The myth who renewed Italian boxing in the post-war period with his exploits has passed away. At the age of 87, Nino Benvenuti (his full first name was Giovanni) has died: an icon of the ring who won the hearts of fans with his victories.
The launching pad for the young Istrian, then Triestine by adoption, was in the Roman Olympics in which he won the gold medal before moving on to a super career among the professionals in which he managed to become superwelter and middleweight world champion. For tricolour boxing, the nights of the two matches he won over his fiercest Italian rival Sandro Mazzinghi remain iconic. How can we forget the world battles in New York with Emile Griffith, the beautiful victory over the American Rodriguez in Rome with a precise and powerful “hook” that remained an unforgettable flash. Then his career collided with the power and qualities of another super champion, the Argentine Carlos Monzon.
It was a fatal defeat, but one that did not affect the memory of his countless fans of a technically excellent boxer, but also of a delightful and intelligent person, who, with great gentility, managed to make himself appreciated humanly even by his opponents in the ring.
(Gianfranco Troina)
