Onion Picker : Carmen Basilio and Boxing in the 1950s - Gary B Youmans

Onion Picker

Carmen Basilio and Boxing in the 1950s

By: Gary B Youmans

Hardcover | 1 October 2007

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The early 1950's saw the sport of boxing develop into one of the most popular spectator sports in America. The medium of television provided the opportunity for fans to tune in each week, to watch the best fighters in the world battle on Gillette's Friday Night Fights. This decade so rich in culture was the backdrop for creating some of the most legendary champions of all time. Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Robinson, Kid Galivan, Jake LaMotta, Gene Fullmer, and a tough guy from Canastota, New York, Carmen Basilo.
On September 23, 1957, Carmen Basilo defeated Sugar Ray Robinson to win the middleweight championship of the world. His remarkable career is a story of survival and perseverance during a fascinating time in boxing history. Basilo's story celebrates the power of the human spirit to triumph over pain and self-doubt. A man of great integrity, Carmen Basilo would move up in weight class for the opportunity to challenge the great Ray Robinson for his title. His belief in himself and his insistence on being treated fairly is a testament to his core value of living an honorable life, one in which he refused to compromise his principles. His story and that of the other great champions of this 'Golden Era of Boxing,' is a fascinating look back at one of the most magical periods in sports history.

Industry Reviews
Youmans's descriptions of bouts, such as the legendary tussles with Boston hero Tony DeMarco, are enough to conjure vivid memories of the Gillette-sponsored 'Friday Night Fights,' on which Basilio would frequently appear. Thick with eye-catching photos, the book nails the brutish and criminal politics of the postwar fight game. To be a good boxer you have to have a type of mentality that is rare. You could say boxers are rare people and Carmen Basilio is the rarest of boxers. There has never been anyone quite like him. A stand-up guy who would outwork anybody to achieve his goal. He's number one in my book.

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