Carmen Basilio (INSCRIBED "To My Pal Larry") and Tony DeMarco (1st meeting) DUAL SIGNED glove (gold sharpie) accompanied with matching commemorative Joe Charles leather glove containing World welterweight fight details.

These are approximately 8oz gloves and measure 11" long by 8" wide.

Condition very good (shows evidence of age with leather cracking, however the signatures are not impeded)

World Welterweight Title:
Carmen Basilio vs Tony DeMarco - 1st meeting
10th June 1955, War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S.

Basilio W TKO Rd 12

Price: £ SOLD

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.












Tony DeMarco (born January 14, 1932). Former World welterweight champion. He was born in Boston and grew up in that city's North End community. Tony DeMarco's actual birth name is Leonardo Liotta. Tony’s father Vincent and mother Giacomina (Jacqueline) came from Sicily.

To box in the league, the minimum age was 18. Liotta had to use the birth certificate of Tony DeMarco so that he could compete. 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 in 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.

Tony DeMarco, despite winning many bouts to become champion, 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.

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 Ave, is named "Tony DeMarco Way".

DeMarco has received many honors, including an induction in the Official National Italian American Hall of Fame in Chicago.