This fight features two more really good boxers who have been somewhat forgotten as time goes by…..but both were world champions who in any other era than the golden age of boxing might have very well been considered great fighters…..so I enjoy paying homage to those who were really outstanding that time has forgotten….and Vito Antuofermo’s career of 50 wins 7 losses 2 draws with 21 KO’s….along with Hugo Corro’s career of 50 wins 7 losses 2 draws with 26 KO’s puts both these guys on my really good (almost great) boxers during the golden age of boxing…..as they deserve recognition for their skills and talents in the ring.
Hugo Corro was a former boxer from Argentina….who was world middleweight champion….as Corro beat Rodrigo Valdez for the world middleweight title….and he would beat Valdez in a rematch. Valdez had succeeded Carlos Monzón as world champion….and since Monzon had beaten Valdez twice also during his period as champion….the comparisons between Corro and Monzon became inevitable. The fact that Corro went to Europe to defend his title was another common trait he shared with Monzon….as Corro’s championship reign would ultimately prove to be inferior to Monzon’s however, as Corro defended his title successfully only twice….while Monzon retained the crown for a then record of fourteen times.
Hugo Corro began fighting as a professional on August 30, 1973, with a sixth round knockout victory against Gustavo Dieff ….then he had a draw (tie) against Pedro Pablo Bazan during his second fight….then Corro reeled off three consecutive knockout wins….before facing Bazan in a rematch on December 7….and in his last fight of 1973….Corro was declared winner when Bazan was disqualified in the fourth round. Corro won one more fight, and then, he fought ten rounds for the first time in his career….when he defeated Ramon Roberts by a ten round decision on February 6, 1974. After another victory, he fought Juan Carlos Artaza on July 17. From a status standpoint, the fight had little significance, since Artaza only had two previous bouts….and he had lost both of them. But this was Corro’s first fight outside Tunuyan. He beat Artaza by a ten round decision in San Juan. After one more win, he faced Hugo Saavedra, then a well established middleweight contender, on November 11. Saavedra gave Corro his first defeat when he knocked out the future champion in the eighth round.
Corro rebounded with a sixth round knockout win over Hugo Obregon on March 7, 1975….which marked the beginning of a thirteen fight winning streak….including a rematch with Roberts….whom he knocked out in six on July 4….followed by two more fights with Obregon….which both ended with Corro winning ten round decisions….then a victory by decision in ten against Norberto Cabrera….and two more fights against Saavedra.
His first rematch with Saavedra, on September 27, marked Corro’s Buenos Aires debut…..as Corro was able to avenge his first defeat when he outpointed Saavedra over ten rounds. Their third bout, held on March 5, 1976 at Córdoba ended when Saavedra was disqualified in the tenth round. After a win against Roque Roldan….Corro met Norberto Cabrera for a second time. On May 21, he lost to Cabrera by a ten round decision, in Buenos Aires….but Corro once again bounced back well by winning his next seven fights by knockout….including a rematch with Juan Carlos Artaza….who was beaten in round ten on September 10. On December 10, he got his first shot at a title when he fought Julio Medina for the vacant Argentine middleweight title….as Corro won the national championship by knocking Medina out in round three of a fight that was scheduled for twelve rounds. After two victories over Rodolfo Rosales, Corro had his first fight abroad, boxing against Marcelo Quinones on May 9, 1977 for the south american middleweight title in Lima, Peru….where he won by decision over Quinones…..a win which earned him a spot among the world’s top ten middleweight challengers for the first time.
Corro followed that win with seven more victories….including title defenses of both his Argentine and his South American middleweight titles….before he got his first opportunity at becoming world champion: on April 22, 1978….when Corro became the undisputed world middleweight champion by beating Valdez by a fifteen round decision in Italy. His first world title defense came against Ronnie Harris….whom he outpointed over fifteen rounds….after which he retained the title in his rematch with Valdez by a fifteen round decision at Buenos Aires. He traveled to Monte Carlo to face Vito Antuofermo for his third world title defense…..as seen in this video herewith…..which he lost the title in reality by only one point….as Antuofermo beat him by a split decision. Asked about the fight during the press conference that proceeded it….Corro answered “I only had one problem, his head”. By saying this, he meant that he felt Antuofermo butted him many times during the contest.
After winning one more fight and losing another one, Corro decided to retire for the first time in 1981. Inspired by the relative success of his much younger brother Osvaldo, a contender during the late 1980’s, however, Hugo attempted a comeback during 1988. He made some headlines after winning his first two bouts, but he lost three of his next four bouts, with one draw. On September 16 of ’88 he lost to another famous Argentine boxer, Juan Roldán, by knockout in round one. After losing by knockout in four rounds to Hugo Antonio Corti on February 17 of 1989….as Corro retired from boxing for good.
Corro had a record of 50 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws as a professional boxer, with 29 wins by way of knockout.
Vito Antuofermo is an Italian American retired professional boxer…..who was a former undisputed world middleweight champion…..as one of the things for which Antuofermo was known was his propensity to bleed easily….especially around the eyebrows….cuz in between rounds in his fights…..more attention was given to patching up cuts on Vito’s face as it was giving him advice and instructions.
In 1979, Antuofermo became world middleweight champion by beating defending champion Hugo Corro by a decision in 15 rounds at Monte Carlo. According to an article on Ring Magazine….when Howard Cosell….who was working on that fight’s live broadcast to the USA….was telling viewers that Corro was, in his opinion, way ahead on the judges’ cards…..when someone on the American television crew found out it was Antuofermo who was actually leading on the cards….and if you listen closely during this fight….you will hear Cosell begin to say he had Antuofermo ahead.
Antuofermo defended his title against Marvelous Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas, Nevada….in a fight resulting in a controversial 15-round draw….in another fight that Bone Daddy has in his boxing library. In his next defense against Alan Minter….he lost the title by a 15-round split decision. They had a rematch in London where Minter retained the crown by a TKO (on cuts) in eight rounds. Antuofermo kept fighting and winning and after Hagler won the title from Minter in 1980….he gave Vito another chance to regain the world middleweight championship. In front of full house at Boston Garden in Hagler’s home town of Boston…..and this time Antuofermo lost by a TKO on cuts in the fourth round.
