CANASTOTA, NY - MAY 21, 2025 - The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced its flags will fly at half-staff in memory of Olympic gold medalist, junior middleweight champion, middleweight champion and Hall of Famer Nino Benvenuti who passed away Tuesday at the age of 87.
“A national hero in Italy, Nino Benvenuti’s journey from the Olympic gold medal to world titles in two weight divisions thrilled fans around the world,” said Executive Director Edward Brophy. “The Hall of Fame offers our condolences to the Benvenuti family and joins the boxing world in mourning his passing.”
Born in Trieste, Italy, in 1960 Benvenuti won the Olympic welterweight gold medal and was awarded the Val Barker trophy as the outstanding boxer of the Games before turning pro the next year. He reigned as junior middleweight champion (1965-66) and twice as middleweight champion ( 1967 and 1968-70). His three middleweight title bouts with Hall of Famer Emile Griffith in which he won, lost and regained the title, is one of boxing’s most celebrated trilogies. Benvenuti retired with an 82-7-1 (35 KOs) record that includes wins over Don Fullmer, Fraser Scott, Luis Rodriguez and Tom Bethea.
In 1992, Benvenuti was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
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