Primo Carnera
| Primo Carnera | |
|---|---|
Primo Carnera
|
|
| Statistics | |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Reach | 216 cm (85 in) |
| Nationality |
 Italian |
| Born |
October 26, 1906 Sequals, Italy |
| Died | June 29, 1967 (aged 60) Sequals, Italy |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 103 |
| Wins | 89 |
| Wins by KO | 72 |
| Losses | 14 |
| Draws | 0 |
| No contests | 0 |
Primo Carnera (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpriːmo karˈnɛːra]; October 26, 1906 – June 29, 1967), nicknamed the Ambling Alp, was an Italian professional boxer and the World Heavyweight Champion from June 29, 1933, to June 14, 1934.
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 March 13, 1939, Carnera married Giuseppina Kovačič (1913–1980).
In 1953 they became American citizens. They settled in Los Angeles, where Carnera opened a restaurant and a liquor store. They had two children, one of whom became a medical doctor.
Carnera died in 1967 in his native town of a combination of liver disease and complications from diabetes.
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).
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. Though an inch shorter than Willard, he was around 40 lb heavier and was the heaviest champion in boxing history.
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".
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