Introduction

Introduction

In it’s crudest form, boxing is almost as old as civilization itself. Many historians claim that King Theseus of Greece invented the sport. Greek boxing had only a few rules and it was governed by a code of honor. For example, there were no rounds. The fight continued until one of the fighters was knocked out or surrendered. With the privileged class, in Greece and Rome, boxing thrived.

Boxing as we know it today, started in Great Britain with bare-knuckle fights. The first boxing establishment “The Pugilista Club” was opened in the city of London in 1814. A half century later, in 1867, Englishman John Graham Chambers (born in Wales in 1843) reformed the sport by establishing “The Marquess of Queensberry Rules.”

These rules included three-minute rounds, and the use of protectitive gloves. The first title bout under the new rules took place on July 30, 1884 between Jack Dempsey of Ireland and George Full James on the United States.

Across the Atlantic Ocean, in America, boxing was illegal. Often matches were raided by the police, and gambling, drinking, and spectator violence was common.

At the turn of the 20^th Century, boxing began to grow in popularity as poor European immigrants were flooding American cities. The poor and uneducated Italian immigrants arrived at Ellis Island in mass proportions. From 1880 to 1920, over four million Italians came to America from far away regions such as Calabria, Naples, and Sicily. Terribly unskilled, the Italians were forced to take hazardous occupations. They dug ditches, laid down railroad tracks, built bridges, and worked diligently in crowded factories.

A stranger in the United States, the Italian immigrants lived in highly dense and dilapidated neighborhoods known as “Little Italies”. These self-contained enclaves thrived in cities such as New York, Boston, Chicago, New Haven, Providence, Cleveland, and Philadelphia.

“Little Italy” provided the immigrant with a sense of security. Their language and customs were preserved. The church, doctor, lawyer, bank, food stores, and benevolent societies were located within a walking distance. In this safe, but chaotic environment, young Italian males were forced with difficult and often conflicting occupational choices.

The majority of these men became laborers. They earned a decent salary working hard in the trades. A small minority of these locals joined organized crime groups known as “Borgatas.” An even smaller percentage of these young men decided that backbreaking labor was not suited for their tastes. These men became “faitatures” the Italian American dialect word for a prizefighter.

The first five decades of the Twentieth Century represented the pinnacle for Italian Americans in boxing. There were dozens of Italian American champions and top ten ranked fighters in the eight weight divisions. In fact, it was not unusual for the fans to go to a local fight venue to watch a bout between two Italian Americans.

During the Second World War, one and a half million Italian Americans served in the military. In fact, the most decorated soldier in the war was an Italian American named John Basilone.

Basilone was born as one of ten children to a poor tailor in New Jersey. During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Basilone was credited for killing over thirty Japanese soldiers. Shortly thereafter, the government brought their hero home to help sell war bonds.

Later, John returned to the Pacific Theatre where he was killed at twenty-seven years old fighting on Iwo Jima. For his remarkable valor, Basilone became the only enlisted Marine to win the Navy Cross and the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The competition of the war brought great changes for the Italian American community. Utilizing the G.I Bill of rights, for the first time Italian Americans were attending college. Low interest loans made it possible for Italian American families to leave the city and to purchase homes in the suburbs.

The types of employment that Italian Americans found also began to change. No longer unskilled, Italian Americans began to obtain white-collar jobs. Better educated, and assimilating into the American mainstream, fewer and fewer Italian Americans entered the fight game.

Today, boxing is still a sport dominated by the poor as well as newer immigrant groups. African Americans, Hispanics, and Eastern Europeans comprise the majority of the sport’s world champions.

However, on a reduced level, the Italian American presence is still felt in boxing. At the present time, there are many Italian American promoters, trainers, managers and referees. Arturo Gatti and Paul Spadafora have held world titles in their weight classes. Upstarts such as Paulie Malignaggi and Peter Manfredo Jr. seem to have bright futures. Ironically, some of these boxers fight in a style similar to their “Paisans” from decades ago.