Guerino "Goody" Petronelli (October 12, 1923 – January 29, 2012) was an American
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
trainer and co-manager.
With his brother Pasquale (Pat), Petronelli managed and trained world
middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
champion
Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler; May 23, 1954 – March 13, 2021) was an American professional boxer and film actor. He competed in boxing from 1973 to 1987 and reigned as the undisputed champion of the middleweight divisi ...
. His other fighters included
Robbie Sims
Robbie Sims (born November 5, 1959) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1996. He is the half-brother of former world middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
Professional career
He KOd an inexperienced Ira ...
,
Steve Collins
Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 1997. Known as the Celtic Warrior, Collins is the most successful male Irish boxer in recent professional boxing history, having held the WBO m ...
, and
Kevin McBride
Kevin Martin McBride (born 10 May 1973) is an Irish former professional boxerMcBr ...
. In 1983, the Petronellis received The Al Buck Award for Manager of the Year by the
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF), located in Canastota, New York, honors boxers, trainers and other contributors to the sport worldwide. Inductees are selected by members of the Boxing Writers Association of America. The I ...
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
. Petronelli was a successful amateur
welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...
boxer who retired from the
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
as a master chief after serving from 1941 to 1969. He grew up as a close friend of
Rocky Marciano
Rocco Francis Marchegiano (September 1, 1923 – August 31, 1969; ), better known as Rocky Marciano (, ), was an American professional boxer who competed from 1947 to 1955, and held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956. He is the only ...
. Both their fathers had emigrated from the
Abruzzo
Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...
region of
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. Petronelli was also a friend of Marciano's trainer, Allie Colombo.Hagler trainer Goody Petronelli dies at 88 ''Boston Globe'', January 31, 2012 (accessed February 2, 2012)
The Petronelli brothers opened their Brockton gym in 1969, the same year both Marciano and Colombo died (in a plane crash and an auto accident respectively.) Petronelli focused on training fighters, relying on his Navy medical experience as a cut man in the ring, while Pat mainly handled the business aspects, including fight scheduling and purse negotiations.
The teen-aged Hagler, who had moved with his mother from
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.AAU 165-pound champion in 1973. Though Hagler was a top-ranked
middleweight
Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional
In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to .
Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
title contender for most of the 1970s, the Petronellis found it difficult to line up high-profile opponents willing to risk facing him. Hagler's race and the fact that he was a Southpaw, and a good one at that, were cited as primary obstacles. The brothers often had to travel with Hagler to other fighters' hometowns for his bouts.
Petronelli and his brother finally got Hagler his shot at the WBA and WBC middleweight titles in 1979 against
Vito Antuofermo
Vito Antuofermo (; born February 9, 1953) is an Italian American actor and retired professional boxer. He is a former undisputed World Middleweight Champion.
Background
Antuofermo was born in Italy, in the town of Palo del Colle, about inland ...
in Las Vegas, where the fight was ruled a draw in a controversial 15-round decision. In 1980, after winning 50 of 54 pro fights, Hagler got his second chance at the crowns when he faced British fighter
Alan Minter
Alan Sydney Minter (17 August 19519 September 2020) was a British professional boxer who competed from 1972 to 1981. He held the undisputed middleweight title in 1980, having previously held the British middleweight title from 1975 to 1976, and ...
, who had earlier won the title from Antuofermo. Hagler bloodied Minter early, winning on a third-round TKO. The Petronellis would guide Hagler through 12 successful world title defenses over 7 years, including celebrated bouts against
Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight, as wel ...
and
Thomas Hearns
Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowed ...
, before he lost to
Sugar Ray Leonard
Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professiona ...
in another controversial judges' decision, a split verdict in Leonard's favor. It turned out to be Hagler's final fight.
Petronelli trained others who would fight in world title bouts:
World Boxing Organization
The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
middleweight and super middleweight champion
Steve Collins
Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 1997. Known as the Celtic Warrior, Collins is the most successful male Irish boxer in recent professional boxing history, having held the WBO m ...
; Hagler's brother,
United States Boxing Association
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) is one of four major organizations recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) which sanctions professional boxing bouts, alongside the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Counci ...
middleweight champion
Robbie Sims
Robbie Sims (born November 5, 1959) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 1996. He is the half-brother of former world middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler.
Professional career
He KOd an inexperienced Ira ...
, who lost to
Sumbu Kalambay
Patrizio Sumbu Kalambay (born 10 April 1956) is a Congolese-born Italian former professional boxer. A world champion and two-time title challenger, he held the WBA world middleweight title from 1987 until 1988.
Personal life
Kalambay was born ...
in 1988 for the WBA championship; and
Malawian
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Malawi, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Malawi de ...
light heavyweight
Drake Thadzi
Drake Thadzi (born November 23, 1964, in Lilongwe) is a Malawian former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 1998, twice challenging for a light heavyweight world title in 1995 and 1998. As am amateur, he competed at the 1984 Summer Olym ...
, who lost to
Virgil Hill
Virgil Eugene Hill (born January 18, 1964) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1984 to 2007, and in 2015. He is a two-weight world champion, having held the WBA light heavyweight title twice, from 1987 to 1997; the IBF a ...
in a WBA title bout in 1995.
Petronelli also trained his brother's son, Tony, who won the
North American Boxing Federation The North American Boxing Federation (NABF) is a not-for-profit regional sanctioning body that awards regional boxing titles. It is a boxing federation within the World Boxing Council (WBC).
History
The WBC established the NABF in 1969 as part of i ...
light welterweight
Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports.
Boxing Professional boxing
In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...
title in 1976;
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
super featherweight
Super featherweight, also known as junior lightweight, is a boxing weight classes, weight division in professional boxing, contested between and .
The super featherweight division was established by the New York Walker Law in 1920, although firs ...
Kevin McBride
Kevin Martin McBride (born 10 May 1973) is an Irish former professional boxerMcBr ...
, whose TKO victory ended Mike Tyson's career in 2006. They also worked with
heavyweight
Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling.
Boxing Professional
Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...
Peter McNeeley
Peter McNeeley (born October 6, 1968) is an American former heavyweight boxer, best known for his 1995 fight with Mike Tyson, before which McNeeley had said he would wrap Tyson in a "cocoon of horror." McNeeley fought aggressively but was kno ...
early in his career.
The Petronelli gym was located on Ward Street in Brockton, which the city renamed Petronelli Way in 1999. The city of Brockton honored the Petronelli brothers with the Historic Citizens Award in 2007.Pat Petronelli, 89; trainer had marvelous way with Hagler, many others ''Boston Globe'', September 10, 2011 (accessed February 2, 2012)
Tony Petronelli took over operating the Brockton gym, which closed in 2011. Tony relocated it to nearby Stoughton under the name Big East Boxing.
Death
Petronelli died January 29, 2012, in
Bourne
Bourne may refer to:
Places UK
* Bourne, Lincolnshire, a town
** Bourne Abbey
** Bourne railway station
* Bourne (electoral division), West Sussex
* Bourne SSSI, Avon, a Site of Special Scientific Interest near Burrington, North Somerset
* Bourne ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
of natural causes at age 88. His death came just months after the losses of his brother Pat, who died at age 89 from complications of a stroke on September 2, 2011, and Petronelli's wife of 67 years, Marian (Gorman) Petronelli, who died October 15, 2011, at age 84.Obituary for Marian J. Petronelli The Bridgewater (MA) Independent, October 17, 2011 (accessed February 2, 2012)