Young Corbett III
| Young Corbett III | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Raffaele Giordano |
| Nickname(s) | "Young Corbett III" |
| Rated at |
Welterweight Middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 7 1⁄2 in (171 cm) |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | May 27, 1905 Rionero in Vulture, Basilicata, Italy |
| Died | July 15, 1993 (aged 88) Auberry, California, United States |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 155 |
| Wins | 121 |
| Wins by KO | 32 |
| Losses | 12 |
| Draws | 22 |
Young Corbett III (born Raffaele Giordano, May 27, 1905 – July 15, 1993) was an Italian-born American boxer. He was the World Welterweight Champion in 1933 and the NYSAC Middleweight champion in 1938. A tough southpaw, he did not have strong punching power but was known for his great speed. Corbett is considered one of the greatest southpaws of all time.
He was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1959, the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1982, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
Born in Rionero in Vulture, in the Italian region of Basilicata, from Vito Giordano and Gelsomina Capobianco, he moved with his family to the United States when he was still an infant and was erroneously registered as Raffaele Capabianca Giordano. After four years of living in Pittsburgh, he moved to Fresno, California, and began boxing in 1919 while still a 14-year-old "newsboy." Initially known as Ralph Giordano, he got his stage name when a ring announcer told him he would not present him as Ralph Giordano and dubbed him "Young Corbett III" because his fighting style reminded him of William J. Rothwell, known as Young Corbett II.
Corbett fought many great fighters of his era. For example, he engaged in a four-fight series with future welterweight champion Young Jack Thompson, winning three and drawing once. He also scored wins over Jack Zivic, Sgt. Sammy Baker, and welterweight champion Jackie Fields and future middleweight king Ceferino Garcia.
On February 22, 1933, Corbett captured the welterweight championship of the world by decisioning Jackie Fields over 10 rounds. He hurt his left thumb in the fifth round but continued to fight undaunted. The referee Jack Kennedy remembered Corbett as "vicious in those first five rounds. He ripped him like a tiger. Fields could not protect himself". Three months later, he was dethroned by Hall of Famer Jimmy McLarnin via a one-round knockout.
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