Fighter of the Year" honors (1955 and 1957) from the Boxing Writers Association of America. So it's not surprising that his enduring legacy prompted his fellow townsmen of Canastota, New York, to honor him with a statue -- more than two decades after he retired -- which gave them the impetus to found the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

After his Honorable Discharge from the Marine Corps, this son of an onion farmer turned pro in 1948. For the first four years, most of his fights were in central or western New York. A series of three consecutive tough contests, a draw and a loss to Chuck Davey and a loss to Billy Graham, catapulted him to prominence, where he stayed for the remainder of his career.

In 1953, he decisioned former lightweight king Ike Williams and later beat Graham for the New York State welterweight title. He then defended the title with draw, again against Graham. Basilio's fist world title bout, against Kid Gavilan was a grueling contest. He dropped Gavilan in the second round. The Kid barely beat the count and recovered to win a 15-round decision.

Undeterred, Basilio continued his quest for a world championship. He went 9-0-2 in his next 11 bouts. In that string, he won rematches with the two opponents he drew with. His dream of winning a world title was realized on June 10, 1955. Before a hometown crowd in nearby Syracuse he went toe-to-toe in a bloody affair with welterweight champ Tony DeMarco. The champ had the best in the early going but Basilio came on strong, dropped DeMarco twice in the 10th round pressed the issue until the referee stepped in and halted the bout in the 12th.

Basilio beat DeMarco in his first defence, but lost a 15-round decision to Johnny Saxton in his next fight. But he regained the title from Saxton in a rematch (KO 9) and stopped him in two rounds in the first defence of his second reign. As 1957 moved on, Basilio set his sights on the middleweight crown and its owner, Sugar Ray Robinson. That bout took place Sept. 23, at Yankee Stadium. Giving away advantages in height and reach, he sustained heavy punishment and a badly cut left eye, and won the title in one of the most action-packed bouts of the decade.

But in the rematch on March 25, the following year, Robinson regained the title in an equally taxing bout. He peppered Basilio's face, which this time succumbed to Robinson's repeated jabs and right crosses. Basilio fought most of the bout with his left eye totally shut. With this dogged pursuit of victory under such conditions he garnered even more respect.

After two wins, he twice unsuccessfully challenged champion Gene Fullmer, who had dethroned Robinson. He was stopped via 14th-round kayo Aug. 28, 1959 and via 12th-round kayo June 29, 1960. He won two more decisions before losing a 15-round decision to middleweight champion Paul Pender on April 22, 1961. Although he left the ring vanquished, it's only fitting that Basilio's last fight was for a world title.

In 1970, Basilio's nephew, Billy Backus, became the second Canastotian to win a world title, when he wrested the welterweight belt from the legendary Jose Napoles. The gregarious Carmen is a frequent visitor to the Hall.












In the ring, Gene Fullmer was substance over style.

A mormon from West Jordan, Utah, Gene Fullmer turned pro in 1951, one month before his 20th birthday. He scored knockouts in 14 of his first 16 pro fights while campaigning primarily in the West. Among his significant early victories was a points win over future middleweight champ Paul Pender. Wins over Rocky Castellani, Gil Turner and Ralph "Tiger" Jones in 1956 moved him into title contention.

He captured the middleweight title in 1957 by decisioning legendary champion Sugar Ray Robinson. Again, it was Fullmer's ability to endure punishment and his tireless attack that carried him to victory. In a rematch with Robinson four months later, Sugar Ray scored a one-punch knockout, delivering a left hook in the fifth round that some have called "the perfect punch."

Two years later, Fullmer won the NBA middleweight title by scoring a 14th-round knockout of Carmen Basilio. Seven successful title defences followed. In that span, he beat Spider Webb, Basilio, Robinson, Florentino Fernandez and Benny Paret and fought to draws against Robinson (in their fourth and final fight) and Joey Giardello.

His reign as middleweight champion ended in 1962 with a 15-round loss against Dick Tiger. They fought a rematch in 1963 and the bout ended in a draw. A third match followed and Fullmer retired after getting knocked out in the seventh round.