Carmen Basilio (born Carmine Basilio, April 2, 1927 – November 7, 2012) was an American professional boxer who was a two-time Undisputed Welterweight Champion and Undisputed Middleweight champion, beating Sugar Ray Robinson for the latter title. Basilio combined technical ability with an aggressive approach; although capable of boxing strategically, he was generally inclined to engage opponents in close-range exchanges. An iron-chinned pressure fighter, Basilio was a combination puncher who had great stamina and eventually wore many of his opponents down with vicious attacks to the head and body.
In 1957, The Ring magazine named Basilio Fighter of the Year and he won the Hickok Belt, a trophy that was awarded to the top professional athlete of the year. The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1955 and 1957. Basilio also holds the distinction of being in The Ring magazine's Fight of the Year in five consecutive years (1955–59), a feat unmatched by any other boxer.
In 2002, Basilio was voted by The Ring magazine as the 40th greatest fighter of the last 80 years. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.
Basillio was born and raised in Canatota, New York. His parents were Italian immigrants, and he was one of ten children. His family owned an onion farm where he worked during his youth, his family faced economic difficulties as many immigrant families did during the Depression-era and World War II years. This upbringing instilled in Basilio a strong sense of toughness and resilience.
After high school, Basilio enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. While stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, he began boxing for the Marines, competing in inter-service bouts. This military experience gave him discipline and introduced him to a structured fighting environment that would set the stage for his professional career. Then after receiving an honorable discharge and heading back home Basilio started his professional boxing career.
Basilio began his professional boxing career by facing Jimmy Evans on November 24, 1948, in Binghamton, New York. He knocked Evans out in the third round, and five days later he beat Bruce Walters in only one round. By the end of 1948, he had completed four bouts.
He started 1949 with two draws, against Johnny Cunningham on January 5 and against Jay Perlin 20 days later. Basilio campaigned exclusively inside the state of New York during his first 24 bouts, going 19-3-2 during that span. His first loss was at the hands of Connie Thies, who beat him in a six-round decision on May 2, 1949. He fought Cunningham three more times during that period. Basilio won by knockout in two rounds on their second meeting, Cunningham won by a decision in eight in their third fight, and Basilio won by a decision in eight in their fourth.
In the middle of that 24-bout span, 1950 rolled over and Basilio met former world champion Lew Jenkins, winning a 10-round decision.
For fight number 25, Basilio decided that it was time to campaign outside of New York state, so he went to New Orleans, where he boxed his next six fights. In his first bout there, he met Gaby Ferland, who held him to a draw. He and Ferland later had a rematch, Basilio winning by a knockout in the first round. He also boxed Guillermo Giminez there twice, first beating him by knockout in eight and then by knockout in nine. In his last fight before returning home, he lost by a decision in 10 to Eddie Giosa.
For his next seven bouts, Basilio only went 3–3–1, but he was able to avenge his loss to Giosa by winning a ten-round decision over him in Syracuse.
In 1952, Basilio went 6–2–1. He beat Jimmy Cousins among others that year, but he lost to Chuck Davey and Billy Graham. The draw he registered that year was against Davey in the first of the two meetings that year.
In 1953. Basilio started winning big fights and rose in the welterweight division rankings. He secured his first world title fight, against Cuba's Kid Gavilán for Gavilán's world welterweight championship.
Before fighting against Gavilan, he beat former world lightweight champion Ike Williams and had two more fights with Graham, avenging his earlier loss to Graham in the second bout between them with a 12-round decision win and drawing in the third. Basilio lost a 15-round decision to Gavilan and went for a fourth meeting with Cunningham, this time winning by a knockout in four. Then he and French fighter Pierre Langois began another rivalry with a 10-round draw in the first bout between the two.
In 1954, Basilio went undefeated in eight bouts, going 7-0-1 with 2 knockouts and defeating Langois in their rematch by decision.
In 1955, Basilio began by beating Peter Müller by decision. After that, Basilio was once again the number one challenger, and on June 10 of that year he received his second world title try, against world welterweight champion Tony DeMarco. Basilio became world champion by knocking out DeMarco in the 12th round.
After winning the title, Basilio had two non-title bouts, including a ten-round decision win over Gil Turner, before he and DeMarco met again, this time with Basilio as the defending world champion. Their second fight had exactly the same result as their first bout: Basilio won by a knockout in 12.
For his next fight, in 1956, Basilio lost the title in Chicago to Johnny Saxton by a decision in 15. Saxton's manager, mafioso Frank "Blinky" Palermo", was later jailed along with his partner Frankie Carbo for fixing fights. Basilio said of losing his title to the referees' decision: "It was like being robbed in a dark alley." In an immediate rematch that was fought in Syracuse, Basilio regained the crown with a nine-round knockout, and then, in a rubber match, Basilio kept the belt with a knockout in two.
After that, he went up in weight and challenged ageing 36- year-old world middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson, in what may have been his most famous fight. He won the middleweight championship of the world by beating Robinson in a 15-round split decision on September 23, 1957. The day after, he had to abandon the welterweight belt, in accordance with boxing's then rules. In January 1958, Basilio was awarded the Hickok Belt as the top professional athlete of the year for 1957.