Mario D'Agata


Mario D'Agata was an Italian professional boxer, who was the first, and so far only, deaf world champion in boxing. He was a lineal, European, and Italian bantamweight champion.

Early life

D'Agata was born on 29 May 1926, in Arezzo, Italy. He had a tough childhood as a consequence of his disabilities, the victim of taunting from fellow school children. Feeling the need to prove himself equal, he resorted to street fighting as a way to demonstrate his equality. D'Agata was one of three children to be born deaf in his family. His parents moved him from Tuscany to Rome at an early age, hoping to find doctors who would cure him.
One afternoon he noticed a poster of a boxer adorning the door to a boxing gym. Upon entering he was enamored with how the boxers practiced their fighting in a polished, stylized way. D'Agata was drawn into boxing from that moment on. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, however, D'Agata had to wait until he was 20 years old to fight as an amateur. In 1946, he began an amateur career that saw him win 90 out of 110 bouts.

Professional career

On 14 October 1950, D'Agata turned professional, defeating Giuseppe Saladari by a decision in six rounds. He built a record of 10–0 with 1 knockout before suffering his first loss, at the hands of Romolo Re, 2 August 1951, by a decision in ten. Another loss to Re would follow, but D'Agata was able to build a 19–3–2 record with 4 knockouts before challenging for the Italian bantamweight title, on 26 September 1953, beating Gianni Zuddas by a disqualification in round nine to claim the belt. After five more wins, he travelled to Tunisia, where he met the future world champion Robert Cohen, losing a ten-round decision. After two more wins, he embarked on what would have been a long tour of Australia, a trip cut short after three wins when he was shot by his associate.
D'Agata then returned to Italy, where he was no longer recognized as champion. On 25 May 1955, he defeated Arthur Emboule by decision in eight rounds, in his first bout after the shooting. After eight more wins in a row, he was given a shot at the European bantamweight title by Andre Valignat on 29 October of the same year, and he defeated Valignat by a fifth round disqualification.
On 29 June 1956, D'Agata finally received his world title opportunity, when former conqueror Cohen gave him a chance to win the world bantamweight title in Rome. D'Agata made his dream come true by knocking Cohen out in six rounds in front of 38,000 fans, many of whom rushed to the ring the moment the fight was over, carrying D'Agata out of the ring on their arms. With that win, D'Agata made history as the first deaf world champion of boxing.
D'Agata went to Paris to defend his title for the first time, on 1 April 1957, against local challenger Alphonse Halimi. Special lights had been set specially for this fight, so that D'Agata, who could not hear the bell after each round, would be able to tell when each round was finished. These lights would flash the moment the bell rang. There was a storm on the day of the fight, which was held in an open-air area. Lightning struck one of the special lights in round three, and D'Agata was struck by sparkles, suffering a burned neck and back. It was decided the fight would go on, and D'Agata tried to defy the odds for the remaining of the fight, but he lost the title by a fifteen-round decision.
D'Agata never received a rematch from Halimi. He then fought on with mixed success, until 1 August 1962, when he announced his retirement. He was able to stay away from boxing for the rest of his life.

Legacy

D'Agata became an example to many in his native Italy, where some boxing fans still regard him as a hero. In addition to enduring disabilities, he also survived an attempt on his life before becoming a world champion, after being shot in the chest by a business partner in Australia, on 12 February 1955. This cost him a shot at the world bantamweight title, at the time held by Raul Macias.

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound,timeDateAgeLocationNotes
67Loss54–10–3Federico ScarponiPTS12Jul 19, 1962Roma, ItalyFor vacant Italy bantamweight title
66Win54–9–3Andre GasperiniPTS8Mar 27, 1962PalaLido, Milan, Italy
65Win53–9–3Ugo MilanTKO6 Jan 19, 1962Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy
64Win52–9–3Francisco CarrenoPTS8Nov 24, 1961Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy
63Win51–9–3Lazaro ben LayachiKO6 Oct 27, 1961Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy
62Loss50–9–3Jackie BrownPTS10Jun 9, 1960Firhill Park, Glasgow, Scotland
61Loss50–8–3Freddie GilroyPTS10Sep 15, 1959Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England
60Loss50–7–3José BecerraRTD10 Feb 5, 1959Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
59Loss50–6–3Piero RolloPTS15Oct 12, 1958Stadio Amsicora, Cagliari, ItalyLost EBU and Italy bantamweight titles
58Win50–5–3Mimoun Ben AliPTS10Sep 13, 1958Cagliari, Italy
57Win49–5–3Michel LamoraKO4 Feb 13, 1958Napoli, Italy
56Win48–5–3Roger CappatoPTS10Dec 26, 1957Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy
55Win47–5–3Jean RenardKO7 Dec 10, 1957Teatro Duse, Bergamo, Italy
54Win46–5–3Federico ScarponiKO8, 2:30Oct 27, 1957Stadio Amsicora, Cagliari, ItalyWon vacant EBU bantamweight title
53Win45–5–3Roland RoyTKO7 Jun 28, 1957Cornigliano Stadio del Littorio, Genoa, Italy
52Loss44–5–3Alphonse HalimiPTS15Apr 1, 1957Palais des Sports, Paris, FranceLost NYSAC and The Ring bantamweight titles
51Draw44–4–3Robert TartariPTS10Dec 8, 1956Palais des Expositions, Geneva, Switzerland
50Win44–4–2Juan CardenasPTS10Oct 27, 1956Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy
49Win43–4–2Robert CohenTKO7 Jun 29, 1956Stadio Olimpico, Roma, ItalyWon NYSAC and The Ring bantamweight titles
48Win42–4–2Jesus Lucas RubioPTS10May 18, 1956Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy
47Win41–4–2Jesus Lucas RubioPTS10Mar 21, 1956Teatro Mariani, Ravenna, Italy
46Win40–4–2Little CezarSD10Jan 21, 1956Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila, Philippines
45Win39–4–2Andre ValignatDQ5, 2:02Oct 29, 1955Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, ItalyWon vacant EBU bantamweight title
44Win38–4–2Jean KidyRTD5 Oct 15, 1955Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy
43Win37–4–2Pedro ParisKO3 Sep 15, 1955Bologna, Italy
42Win36–4–2Jose Luis MartinezKO8 Aug 18, 1955Messina, Italy
41Win35–4–2Mohamed FaridTKO4, 1:45Aug 9, 1955Arena Flegrea, Napoli, Italy
40Win34–4–2Jose CrespoKO5 Jul 30, 1955Bari, Italy
39Win33–4–2Henri SchmidPTS10Jul 21, 1955Prato, Italy
38Win32–4–2Robert MeunierPTS10Jun 28, 1955Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy
37Win31–4–2Assane FakyhRTD4 Jun 13, 1955Livorno, Italy
36Win30–4–2Arthur EmbouleRTD8 May 25, 1955Stadio di Torino-Esposizioni, Torino, Italy
35Win29–4–2Billy PeacockPTS12Dec 10, 1954West Melbourne Stadium, Victoria, Melbourne
34Win28–4–2Bobby SinnPTS12Nov 19, 1954West Melbourne Stadium, Victoria Melbourne
33Win27–4–2Alex BollaertTKO5 Oct 1, 1954Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy
32Win26–4–2Andre ValignatPTS10Jul 31, 1954Arezzo, Italy
31Win25–4–2Emile ChemamaPTS10Jun 12, 1954Stade de la Pépinière, Tunis, Tunisia
30Loss24–4–2Robert CohenUD10May 15, 1954Stade de la Pépinière, Tunis, Tunisia
29Win24–3–2Kid AndreTKO10 Apr 30, 1954Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy
28Win23–3–2Giovanni ZuddasPTS12Apr 10, 1954Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, ItalyRetained Italy bantamweight title
27Win22–3–2Luigi FasuloRTD4 Jan 23, 1954Napoli, ItalyRetained Italy bantamweight title
26Draw21–3–2Andre ValignatPTS10Nov 15, 1953Palais de la Mutualité, Paris, France
25Win21–3–1Pierre Gress GydeTKO6 Oct 30, 1953Pavillon des Sports, Geneva, Switzerland
24Win20–3–1Giovanni ZuddasDQ9 Sep 26, 1953Teatro Politeama Universale, Arezzo, ItalyWon vacant Italy bantamweight title
23Win19–3–1Arthur EmboulePTS10Jul 6, 1953Arezzo, Italy
22Win18–3–1Edmond MolettoPTS10Mar 30, 1953Arezzo, Italy
21Win17–3–1Jacques LouniPTS10Jan 15, 1953Teatro Politeama Universale, Arezzo, Italy
20Win16–3–1Giuseppe D'AugustaPTS10Dec 26, 1952Milan, Italy
19Win15–3–1Gaetano AnnaloroDQ7 Nov 26, 1952Teatro Nazionale, Milan, Italy
18Win14–3–1Rino StiacciniPTS6Nov 7, 1952Florence, Italy
17Win13–3–1Enzo GanaduRTD3 Jun 11, 1952Milan, Italy
16Loss12–3–1Renato DentiDQ5 May 17, 1952Florence, Italy
15Win12–2–1Giuliano CatiniTKO2 Feb 20, 1952Florence, Italy
14Loss11–2–1Kid ArcelliPTS10Dec 28, 1951Siena, Italy
13Win11–1–1Luigi FasuloTKO3 Nov 30, 1951Arezzo, Italy
12Draw10–1–1Giuseppe D'AugustaPTS8Sep 29, 1951Catania, Italy
11Loss10–1Kid ArcelliPTS10Aug 2, 1951Florence, Italy
10Win10–0Arturo PaolettiDQ7 Jun 22, 1951Arezzo, Italy
9Win9–0Tino CardinalePTS8May 31, 1951Florence, Italy
8Win8–0Benito Giovanni FattoriPTS8May 2, 1951Arezzo, Italy
7Win7–0Arturo PeraticiPTS8Feb 28, 1951Arezzo, Italy
6Win6–0Giovanni CapobianchiPTS8Jan 31, 1951Cinema Teatro Goldoni, Florence, Italy
5Win5–0Pietro CesariniDQ2 Jan 12, 1951Cinema Teatro Pucci, San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy
4Win4–0Gaudenzio CaruttiTKO4 Dec 16, 1950Montevarchi, Italy
3Win3–0Settimio MarabittiPTS6Nov 4, 1950Roma, Italy
2Win2–0Settimio MarabittiPTS6Oct 28, 1950Arezzo, Italy
1Win1–0Giuseppe SalardiPTS6Oct 14, 1950Siena, Italy