http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/players/tony_galento/75836 Recent articles about Tony Galento en-us October 26 is a significant date in the history of the Sweet Science, a day when one great heavyweight redeemed the name of another.  On that day in 1951, Joe Louis fought his final ring battle, defeated by Rocky Marciano; on the same day in 1970, Muhammad Ali returned to the arena following a three-year absence, scoring a win over Jerry Quarry. Joe Louis vs. Rocky Marciano -- October 26, 1951 Joe Louis - Public Domain Photo Joe Louis retired after his 1948 knockout of Jersey Joe Walcott.  With absolutely nothing more to prove, but in desperate need of money, Louis returned to the ring two years later.  The ill-advised comeback began inauspiciously enough, with Louis decisioned by Ezzard Charles.  It was the Brown Bomber's first defeat since 1936, when he'd been kayoed by Max Schmeling. Following his loss to Charles, Louis won his next eight bouts, scoring victories over such worthies as Cesar Brion, Lee Savold, and Jimmy Bivins.  Smooth sailing for the good sh... Fri, 26 Oct 2012 01:06:16 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/october_26_a_day_to_remember_for_heavyweight_greats_joe_louis_muhammad_ali/12059167 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/october_26_a_day_to_remember_for_heavyweight_greats_joe_louis_muhammad_ali/12059167 October 26: A day to remember for heavyweight greats Joe Louis & Muhammad Ali http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/october_26_a_day_to_remember_for_heavyweight_greats_joe_louis_muhammad_ali/12059167 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Boxing is known as the Sweet Science, but the adjectives "sour" and "bitter" have often been on the mark.  I'm referring to the number of sewer-dirty fights that have taken place over the decades -- matches to be remembered, however reluctantly and distastefully, for their unbecoming, unsportsmanlike, and downright criminal behavior. Here's what I consider the dirtiest, the foulest, fight in the sport's history. It's an infamous battle in which the foul, and crime, committed was particularly egregious. Luis Resto vs. Billy Collins Jr. (June 16, 1983) Welterweights Luis Resto (20-8-2, eight KOs) and Billy Collins Jr. (14-0-0, 11 KOs) faced each other at Madison Square Garden on the undercard of the Roberto Duran-Davey Moore bout.  To pretty much everyone's surprise, journeyman-fighter Resto won a 10-round unanimous decision. Suspicions aroused by the devastating injuries his son suffered to his face in general and eyes in particular, ... Mon, 15 Oct 2012 13:00:11 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/luis_resto_vs_billy_collins_jr_the_sweet_science_turned_sour/11968732 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/luis_resto_vs_billy_collins_jr_the_sweet_science_turned_sour/11968732 Luis Resto vs. Billy Collins Jr. – The Sweet Science turned sour http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/luis_resto_vs_billy_collins_jr_the_sweet_science_turned_sour/11968732 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png It's difficult not to have a soft spot for heavyweight Tony Galento (80-26-5, 57 KOs), who fought from 1928 to 1944.  He was a real character.  His training diet consisted of hot dogs, spaghetti and meatballs, and oceans of beer.  But "Galento the Great", as biographer Joseph G. Donovan called him, was anything but a clown. Short and fat, yes, but he was a powerful dockyard brawler with one of the best left hooks in the business.  He used it to knock Joe Louis off his feet in their championship bout.  Though the "Brown Bomber" beat him, of course, Galento took out some outstanding competition, including Al Ettore (in the eighth), Nathan Mann (in the second), and Lou Nova (in the 14th).  The latter was among the dirtiest fights in the history of the sport, Nova almost losing an eye to Galento's relentless gouging. There's no shortage of stories concerning the roly-poly New Jersey barman.  Legend has it, for instance, that he consumed 50 or... Sat, 13 Oct 2012 12:04:09 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/the_beef_trust_heavyweight_tournament_tony_galentos_3_fights_in_1_night/11954401 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/the_beef_trust_heavyweight_tournament_tony_galentos_3_fights_in_1_night/11954401 The ‘Beef Trust’ heavyweight tournament: Tony Galento’s 3 fights in 1 night http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/the_beef_trust_heavyweight_tournament_tony_galentos_3_fights_in_1_night/11954401 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png In rewatching Elia Kazan's 1954 classic, On the Waterfront, I was reminded that three of Joe Louis' so-called bums -- Tony Galento, Abe Simon, and Tami Mauriello (respectively, Truck, Barney, and Tullio in the film) -- constituted Johnny Friendly's muscle.  Friendly, portrayed by Lee J. Cobb, was the gangster in charge of the docks and Terry Malloy's (Marlon Brando's) nemesis.  But while Galento, Simon, and Mauriello may have been third-tier actors, they sure as hell weren't bums.  Joe Louis - Public Domain Photo From early 1939 to early 1942, as well as following his discharge from the Army, Louis took on in rapid succession the best the heavyweight division had to offer. While none of the opponents proved a match for the one-of-a-kind Brown Bomber, and henceforth became known as his Bum of the Month Club, they can hardly be considered two-bit club fighters -- they were rivet-tough and pros through and through. Truck 'Two Ton' Tony Gal... Sat, 06 Oct 2012 14:24:57 -0400 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/truck_barney_tullio_in_on_the_waterfront_3_men_who_took_on_joe_louis/11896078 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/truck_barney_tullio_in_on_the_waterfront_3_men_who_took_on_joe_louis/11896078 Truck, Barney & Tullio in On the Waterfront: 3 men who took on Joe Louis http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/truck_barney_tullio_in_on_the_waterfront_3_men_who_took_on_joe_louis/11896078 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The gritty mythology of boxing is the type of stuff that makes the modern "badasses" of sports look like wimpy dullards. Flipping off fans? 19th century answer: alpha heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan, who apparently never could hold his liquor, drunkenly stumbling to the ring to have a title defense against Charlie Mitchell in 1884 canceled before 6,000 heckling fans. Dog fighting? One better: Roberto "Manos de Piedra" Duran has claimed in many interviews to have punched and leveled a horse back in Panama for $150 when he was 18-years old. From Tony Galento, a bar-owner who slugged suds between rounds in his Detroit triple-header in 1931; to Kennedy McKinney entering rehab over and over, while fighting; to Oscar de la Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Joe Calzaghe getting caught in coke-binge stupors...this is not a game of saints. Even the seemingly straight-laced Manny Pacquiao was reported to have been staying out late to play pool and drink while in training ... Thu, 23 Feb 2012 19:55:11 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/victoria_aut_mors_mickey_walker_part_i/10085860 http://network.yardbarker.com/boxing/article_external/victoria_aut_mors_mickey_walker_part_i/10085860 Victoria Aut Mors: Mickey Walker (Part I) http://www.yardbarker.com/boxing/articles/victoria_aut_mors_mickey_walker_part_i/10085860 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png