Mario "Marty" Severino (November 3, 1919 – February 9, 1969) was a professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

who held the undisputed world welterweight championship being the

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NYSAC The New York State Athletic Commission or NYSAC, also known as the New York Athletic Commission, is a division of the New York State Department of State which regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of New York, i ...

, and ''The Ring'' welterweight titles. Servo began boxing in the mid-1930s. He became a professional boxer in 1938 and was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1989.

Amateur career

Servo had an impressive amateur career. He captured the Golden Gloves and Diamond Belt Featherweight titles, and ended his career with an impressive record of 91-4.

Professional career

He turned professional as a lightweight and, in his first three years as a professional boxer, managed a 42–0–2 record. As a welterweight he lost two close decisions to the legendary

Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarded ...

. Servo’s boxing career was interrupted by service in the

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during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He resumed his career after the War and won the World Welterweight Title by knocking out Freddie "Red" Cochrane in the fourth round on February 1, 1946. Servo and his manager,

Al Weill Armand "Al" Weill (December 28, 1893 – October 20, 1969) was a boxing manager. Background Weill moved to the United States from his birthplace of France at the age of 13. In his early years, he began working as a professional ballroom dancer ...

, then made a bad career decision. He agreed to fight the middleweight contender

Rocky Graziano Thomas Rocco Barbella (January 1, 1919 – May 22, 1990), better known as Rocky Graziano, was an American professional boxer and actor who held the World Middleweight title. Graziano is considered one of the greatest knockout artists in boxing hi ...

in a non-title match. Graziano was a big favorite in

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and the bout was seen as a big money fight. The two fought on March 29, 1946. This bout effectively finished Servo as a top-line fighter. The heavier and stronger Graziano knocked Servo out and severely injured his nose. Servo never recovered from the injuries and he was forced to relinquish his title and retire. His final ring record, including a knockout loss suffered in an ill-advised comeback attempt, was 48 wins (15

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

s), 4 losses and 2 draws.

Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Servo, Marty American boxers of Italian descent 1919 births 1969 deaths Welterweight boxers Sportspeople from Schenectady, New York American male boxers United States Coast Guard personnel of World War II

Amateur career

Professional career

Professional boxing record

See also

References

External links