Primo Carnera facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Primo Carnera |
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Carnera
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| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) |
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| Rated at | |
| Height | 6ft 6 in |
| Reach | 85 in |
| Nationality |
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| Born | 26 October 1906 Sequals, Italy |
| Died | 29 June 1967 (aged 60) Sequals, Italy |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 103; with the inclusion of newspaper decisions |
| Wins | 89 |
| Wins by KO | 72 |
| Losses | 14 |
Primo Carnera (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpriːmo karˈnɛːra]; 26 October 1906 – 29 June 1967), nicknamed the Ambling Alp, was an Italian professional boxer and wrestler who reigned as the boxing World Heavyweight Champion from 29 June 1933 to 14 June 1934. He won more fights by knockout than any other heavyweight champion (IBU, NBA, NYSAC) in boxing history.
Contents
Personal life
Primo Carnera was born in Sequals, then in the Province of Udine, now in the Province of Pordenone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia at the north-easternmost corner of Italy.
On 13 March 1939, Carnera married Giuseppina Kovačič (1913–1980), a post office clerk from Gorizia. In 1953, they received dual citizenship. They settled in Los Angeles, where Carnera opened a restaurant and a liquor store. They had two children, Umberto and Giovanna Maria. Umberto became a medical doctor.
Professional boxing career
Overview
Carnera was touted in America as being 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall, and thus the tallest heavyweight in history (up until that time), but he was actually 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall. He fought at as much as 275 pounds (125 kg). Jess Willard who stood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) was the tallest world heavyweight champion in boxing history until Nikolai Valuev, at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) and 328 pounds (149 kg). Though an inch (2.5 cm) shorter than Willard, Carnera was around 40 lb (18 kg) heavier and was the heaviest champion in boxing history until Valuev.
At a time when the average height in Italy was approximately 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and in the United States 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), Carnera was considered a giant.
He enjoyed a sizable reach advantage over most rivals, and when seen on fight footage, he seems like a towering giant compared to many heavyweights of his era, who were usually at least 60 pounds (27 kg) lighter and 7 inches (18 cm) shorter. One publicity release about him read in part: "For breakfast, Primo has a quart of orange juice, two quarts of milk, nineteen pieces of toast, fourteen eggs, a loaf of bread and half a pound of Virginia ham." His size earned him the nickname "The Ambling Alp". Time magazine called him "The Monster".
Starting career
12 September 1928 was the date of Carnera's first professional fight, against Leon Sebilo, in Paris. Carnera won by knockout in round two. He won his first six bouts, then lost to Franz Diener by disqualification in round one at Leipzig. Then, he won seven more bouts in a row before meeting Young Stribling. He and Stribling exchanged disqualification wins, Carnera winning the first in four rounds, and Stribling winning the rematch in round seven. In Carnera's next bout he avenged his defeat to Diener with a knockout in round six.
In 1930, he moved to the United States, where he toured extensively, winning his first seventeen bouts there by knockout. George Godfrey broke the knockout streak in Philadelphia by losing to Carnera by disqualification in the fifth round. In 1932, Carnera faced the tallest heavyweight in history up to that point, Santa Camarão, a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Portuguese fighter. Carnera won the fight in a sixth-round knockout.
On 10 February 1933, he knocked out Ernie Schaaf in thirteen rounds in New York City. Schaaf died four days later. Schaaf had suffered a severe beating and knockout in a bout with future heavyweight champion Max Baer six months earlier, on 31 August 1932. Furthermore, an autopsy revealed that Schaaf had meningitis, a swelling of the brain, and was still recovering from a severe case of influenza when he entered the ring with Carnera.
World Heavyweight Champion
For his next fight, Carnera faced the world heavyweight champion, Jack Sharkey, on June 29, at the Madison Square Garden Bowl in Queens, New York. Carnera became world champion by knocking out Sharkey in round six.
He retained the title against Paulino Uzcudun and Tommy Loughran, both by decision in 15 rounds, but in his next fight on 14 June 1934 against Max Baer, Carnera was knocked down multiple times in 11 rounds, before referee Arthur Donovon stopped the fight. There is disagreement regarding how many times Carnera was knocked down, with sources giving conflicting totals of 7, 10, 11 (per Associated Press) and 12 (per The Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer, ringside for the fight, who wrote that Carnera was knocked down 12 times and slipped once after a missed punch).
After defeat
After that, Carnera won his next four fights, three of them as part of a South American tour that took him to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, as well as two exhibitions fought on the South American continent. But then, on 25 June 1935, he was knocked out in six rounds by Joe Louis.
For the next two and a half years, he won five and lost three of eight total fights. But in 1938, Carnera, a diabetic, had to have a kidney removed, which forced him into retirement by 1944. Carnera's record was 89 wins and 14 losses. His 72 wins by knockout made him a member of the exclusive club of boxers that won 50 or more bouts by knockout.
Carnera died in 1967 in his native town of a combination of liver disease and complications from diabetes.
Legacy in boxing
Carnera was the third European to hold the world heavyweight championship after Bob Fitzsimmons and Max Schmeling. He would be the last until Ingemar Johansson claimed the title against Floyd Patterson in 1959, over a quarter of a century later.
Carnera was also the first boxer to win the European Heavyweight title and subsequently become World Heavyweight champion.
Carnera's 1933 title defense against Tommy Loughran held the record for the greatest weight differential between two combatants in a world title fight (86 lb or 39 kg) for 73 years until the reign of Nikolai Valuev, who owns the current record for the 105+1⁄2 lb (47.9 kg) weight advantage he held in his 2006 defense against Monte Barrett.
Valuev also broke Carnera's record of 270 lb (120 kg) to become the heaviest world champion in history, weighing as high as 328 lb (149 kg) during his reign. Carnera still ranks as the fourth-heaviest, behind Valuev, Tyson Fury and Andy Ruiz Jr., over eighty years after he held the title.
Carnera's 1933 title defense against Paulino Uzcudun in Italy was the first Heavyweight title fight to be held in Europe since Jack Johnson's title defence against Frank Moran in Paris in 1913. It would be the last such occasion until Muhammad Ali defended the title against Henry Cooper in London in 1966. Carnera-Uzcudun was the first World Heavyweight championship fight to be contested between two Europeans. It would be another sixty years, when Lennox Lewis defended the WBC heavyweight title against fellow-Englishman Frank Bruno in 1993, that this would occur again.
Carnera's 72 career knockouts is the most of any world heavyweight champion (IBU, NBA, NYSAC).
Acting career
Carnera appeared in a short film in 1931. During his tenure as world champion he played a fictional version of himself in the 1933 film The Prizefighter and the Lady starring Max Baer and Myrna Loy. Here he plays the heavyweight champion who barely holds onto his title with a draw decision after a furious fight with Baer. The film was made just a year before Carnera fought Baer for real, in a bout that was as wild as the film version, but ended with a knockout loss for Carnera.
Carnera had a bit part in the 1949 movie Mighty Joe Young. He played himself in the tug-of-war scene with the giant gorilla. After being pulled by the ape into a pool of water, Carnera throws a couple of futile punches to Joe's chin.
He also played a bully boy wrestler in Carol Reed's A Kid for Two Farthings (1955). Set in London's Petticoat Lane Market, the film pits Carnera's character against a local bodybuilder who is to marry another character named Sonia, played by Diana Dors.
Primo appeared in at least ten Italian films between 1939 and 1943, as well as several in the 1950s, like Prince Valiant, in the role of Sligon. His last screen role was as the giant Antaeus alongside Steve Reeves in Hercules Unchained (US title, filmed in Italy, 1959, original title Ercole e la regina di Lidia).
Professional wrestling career
In 1945 he temporarily returned to boxing and won two fights. But the next year, after three losses against Luigi Musina his talent for wrestling was discovered. In 1946 he became a professional wrestler and was immediately a huge success at the box office. For several years he was one of the top draws in wrestling. Carnera continued to be an attraction into the 1960s. Max Baer attended at least one of Carnera's wrestling matches.
Carnera won his debut on 22 August 1946, when he defeated Tommy O'Toole in California. On 23 October 1946, Carnera won his 41st consecutive wrestling match by defeating Jules Strongbow. On 19 November 1946, Carnera beat Harry Kruskamp to remain undefeated at 65–0–0. Primo Carnera went 120 straight wrestling matches undefeated (119–0–1) before suffering his first loss to Yvon Robert in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on 20 August 1947. Carnera's greatest victory took place on 7 December 1947 when he defeated former world heavyweight champion Ed "Strangler" Lewis.
In May 1948, Carnera took a 143–1–1 record against world heavyweight champion Lou Thesz. Thesz defeated Carnera in a world title defense.
Mob accusations
According to boxing historian Herbert Goldman, Carnera was "very much mob controlled." Carnera met his first serious heavyweight contender, Young Stribling, in 1929, and won when Stribling fouled him. In a rematch, he fouled Stribling. His 1930 fight against California club fighter Bombo Chevalier in Emeryville was considered fixed, and Carnera was banned from fighting in California. His 1930 match against George Godfrey was controversial, as Godfrey was disqualified in the sixth round when he was clearly getting the better of Carnera.
Time magazine, in a 5 October 1931 cover story on Carnera before he won the heavyweight title, commented on his odd career:
Since his arrival in the US, backed by a group of prosperous but shady entrepreneurs, Carnera's career has been less glorious than fantastic. His first opponents—Big Boy Peterson, Elzear Rioux, Cowboy Owens—were known to be incompetent but their feeble opposition to Carnera suggested that they had been bribed to lose. Suspicion concerning the Monster's abilities became almost universal when another adversary, Bombo Chevalier, stated that one of his own seconds had threatened to kill him unless he lost to Carnera. Against the huge, lazy, amiable George Godfrey (249 lb), he won on a foul. But only one of 33 US opponents has defeated Monster Carnera—fat, slovenly Jimmy Maloney, whom Sharkey beat five years ago. In a return fight, at Miami last March, Carnera managed to outpoint Maloney.
Professional boxing record
All information in this section is derived from BoxRec, unless otherwise stated.
Official record
| 104 fights | 89 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 72 | 5 |
| By decision | 15 | 7 |
| By disqualification | 2 | 2 |
| Newspaper decisions/draws | 1 | |
All newspaper decisions are officially regarded as “no decision” bouts and are not counted in the win/loss/draw column.
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | Loss | 88–14 (1) | Luigi Musina | UD | 10 | 19 May 1946 | Gorizia, Italy | |
| 102 | Loss | 88–13 (1) | Luigi Musina | PTS | 8 | 19 Mar 1946 | Trieste, Italy | |
| 101 | Loss | 88–12 (1) | Luigi Musina | TKO | 7 (8) | 21 Nov 1945 | Milan, Italy | |
| 100 | Win | 88–11 (1) | Sam Gardner | KO | 1 (4) | 25 Sep 1945 | San Sabba Stadium, Trieste, Italy | |
| 99 | Win | 87–11 (1) | Michel Blevens | KO | 3 (4) | 22 Jul 1945 | Moretti Stadium, Udine, Italy | |
| 98 | Win | 86–11 (1) | Josip Zupan | KO | 2 (10) | 4 Dec 1937 | Budapest Zirkus, Budapest, Hungary | |
| 97 | Loss | 85–11 (1) | Albert Di Meglio | PTS | 10 | 18 Nov 1937 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 96 | Loss | 85–10 (1) | Leroy Haynes | TKO | 9 (10), 0:40 | 27 May 1936 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| 95 | Loss | 85–9 (1) | Leroy Haynes | TKO | 3 (10), 0:53 | 16 Mar 1936 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 94 | Win | 85–8 (1) | Isidoro Gastanaga | TKO | 5 (10) | 6 Mar 1936 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 93 | Win | 84–8 (1) | Big Boy Brackey | TKO | 4 (10), 1:06 | 9 Dec 1935 | Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
| 92 | Win | 83–8 (1) | Ford Smith | UD | 10 | 25 Nov 1935 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 91 | Win | 82–8 (1) | Walter Neusel | TKO | 4 (10), 2:23 | 1 Nov 1935 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 90 | Loss | 81–8 (1) | Joe Louis | TKO | 6 (15), 2:32 | 25 Jun 1935 | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S. | |
| 89 | Win | 81–7 (1) | Ray Impelletiere | TKO | 9 (10), 0:38 | 15 Mar 1935 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 88 | Win | 80–7 (1) | Erwin Klausner | KO | 6 (12) | 22 Jan 1935 | Estádio das Laranjeiras, Río de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| 87 | Win | 79–7 (1) | Seal Harris | KO | 7 (10) | 13 Jan 1935 | Estádio da Floresta, Sao Paulo, Brazil | |
| 86 | Win | 78–7 (1) | Victorio Campolo | PTS | 12 | 1 Dec 1934 | Club Atletico Independiente, Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| 85 | Loss | 77–7 (1) | Max Baer | TKO | 11 (15), 2:16 | 14 Jun 1934 | Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S. | Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 84 | Win | 77–6 (1) | Tommy Loughran | UD | 15 | 1 Mar 1934 | Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 83 | Win | 76–6 (1) | Paulino Uzcudun | UD | 15 | 22 Oct 1933 | Piazza di Siena, Rome, Italy | Retained The Ring heavyweight title; Won European and IBU heavyweight titles |
| 82 | Win | 75–6 (1) | Jack Sharkey | KO | 6 (15), 2:27 | 29 Jun 1933 | Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S. | Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 81 | Win | 74–6 (1) | Ernie Schaaf | KO | 13 (15), 0:51 | 10 Feb 1933 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Schaaf died from injuries sustained in the fight. |
| 80 | Win | 73–6 (1) | Young Spence | KO | 1 (10) | 30 Dec 1932 | Fair Park Arena, Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
| 79 | Win | 72–6 (1) | James Merriott | KO | 1 (10) | 20 Dec 1932 | City Auditorium, Galveston, Texas, U.S. | |
| 78 | Win | 71–6 (1) | Joe Rice | KO | 2 (10) | 19 Dec 1932 | Northside Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | |
| 77 | Win | 70–6 (1) | KO Christner | KO | 4 (10) | 15 Dec 1932 | City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | |
| 76 | Win | 69–6 (1) | Big Boy Peterson | TKO | 2 (10) | 13 Dec 1932 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 75 | Win | 68–6 (1) | King Levinsky | SD | 10 | 9 Dec 1932 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 74 | Win | 67–6 (1) | John Schwake | KO | 7 (10), 2:16 | 2 Dec 1932 | St. Louis Coliseum, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 73 | Win | 66–6 (1) | José Santa | TKO | 6 (10) | 18 Nov 1932 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 72 | Win | 65–6 (1) | Les Kennedy | KO | 3 (10) | 4 Nov 1932 | Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 71 | Win | 64–6 (1) | Jack Taylor | KO | 2 (10), 1:59 | 17 Oct 1932 | Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| 70 | Win | 63–6 (1) | Gene Stanton | KO | 6 (10) | 13 Oct 1932 | 114th Infantry Armory, Camden, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 69 | Win | 62–6 (1) | Ted Sandwina | KO | 4 (10) | 7 Oct 1932 | Benjamin Field Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 68 | Win | 61–6 (1) | Art Lasky | NWS | 10 | 1 Sep 1932 | St. Paul Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 67 | Win | 61–6 | Jack Gagnon | KO | 1 (10), 1:35 | 19 Aug 1932 | Mark's Stadium, North Tiverton, Rhode Island, U.S. | |
| 66 | Loss | 60–6 | Stanley Poreda | PTS | 10 | 16 Aug 1932 | Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 65 | Win | 60–5 | Hans Birkie | UD | 10 | 2 Aug 1932 | Queensboro Stadium, Long Island City, New York, U.S | |
| 64 | Win | 59–5 | Jerry Pavelec | TKO | 5 (10), 0:51 | 28 Jul 1932 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S | |
| 63 | Win | 58–5 | Jack Gross | TKO | 7 (10), 2:50 | 20 Jul 1932 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| 62 | Loss | 57–5 | Larry Gains | PTS | 10 | 30 May 1932 | White City Stadium, London, England | |
| 61 | Win | 57–4 | Hans Schönrath | TKO | 3 (10) | 15 May 1932 | Stadio San Siro, Milan, Italy | |
| 60 | Win | 56–4 | Maurice Griselle | TKO | 10 (10) | 30 Apr 1932 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 59 | Win | 55–4 | Don McCorkindale | PTS | 10 | 7 Apr 1932 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 58 | Win | 54–4 | George Cook | KO | 4 (10) | 23 Mar 1932 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 57 | Win | 53–4 | Pierre Charles | PTS | 10 | 29 Feb 1932 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 56 | Win | 52–4 | Ernst Gühring | TKO | 5 (10) | 5 Feb 1932 | Berlin Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany | |
| 55 | Win | 51–4 | Moise Bouquillon | TKO | 2 (10) | 25 Jan 1932 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 54 | Win | 50–4 | Victorio Campolo | KO | 2 (15), 1:27 | 27 Nov 1931 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 53 | Win | 49–4 | King Levinsky | UD | 10 | 19 Nov 1931 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 52 | Loss | 48–4 | Jack Sharkey | UD | 15 | 12 Oct 1931 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | For ABA Heavyweight title |
| 51 | Win | 48–3 | Armando De Carolis | KO | 2 (10), 1:08 | 6 Aug 1931 | Shellpot Park, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | |
| 50 | Win | 47–3 | Roberto Roberti | TKO | 3 (10), 2:25 | 4 Aug 1931 | Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 49 | Win | 46–3 | Knute Hansen | KO | 1 (10), 2:10 | 24 Jul 1931 | Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York, U.S. | |
| 48 | Win | 45–3 | Bud Gorman | KO | 2 (10), 2:35 | 30 Jun 1931 | Arena Gardens, Toronto, Ontario Canada | |
| 47 | Win | 44–3 | Umberto Torriani | KO | 2 (10), 0:43 | 26 Jun 1931 | Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
| 46 | Win | 43–3 | Pat Redmond | KO | 1 (10), 2:24 | 15 Jun 1931 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 42–3 | Jim Maloney | PTS | 10 | 5 Mar 1931 | Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 44 | Win | 41–3 | Reggie Meen | TKO | 2 (6) | 18 Dec 1930 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 43 | Win | 40–3 | Paulino Uzcudun | SD | 10 | 30 Nov 1930 | Estadio Olímpico de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain | |
| 42 | Loss | 39–3 | Jim Maloney | PTS | 10 | 7 Oct 1930 | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 39–2 | Jack Gross | KO | 4 (10) | 17 Sep 1930 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 40 | Win | 38–2 | Pat McCarthy | TKO | 2 (10), 1:16 | 8 Sep 1930 | Newark Velodrome, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 37–2 | Riccardo Bertazzolo | TKO | 3 (15) | 30 Aug 1930 | Atlantic City Auditorium, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 38 | Win | 36–2 | George Cook | KO | 2 (10), 1:44 | 29 Jul 1930 | Taylor Bowl, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 37 | Win | 35–2 | Bearcat Wright | KO | 4 (10), 1:13 | 17 Jul 1930 | League Park, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | |
| 36 | Win | 34–2 | George Godfrey | DQ | 5 (10), 1:13 | 23 Jun 1930 | Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 35 | Win | 33–2 | KO Christner | KO | 4 (10), 1:20 | 5 Jun 1930 | Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 32–2 | Sam Baker | KO | 1 (10) | 22 Apr 1930 | Portland Ice Hippodrome, Portland, Oregon, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 31–2 | Leon Chevalier | TKO | 6 (10) | 14 Apr 1930 | Oakland Baseball Park, Emeryville, California, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 30–2 | Neil Clisby | KO | 2 (10), 0:40 | 8 Apr 1930 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 29–2 | Jack McAuliffe II | KO | 1 (10), 2:18 | 28 Mar 1930 | Stockyards Stadium, Denver, Colorado, U.S. | |
| 30 | Win | 28–2 | George Trafton | KO | 1 (10), 0:54 | 26 Mar 1930 | Convention Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. | |
| 29 | Win | 27–2 | Frank Zaveta | KO | 1 (10), 1:51 | 20 Mar 1930 | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 26–2 | Chuck Wiggins | KO | 2 (10) | 17 Mar 1930 | St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 25–2 | Sully Montgomery | KO | 2 (10), 1:15 | 11 Mar 1930 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 24–2 | Roy Clark | KO | 6 (10), 2:38 | 3 Mar 1930 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 23–2 | Farmer Lodge | KO | 2 (10), 1:22 | 24 Feb 1930 | Heinemann Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 22–2 | Johnny Erickson | KO | 2 (10), 1:45 | 17 Feb 1930 | Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 21–2 | Jim Sigman | KO | 1 (8), 1:35 | 14 Feb 1930 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 20–2 | Buster Martin | KO | 2 (10), 0:56 | 11 Feb 1930 | St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 19–2 | Cowboy Billy Owens | KO | 2 (10), 2:22 | 6 Feb 1930 | 113th Regiment Armory, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 18–2 | Elzear Rioux | KO | 1 (10), 0:47 | 31 Jan 1930 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 17–2 | Big Boy Peterson | KO | 1 (10), 1:10 | 24 Jan 1930 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 16–2 | Franz Diener | TKO | 6 (15) | 17 Dec 1929 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 17 | Loss | 15–2 | Young Stribling | DQ | 7 (10) | 7 Dec 1929 | Vélodrome d'Hiver, Paris, France | |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Young Stribling | DQ | 4 (15) | 18 Nov 1929 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Jack Stanley | TKO | 1 (8) | 17 Oct 1929 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Hermann Jaspers | KO | 3 (10) | 18 Sep 1929 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Feodor Nikolaeff | KO | 1 (10) | 30 Aug 1929 | Garage de Normandie, Dieppe, France | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Joe Thomas | TKO | 4 (10) | 25 Aug 1929 | Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, France | |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Jose Lete | UD | 10 | 14 Aug 1929 | Estadio Municipal de Atocha, San Sebastián, Spain | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Jack Humbeeck | TKO | 6 (10) | 26 Jun 1929 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Marcel Nilles | TKO | 3 (10) | 30 May 1929 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Moise Bouquillon | PTS | 10 | 22 May 1929 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 7 | Loss | 6–1 | Franz Diener | DQ | 1 (10) | 28 Apr 1929 | Messehalle, Leipzig, Germany | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Ernst Roesemann | TKO | 5 (8) | 18 Jan 1929 | Berlin Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Constant Barrick | KO | 3 (10) | 1 Dec 1928 | Vélodrome d'Hiver, Paris, France | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Epifanio Islas | UD | 10 | 25 Nov 1928 | Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Salvatore Ruggirello | TKO | 4 (10) | 30 Oct 1928 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Joe Thomas | KO | 3 (10) | 25 Sep 1928 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Leon Sebilo | TKO | 2 (10) | 12 Sep 1928 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France |
Unofficial record
| 103 fights | 89 wins | 14 losses |
| By knockout | 72 | 5 |
| By decision | 15 | 7 |
| By disqualification | 2 | 2 |
Record with the inclusion of newspaper decisions in the win/loss/draw column.
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | Loss | 89–14 | Luigi Musina | UD | 10 | 19 May 1946 | Gorizia, Italy | |
| 102 | Loss | 89–13 | Luigi Musina | PTS | 8 | 19 Mar 1946 | Trieste, Italy | |
| 101 | Loss | 89–12 | Luigi Musina | TKO | 7 (8) | 21 Nov 1945 | Milan, Italy | |
| 100 | Win | 89–11 | Sam Gardner | KO | 1 (4) | 25 Sep 1945 | San Sabba Stadium, Trieste, Italy | |
| 99 | Win | 88–11 | Michel Blevens | KO | 3 (4) | 22 Jul 1945 | Moretti Stadium, Udine, Italy | |
| 98 | Win | 87–11 | Josip Zupan | KO | 2 (10) | 4 Dec 1937 | Budapest Zirkus, Budapest, Hungary | |
| 97 | Loss | 86–11 | Albert Di Meglio | PTS | 10 | 18 Nov 1937 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 96 | Loss | 86–10 | Leroy Haynes | TKO | 9 (10), 0:40 | 27 May 1936 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| 95 | Loss | 86–9 | Leroy Haynes | TKO | 3 (10), 0:53 | 16 Mar 1936 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 94 | Win | 86–8 | Isidoro Gastanaga | TKO | 5 (10) | 6 Mar 1936 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 93 | Win | 85–8 | Big Boy Brackey | TKO | 4 (10), 1:06 | 9 Dec 1935 | Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
| 92 | Win | 84–8 | Ford Smith | UD | 10 | 25 Nov 1935 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 91 | Win | 83–8 | Walter Neusel | TKO | 4 (10), 2:23 | 1 Nov 1935 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 90 | Loss | 82–8 | Joe Louis | TKO | 6 (15), 2:32 | 25 Jun 1935 | Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S. | |
| 89 | Win | 82–7 | Ray Impelletiere | TKO | 9 (10), 0:38 | 15 Mar 1935 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 88 | Win | 81–7 | Erwin Klausner | KO | 6 (12) | 22 Jan 1935 | Estádio das Laranjeiras, Río de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| 87 | Win | 80–7 | Seal Harris | KO | 7 (10) | 13 Jan 1935 | Estádio da Floresta, Sao Paulo, Brazil | |
| 86 | Win | 79–7 | Victorio Campolo | PTS | 12 | 1 Dec 1934 | Club Atletico Independiente, Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| 85 | Loss | 78–7 | Max Baer | TKO | 11 (15), 2:16 | 14 Jun 1934 | Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S. | Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 84 | Win | 78–6 | Tommy Loughran | UD | 15 | 1 Mar 1934 | Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S. | Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 83 | Win | 77–6 | Paulino Uzcudun | UD | 15 | 22 Oct 1933 | Piazza di Siena, Rome, Italy | Retained The Ring heavyweight title; Won European and IBU heavyweight titles |
| 82 | Win | 76–6 | Jack Sharkey | KO | 6 (15), 2:27 | 29 Jun 1933 | Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S. | Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles |
| 81 | Win | 75–6 | Ernie Schaaf | KO | 13 (15), 0:51 | 10 Feb 1933 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | Schaaf died from injuries sustained in the fight. |
| 80 | Win | 74–6 | Young Spence | KO | 1 (10) | 30 Dec 1932 | Fair Park Arena, Dallas, Texas, U.S. | |
| 79 | Win | 73–6 | James Merriott | KO | 1 (10) | 20 Dec 1932 | City Auditorium, Galveston, Texas, U.S. | |
| 78 | Win | 72–6 | Joe Rice | KO | 2 (10) | 19 Dec 1932 | Northside Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. | |
| 77 | Win | 71–6 | KO Christner | KO | 4 (10) | 15 Dec 1932 | City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | |
| 76 | Win | 70–6 | Big Boy Peterson | TKO | 2 (10) | 13 Dec 1932 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 75 | Win | 69–6 | King Levinsky | SD | 10 | 9 Dec 1932 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 74 | Win | 68–6 | John Schwake | KO | 7 (10), 2:16 | 2 Dec 1932 | St. Louis Coliseum, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 73 | Win | 67–6 | José Santa | TKO | 6 (10) | 18 Nov 1932 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 72 | Win | 66–6 | Les Kennedy | KO | 3 (10) | 4 Nov 1932 | Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 71 | Win | 65–6 | Jack Taylor | KO | 2 (10), 1:59 | 17 Oct 1932 | Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. | |
| 70 | Win | 64–6 | Gene Stanton | KO | 6 (10) | 13 Oct 1932 | 114th Infantry Armory, Camden, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 69 | Win | 63–6 | Ted Sandwina | KO | 4 (10) | 7 Oct 1932 | Benjamin Field Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S. | |
| 68 | Win | 62–6 | Art Lasky | NWS | 10 | 1 Sep 1932 | St. Paul Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 67 | Win | 61–6 | Jack Gagnon | KO | 1 (10), 1:35 | 19 Aug 1932 | Mark's Stadium, North Tiverton, Rhode Island, U.S. | |
| 66 | Loss | 60–6 | Stanley Poreda | PTS | 10 | 16 Aug 1932 | Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 65 | Win | 60–5 | Hans Birkie | UD | 10 | 2 Aug 1932 | Queensboro Stadium, Long Island City, New York, U.S | |
| 64 | Win | 59–5 | Jerry Pavelec | TKO | 5 (10), 0:51 | 28 Jul 1932 | Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S | |
| 63 | Win | 58–5 | Jack Gross | TKO | 7 (10), 2:50 | 20 Jul 1932 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| 62 | Loss | 57–5 | Larry Gains | PTS | 10 | 30 May 1932 | White City Stadium, London, England | |
| 61 | Win | 57–4 | Hans Schönrath | TKO | 3 (10) | 15 May 1932 | Stadio San Siro, Milan, Italy | |
| 60 | Win | 56–4 | Maurice Griselle | TKO | 10 (10) | 30 Apr 1932 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 59 | Win | 55–4 | Don McCorkindale | PTS | 10 | 7 Apr 1932 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 58 | Win | 54–4 | George Cook | KO | 4 (10) | 23 Mar 1932 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 57 | Win | 53–4 | Pierre Charles | PTS | 10 | 29 Feb 1932 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 56 | Win | 52–4 | Ernst Gühring | TKO | 5 (10) | 5 Feb 1932 | Berlin Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany | |
| 55 | Win | 51–4 | Moise Bouquillon | TKO | 2 (10) | 25 Jan 1932 | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | |
| 54 | Win | 50–4 | Victorio Campolo | KO | 2 (15), 1:27 | 27 Nov 1931 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 53 | Win | 49–4 | King Levinsky | UD | 10 | 19 Nov 1931 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 52 | Loss | 48–4 | Jack Sharkey | UD | 15 | 12 Oct 1931 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | For ABA heavyweight title |
| 51 | Win | 48–3 | Armando De Carolis | KO | 2 (10), 1:08 | 6 Aug 1931 | Shellpot Park, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S. | |
| 50 | Win | 47–3 | Roberto Roberti | TKO | 3 (10), 2:25 | 4 Aug 1931 | Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 49 | Win | 46–3 | Knute Hansen | KO | 1 (10), 2:10 | 24 Jul 1931 | Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York, U.S. | |
| 48 | Win | 45–3 | Bud Gorman | KO | 2 (10), 2:35 | 30 Jun 1931 | Arena Gardens, Toronto, Ontario Canada | |
| 47 | Win | 44–3 | Umberto Torriani | KO | 2 (10), 0:43 | 26 Jun 1931 | Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S. | |
| 46 | Win | 43–3 | Pat Redmond | KO | 1 (10), 2:24 | 15 Jun 1931 | Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S. | |
| 45 | Win | 42–3 | Jim Maloney | PTS | 10 | 5 Mar 1931 | Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S. | |
| 44 | Win | 41–3 | Reggie Meen | TKO | 2 (6) | 18 Dec 1930 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 43 | Win | 40–3 | Paulino Uzcudun | SD | 10 | 30 Nov 1930 | Estadio Olímpico de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain | |
| 42 | Loss | 39–3 | Jim Maloney | PTS | 10 | 7 Oct 1930 | Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | |
| 41 | Win | 39–2 | Jack Gross | KO | 4 (10) | 17 Sep 1930 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 40 | Win | 38–2 | Pat McCarthy | TKO | 2 (10), 1:16 | 8 Sep 1930 | Newark Velodrome, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 39 | Win | 37–2 | Riccardo Bertazzolo | TKO | 3 (15) | 30 Aug 1930 | Atlantic City Auditorium, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 38 | Win | 36–2 | George Cook | KO | 2 (10), 1:44 | 29 Jul 1930 | Taylor Bowl, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | |
| 37 | Win | 35–2 | Bearcat Wright | KO | 4 (10), 1:13 | 17 Jul 1930 | League Park, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | |
| 36 | Win | 34–2 | George Godfrey | DQ | 5 (10), 1:13 | 23 Jun 1930 | Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 35 | Win | 33–2 | KO Christner | KO | 4 (10), 1:20 | 5 Jun 1930 | Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan, U.S. | |
| 34 | Win | 32–2 | Sam Baker | KO | 1 (10) | 22 Apr 1930 | Portland Ice Hippodrome, Portland, Oregon, U.S. | |
| 33 | Win | 31–2 | Leon Chevalier | TKO | 6 (10) | 14 Apr 1930 | Oakland Baseball Park, Emeryville, California, U.S. | |
| 32 | Win | 30–2 | Neil Clisby | KO | 2 (10), 0:40 | 8 Apr 1930 | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 31 | Win | 29–2 | Jack McAuliffe II | KO | 1 (10), 2:18 | 28 Mar 1930 | Stockyards Stadium, Denver, Colorado, U.S. | |
| 30 | Win | 28–2 | George Trafton | KO | 1 (10), 0:54 | 26 Mar 1930 | Convention Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S. | |
| 29 | Win | 27–2 | Frank Zaveta | KO | 1 (10), 1:51 | 20 Mar 1930 | Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. | |
| 28 | Win | 26–2 | Chuck Wiggins | KO | 2 (10) | 17 Mar 1930 | St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 27 | Win | 25–2 | Sully Montgomery | KO | 2 (10), 1:15 | 11 Mar 1930 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. | |
| 26 | Win | 24–2 | Roy Clark | KO | 6 (10), 2:38 | 3 Mar 1930 | Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | |
| 25 | Win | 23–2 | Farmer Lodge | KO | 2 (10), 1:22 | 24 Feb 1930 | Heinemann Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. | |
| 24 | Win | 22–2 | Johnny Erickson | KO | 2 (10), 1:45 | 17 Feb 1930 | Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. | |
| 23 | Win | 21–2 | Jim Sigman | KO | 1 (8), 1:35 | 14 Feb 1930 | Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | |
| 22 | Win | 20–2 | Buster Martin | KO | 2 (10), 0:56 | 11 Feb 1930 | St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | |
| 21 | Win | 19–2 | Cowboy Billy Owens | KO | 2 (10), 2:22 | 6 Feb 1930 | 113th Regiment Armory, Newark, New Jersey, U.S. | |
| 20 | Win | 18–2 | Elzear Rioux | KO | 1 (10), 0:47 | 31 Jan 1930 | Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | |
| 19 | Win | 17–2 | Big Boy Peterson | KO | 1 (10), 1:10 | 24 Jan 1930 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. | |
| 18 | Win | 16–2 | Franz Diener | TKO | 6 (15) | 17 Dec 1929 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 17 | Loss | 15–2 | Young Stribling | DQ | 7 (10) | 7 Dec 1929 | Vélodrome d'Hiver, Paris, France | |
| 16 | Win | 15–1 | Young Stribling | DQ | 4 (15) | 18 Nov 1929 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 15 | Win | 14–1 | Jack Stanley | TKO | 1 (8) | 17 Oct 1929 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England | |
| 14 | Win | 13–1 | Hermann Jaspers | KO | 3 (10) | 18 Sep 1929 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 13 | Win | 12–1 | Feodor Nikolaeff | KO | 1 (10) | 30 Aug 1929 | Garage de Normandie, Dieppe, France | |
| 12 | Win | 11–1 | Joe Thomas | TKO | 4 (10) | 25 Aug 1929 | Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, France | |
| 11 | Win | 10–1 | Jose Lete | UD | 10 | 14 Aug 1929 | Estadio Municipal de Atocha, San Sebastián, Spain | |
| 10 | Win | 9–1 | Jack Humbeeck | TKO | 6 (10) | 26 Jun 1929 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 9 | Win | 8–1 | Marcel Nilles | TKO | 3 (10) | 30 May 1929 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 8 | Win | 7–1 | Moise Bouquillon | PTS | 10 | 22 May 1929 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France | |
| 7 | Loss | 6–1 | Franz Diener | DQ | 1 (10) | 28 Apr 1929 | Messehalle, Leipzig, Germany | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Ernst Roesemann | TKO | 5 (8) | 18 Jan 1929 | Berlin Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Constant Barrick | KO | 3 (10) | 1 Dec 1928 | Vélodrome d'Hiver, Paris, France | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Epifanio Islas | UD | 10 | 25 Nov 1928 | Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Salvatore Ruggirello | TKO | 4 (10) | 30 Oct 1928 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Joe Thomas | KO | 3 (10) | 25 Sep 1928 | Cirque de Paris, Paris, France | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Leon Sebilo | TKO | 2 (10) | 12 Sep 1928 | Salle Wagram, Paris, France |
Championships and accomplishments
Boxing
- International Boxing Union
- IBU Heavyweight Championship (22 October 1933 – 21 June 1935; vacated)
- National Boxing Association
- NBA World Heavyweight Championship (29 June 1933 – 14 June 1934)
- New York State Athletic Commission
- NYSAC World Heavyweight Championship (29 June 1933 – 14 June 1934)
Professional wrestling
- NWA Hollywood Wrestling
- NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobo Brazil
- NWA San Francisco
- NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) – with Sandor Szabo
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019)
See also
In Spanish: Primo Carnera para niños
- Walk of Fame of Italian sport
- List of heavyweight boxing champions
