article by Nicola Pucci
In the long history of boxing champions, there are some boxers who acquire a very particular place. This is the case of Freddie Littlemustachioed American super welterweight from Picayune, a town in the state of Mississippi, who, alas Italians, has the undoubted merit of having closed Sandro Mazzinghi’s career at the highest level, then opening the equally golden parable of Carmelo Bossi.
Born in 1938, gymnastics teacher in New Orleans, Little turned professional in 1957, immediately displaying first-rate techniqueas the first rival faced among the “large“, that Joe Muscato who Freddie knocks out in the first round.
Effectively, Little has a punch that hurts, which allows him to collect a fair number of hits within the limit (at the end of his career it will be 31 out of 51 victories in 58 fights), before knowing the shame of the only defeat by knockout, put down by Norris Burse on July 7, 1958 at Coliseum Arena in New Orleans.
Burse will be defeated in the rematch, in Houston the following year, as well Little will also take revenge on Eddie Pace, who inflicts his third setback on January 31, 1966 up to that point, a feat previously achieved only by George Benton, on 18 October 1960 at Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans.
Ten years have now passed since the transition to professionalism, but to finally have a world chance Little had to wait until October 2, 1967 when he crossed gloves with Korean Kim Ki-Soo, holder of the WBA and WBC super welterweight belts. The challenge takes place at the champion’s home, al Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium of Seoul, and is resolved with the success of Kim, who retains the title thanks to the dubious decision of the referee and the second judge, both Korean, who subvert the verdict of the first judge, American, who had awarded Little a 9-point margin, by virtue of the two knockdowns suffered by the champion during the 11th round. And for Freddie, defeat really tastes like mockery.
A year passes and October 25, 1968, al Sports Hall From Rome, Little enters the ring again for a world championship opportunity, finding Sandro Mazzinghi in his path than five months earlier, in one Stadium of San Siro regurgitating Italian passion and in the presence of 60,000 spectators, had dethroned Kim Ki-Soo. This time, things aren’t going well for the Tuscan, if that’s true the champion is repeatedly hit by the American’s left hook, which tears both of Mazzinghi’s eyebrows, forced to the canvas in the third round. In the ninth round, the German referee Herbert Tomser stops the fight, but while everyone is waiting for a verdict in Little’s favour, incredibly, a “no-contest” is announced, which keeps the belt for the Italian boxer. A few days later, the WBC will take action, depriving Mazzinghi of the title “forfeited”, thus leaving the super welterweight belt vacant.
“Once a pope dies, another one is immediately created“, quotes the proverb. And here it is, Mazzinghi left the scene, another Italian boxer looms on the horizon of Little, who in the meantime finally conquers the world title, legitimately, defeating on 17 March 1969al Coliseum Center of Las Vegas, Stanley Hayward with unanimous verdict (73-63, 73-64 and 74-62 respectively on the cards of the three judges), and then defend it against the Japanese Hisao Minamiknocked out in the second round of a fight staged on September 9, 1969 at Prefectural Gymnasium of Osaka, and against the German Gerhard Piaskowydefeated on points on March 20, 1970 at Sportpalast di Schoenebergin Berlin.
From the top hat of that excellent organizer by the name of Rodolfo Sabbatini Carmelo Bossi, a 30-year-old from Milan, leaves, having already fought with Little, losing due to medical intervention in the third round, on 31 October 1969 al Sports Hall of Rome in a match without a title at stake. The wounds, however, have different weight, if there is a world championship belt at stake, and on 9 July 1970, in the suffocating heat of Stadio Sada of Monza, two boxers face each other who seem more worried about not taking them than giving them. The match is slow, rarefied, with two players studying each other, yes “they caress” with a few shots without ever giving the impression of decisively taking the initiative. And so, at the end of 15 certainly not shocking rounds, the verdict of the judges who unanimously declared Carmelo Bossi the super welterweight world champion certainly did not cause a stir.
Freddie Little’s career ends here, champion boxer who was the watershed between two Italians on the top of the world.