Tony DeMarco

Last updated
Tony DeMarco
TDeMarco.JPG
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)
Stance Orthodox
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 Undisputed World Welterweight Champion. [2] Born to Sicilian immigrants from Sciacca (AG), Vincent and Giacomina, DeMarco grew up in the North End neighborhood of Boston.

Contents

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

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.

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

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. Phoenix-Tony DeMarco's Living Room Lounge-1930.JPG
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

71 fights58 wins12 losses
By knockout337
By decision255
Draws1
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes
71Win58–12–1Stefan RedlUD10Feb 6, 1962Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
70Win57–12–1 Don Jordan KO2 (10)Dec 19, 1961Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
69Loss56–12–1 Denny Moyer TKO2 (10)Feb 10, 1960Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
68Win56–11–1 Edward G. Connors UD10Apr 20, 1959Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
67Win55–11–1George MonroeTKO8 (10)Mar 11, 1959Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
66Loss54–11–1 Virgil Akins TKO12 (15)Jan 21, 1958Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.For Massachusetts world welterweight title
65Loss54–10–1 Virgil Akins KO14 (15)Oct 29, 1957Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.For vacant Massachusetts world welterweight title
64Win54–9–1Walter ByarsMD10May 25, 1957Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
63Win53–9–1 Larry Boardman UD10Mar 30, 1957Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
62Win52–9–1 Gaspar Ortega UD10Feb 9, 1957Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
61Loss51–9–1 Gaspar Ortega SD10Dec 21, 1956Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
60Loss51–8–1 Gaspar Ortega SD10Nov 23, 1956Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
59Win51–7–1 Kid Gavilán UD10Oct 13, 1956Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
58Win50–7–1Vince MartinezUD10Jun 16, 1956Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
57Win49–7–1Arthur PersleyUD10Apr 28, 1956Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
56Win48–7–1 Wallace Bud Smith TKO9 (10)Mar 5, 1956Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
55Loss47–7–1 Carmen Basilio TKO12 (15)Nov 30, 1955Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.For NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
54Win47–6–1Chico VejarTKO1 (10)Sep 14, 1955Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
53Loss46–6–1 Carmen Basilio TKO12 (15)Jun 10, 1955War Memorial Auditorium, Syracuse, New York, U.S.Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
52Win46–5–1 Johnny Saxton TKO14 (15)Apr 1, 1955Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring welterweight titles
51Draw45–5–1 Jimmy Carter PTS10Feb 11, 1955Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
50Win45–5Pat ManziTKO1 (10)Nov 6, 1954Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
49Win44–5 Chris Christensen TKO6 (10)Sep 25, 1954Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
48Win43–5 George Araujo TKO5 (10)Jul 12, 1954Fenway Park, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
47Win42–5Johnny CesarioUD10May 22, 1954Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
46Win41–5Carlos ChavezUD10Apr 24, 1954Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
45Win40–5Wilbur WilsonKO2 (10)Mar 15, 1954Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
44Win39–5Wilbur WilsonUD10Jan 18, 1954Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
43Win38–5 Teddy Davis UD10Dec 12, 1953Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
42Win37–5 Paddy DeMarco SD10Oct 10, 1953Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
41Win36–5Chick BoucherTKO6 (10)Sep 19, 1953Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
40Win35–5Bertie ConnTKO1 (10)Sep 10, 1953Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
39Win34–5Terry YoungTKO5 (10)Aug 3, 1953Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
38Win33–5Pat DemersTKO6 (10)Jul 18, 1953Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
37Win32–5Jimmy ReddingKO2 (8)Jun 25, 1953Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
36Win31–5Ken ParsleyKO6 (8)Jun 13, 1953Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
35Loss30–5Gene PoirierPTS8May 15, 1952Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
34Loss30–4Brian KellyUD8May 1, 1952Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
33Win30–3Puggy BrownKO5 (6)Mar 6, 1952Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
32Win29–3Jackie O'BrienSD8Mar 1, 1952Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
31Win28–3Abdoul AliKO2 (4)Feb 26, 1952Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
30Win27–3Freeman KingSD8Feb 18, 1952Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
29Win26–3Julio ColonKO3 (6)Jan 26, 1952 Ridgewood Grove, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
28Win25–3Llewellyn RichardsonPTS6Jan 15, 1952Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
27Win24–3Manny SantosTKO2 (6)Dec 17, 1951Arena, Trenton, New Jersey, U.S.
26Win23–3Joe TorrensPTS4Dec 7, 1951Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
25Win22–3Stanley HilliardKO4 (6)Nov 27, 1951Laurel Garden, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
24Win21–3Freeman KingSD6Oct 1, 1951Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
23Loss20–3Chick BoucherTKO4 (4)Mar 12, 1951Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
22Win20–2Reggie MartinaKO1 (4)Feb 19, 1951Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
21Win19–2Larry GriffinUD8Jan 18, 1951Exposition Building, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
20Win18–2Ken MurrayKO2 (8)Jan 11, 1951Exposition Building, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
19Win17–2Ken MurrayUD6Dec 11, 1950Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
18Win16–2Joe WrightUD6Oct 30, 1950Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
17Win15–2Des ShanleyUD4Oct 9, 1950Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
16Win14–2Bobby WeaverTKO3 (4)Sep 25, 1950Valley Arena, Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S.
15Win13–2Ricky FerreiraPTS6Sep 19, 1950Page Arena, New Bedford, Massachusetts, U.S.
14Win12–2Roger RinguetteTKO1 (4)Jul 10, 1950Braves Field, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
13Win11–2Bobby VealKO2 (6)Feb 20, 1950Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
12Loss10–2Art SuffolettaRTD5 (6)Jan 9, 1950New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
11Win10–1Frankie SteeleTKO3 (4)Dec 19, 1949Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
10Win9–1Frankie SteeleSD4Nov 14, 1949Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
9Win8–1Vic YoungTKO1 (6)Oct 21, 1949Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
8Loss7–1Jay WhitePTS6Oct 7, 1949Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
7Win7–0Roger LessardKO5 (6)Sep 12, 1949Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
6Win6–0Ray DulmaineRTD1 (6)Feb 17, 1949Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
5Win5–0Joe PalazaTKO2 (6)Jan 14, 1949Mechanics Building, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
4Win4–0George SilvaPTS6Dec 14, 1948North Street Arena, Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
3Win3–0Billy SheaTKO3 (4)Dec 10, 1948Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
2Win2–0Meteor JonesKO2 (4)Nov 16, 1948Salem Arena, Salem, Massachusetts, U.S.
1Win1–0Meteor JonesKO1 (6)Oct 21, 1948Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

The Ring magazine titles

Undisputed titles

See also

References

  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. ↑ "Nardo: Memoirs of a Boxing Champion - BoxRec".
  5. ↑ "Antonio DeMarco - Boxer". Archived from the original on 2015-06-16. Retrieved 2010-10-05.
  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. Archived from the original on 2019-01-29. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
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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