Tony Galento
| Tony Galento | |
|---|---|
Galento in November, 1938
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|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Dominick Anthony Galento |
| Nickname(s) | Two Ton Tony |
| Rated at | Heavyweight |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Reach | 175 cm (69 in)? |
| Nationality |
 American
|
| Born |
March 12, 1910 Orange, New Jersey, United States |
| Died | July 22, 1979 (aged 69) Orange, New Jersey, United States |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 112 |
| Wins | 80 |
| Wins by KO | 57 |
| Losses | 26 |
| Draws | 5 |
| No contests | 1 |
Domenico Antonio Galento (March 12, 1910 – July 22, 1979) was an American heavyweight boxer. Nicknamed "Two Ton" for his reasoning to his manager for being nearly late to one of his fights: "I had two tons of ice to deliver on my way here". Galento was one of the most colorful fighters in the history of the sport. He wrestled an octopus, and boxed a kangaroo as publicity stunts for his fights. He also boxed a 550 lb. (250 kg) bear, as a stage attraction.
Galento was a "no holds barred" brawler, with a wicked left hook, who never let such niceties as the ring rules, or sportsmanship, interfere with his goal to knock out the other fighter. During his prime years as a boxer, Galento owned and operated a bar named "The Nut Club" in Orange, New Jersey. He was reputed to do his roadwork (training) after he closed the bar at 2:00 a.m.. When asked why he trained at night, Galento replied, "Cuz I fight at night." Galento was also known to refrain from showering to encourage body odor in a strategy to distract his opponent. Max Baer commented "He smelled of rotten tuna and a tub of old liquor being sweated out".
Galento, who claimed to be 5'9 (177 cm) tall, liked to weigh in at about 235 lb (107 kg) for his matches. He achieved this level of fitness by eating whatever, whenever he wanted. A typical meal for Galento consisted of six chickens, a side of spaghetti, all washed down with a half gallon of red wine, or beer, or both at one sitting. When he did go to training camp, he foiled his trainer's attempts to modify his diet, and terrorized his sparring partners by eating their meals in addition to his.
He was reputed to train on beer, and allegedly ate 52 hot dogs on a bet before facing heavyweight Arthur DeKuh. Galento was supposedly so bloated before the fight that the waist line of his trunks had to be slit for him to fit into them. Galento claimed that he was sluggish from the effects of eating all those hot dogs, and that he could not move for three rounds. Nevertheless, Galento knocked out the 6'3" (192 cm) DeKuh with one punch, a left hook, in the fourth round.
On June 28, 1939 Galento fought for the heavyweight championship of the world against Joe Louis. At this time, Louis was heavily favored (8 to 1) to stop Galento. Galento was not impressed. In a pre-fight interview, Galento summed up his perspective on the fight as follows:
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