Vito Antuofermo


Vito Antuofermo 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 from the city of Bari. His family moved to the United States when he was 17 years old. Antuofermo learned how to fight in the tough areas of New York City. By his teens, he had made up his mind that he wanted to be a professional boxer.
He has lived in Howard Beach, Queens.

Amateur career

Antuofermo won the 1970 New York Golden Gloves Championship, defeating Thomas Chestnut in the finals. In 1971, Antuofermo was defeated by future Light Heavyweight Champion Eddie Gregory in the finals of the Open division. Antuofermo trained at the Police Athletic Leagues Sweeney Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Professional career

Antuofermo had a propensity to cut easily, especially around the eyebrows. In between rounds in his fights, as much attention was given to Vito patching up cuts on his 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 in The Ring, Howard Cosell, who was working on that fight's live broadcast to the US, 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, Cosell then began to say he had Antuofermo ahead. All three judges' scorecards were very close, each showing a tight, one-point margin: 143–142, 146–145 in Antuofermo's favor, and 146–145 in Corro's favor.
On the morning after winning the title, Antuofermo and his crew were driving to a small vacation in Italy, when he saw a car fly off a bridge under which they were passing. The car landed right in front of him, but luckily the accident did not injure any occupants in Antuofermo's car. He was so shocked that he kept driving and never found out what happened to the occupants of that car. He came back to his senses about 20 minutes later.
On November 30, 1979, Antuofermo defended his title against Marvelous Marvin Hagler in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fight resulting in a controversial 15-round draw. Judge Duane Ford scored the bout in Hagler's favor, 145–141. Judge Dalby Shirley scored it for Antuofermo, 144–142. Judge Hal Miller had it even at 143–143. The draw enabled Antuofermo to retain his title. In his next defense, against Alan Minter, also in Las Vegas, he lost the title by a 15-round split decision. The bout featured a wild disparity in scoring with a Venezuelan judge scoring the fight for Antuofermo while a British judge had Minter winning 13 of the 15 rounds. They had a rematch in London on June 28, 1980. Minter retained the crown by a TKO in eight rounds.
Antuofermo kept fighting and winning and, after Hagler won the title from Minter in 1980, Antuofermo was given another chance to regain the World Middleweight Championship. In front of an HBO Boxing audience and a full house at Hagler's native Boston's Boston Garden, Antuofermo this time lost by a TKO on cuts in the fourth round.
After several attempts at becoming a top middleweight again, Antuofermo retired from boxing in 1985.
Apart from Corro, other boxers he beat included world champions Eckhard Dagge, Denny Moyer and Emile Griffith.
In 1992, Michael Franzese, a Caporegime of the Colombo crime family, testified that Antoufermo had been under the control of mobsters including Andy Russo. Franzese stated that the outcome of many of Antuofermo's fights was pre-determined so that organized crime figures could safely bet, but that the fights with Marvelous Marvin Hagler were not fixed.

Life after boxing

After retirement, Antuofermo began to pursue an acting career. In 1990, he landed a small role in The Godfather Part III as the chief bodyguard of gangster Joey Zasa. He has landed several small speaking roles in movies and television shows since, including the critically acclaimed television show The Sopranos as a mobster. He has also done many theater plays.
Antuofermo also made television commercials for Old Spice deodorant.
Antuofermo's record reads 50 wins, 7 losses and 2 draws, with 21 wins by knockout. Vito Antuofermo's second oldest son, Pasquale Antuofermo, boxed as an amateur, but never turned pro. He now owns a successful landscaping company that operates in Long Island, New York.

Filmography

  • 1990: Goodfellas – Prizefighter
  • 1990: The Godfather Part III – Anthony 'The Ant' Squigliaro
  • 1991: Loser – Homeless Man
  • 1993: New York Undercover – Jimmy
  • 1996: The Mouse – Trainer
  • 1998: Hell's Kitchen – Boyle's Thug
  • 1999: La bomba – Pippo Messina
  • 2000: ''The Boys Behind the Desk''

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
59LossMatthew HiltonRTD4, 3:00Oct 20, 1985Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
58Win50–6–2Larry McCallUD10May 25, 1985Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C., U.S.
57Win49–6–2Mark AllmanTKO3, 1:24Mar 8, 1985Ridgewood Grove, New York City, New York, U.S.
56Win48–6–2Marcus StarksTKO4, 1:46Dec 14, 1984Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York, U.S.
55Win47–6–2Ricard BeranekTD5 Sep 13, 1984Resorts International, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
54Loss46–6–2Marvin HaglerRTD4 Jun 13, 1981Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.For WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
53Win46–5–2Mauricio AldanaUD10Apr 2, 1981Conrad Hilton Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
52Loss45–5–2Alan MinterTKO8 Jun 28, 1980Empire Pool, London, EnglandFor WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
51Loss45–4–2Alan MinterSD15Mar 16, 1980Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Lost WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
50Draw45–3–2Marvin HaglerSD15Nov 30, 1979Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.Retained WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
49Win45–3–1Hugo CorroSD15Jun 30, 1979Esplanade de Fontvieille, Fontvieille, MonacoWon WBA, WBC, and The Ring middleweight titles
48Win44–3–1Mike HallacyUD10Nov 11, 1978Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
47Win43–3–1Willie ClassenUD10Aug 25, 1978Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
46Win42–3–1Willie WarrenUD10Jun 22, 1978Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
45Win41–3–1Bennie BriscoeUD10Feb 4, 1978Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
44Win40–3–1Mike NixonTKO4, 2:58Oct 27, 1977Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
43Win39–3–1Ramon BerasKO6, 1:16Aug 30, 1977Montreal Forum, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
42Win38–3–1Eugene HartKO5 Mar 11, 1977Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
41Win37–3–1Pablo RodriguezKO4 Dec 2, 1976Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
40Loss36–3–1Maurice HopeTKO15, 2:48Oct 1, 1976Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Lazio, ItalyLost European super-welterweight title
39Loss36–2–1Frank WissenbachPTS8Jun 18, 1976Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany
38Win36–1–1Jean-Claude WarusfelTKO14 Mar 26, 1976Palasport di San Siro, Milan, Lombardy, ItalyRetained European super-welterweight title
37Win35–1–1Eckhard DaggePTS15Jan 16, 1976Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, GermanyWon List of [European Boxing Union champions#Super-welterweight|European super-welterweight title]
36Win34–1–1Bruce CantrellPTS10Nov 28, 1975Long Island Arena, Commack, New York, U.S.
35Win33–1–1Ricky OrtizTKO6 Oct 23, 1975Broome County Arena, Binghamton, New York, U.S.
34Win32–1–1Vinnie CurtoUD10Aug 8, 1975Tropicana Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
33Win31–1–1Antonio CastelliniTKO5 Jun 27, 1975Palazzetto dello Sport, Naples, Campania, Italy
32Win30–1–1Reinaldo Oliveira Jr.TKO6 Jun 6, 1975Palazzetto dello Sport, Naples, Campania, Italy
31Win29–1–1Dave HuckabyUD10Mar 20, 1975Bristol Arena, Bristol, Connecticut, U.S.
30Win28–1–1Ramón MendezPTS10Jan 24, 1975PalaLido, Milan, Lombardy, Italy
29Win27–1–1Emile GriffithUD10Nov 22, 1974Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
28Win26–1–1Paul OsborneTKO3 Oct 18, 1974Steelworkers Hall, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
27Win25–1–1Denny MoyerUD10Sep 9, 1974Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
26Win24–1–1Melvin DennisPTS10Jun 7, 1974Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Lazio, Italy
25Win23–1–1Joey DurelleKO1 May 3, 1974Palazzetto dello Sport, Rome, Lazio, Italy
24Win22–1–1John L. SullivanUD10Mar 8, 1974Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
23Win21–1–1Chucho GarcíaUD10Jan 14, 1974Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
22Win20–1–1Buddy BoggsTKO6 Dec 5, 1973Baltimore Civic Center, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
21Win19–1–1Tony Kid DurangoUD10Oct 8, 1973Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
20Win18–1–1Danny McAloonUD10Aug 25, 1973Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
19Loss17–1–1Harold WestonTKO5, 2:53Jul 9, 1973Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
18Win17–0–1Tony Kid DurangoTKO2 Jun 18, 1973Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
17Win16–0–1Art KettlesSD10Apr 30, 1973Felt Forum, New York City, New York, U.S.
16Win15–0–1Luis RiveraPTS8Apr 13, 1973Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
15Win14–0–1Ray VillanuevaTKO4 Mar 9, 1973Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
14Win13–0–1Skip YeatonKO2 Jan 31, 1973Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
13Win12–0–1Al SewellKO7 Dec 15, 1972Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
12Win11–0–1Carlos NovotnyKO3 Nov 22, 1972Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
11Win10–0–1Oreste LebronPTS8Oct 10, 1972Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
10Win9–0–1Charles HaywardPTS6Sep 11, 1972Gaelic Park, New York City, New York, U.S.
9Win8–0–1Gabe BowensPTS4Aug 28, 1972Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
8Win7–0–1Jerry CaballeroTKO4 Jul 21, 1972Singer Bowl, New York City, New York, U.S.
7Win6–0–1Don SaulsPTS6Jun 30, 1972Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
6Win5–0–1Lenny CarterKO2 May 26, 1972Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
5Win4–0–1John PresleyKO1 Apr 11, 1972Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
4Win3–0–1Ivelaw EastmanPTS4Mar 1, 1972Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.
3Draw2–0–1Charles HaywardPTS6Feb 17, 1972Embassy Hall, North Bergen, New Jersey, U.S.
2Win2–0Juan RiveraPTS6Jan 17, 1972Westchester County Center, White Plains, New York, U.S.
1Win1–0Ivelaw EastmanPTS4Nov 30, 1971Sunnyside Gardens, New York City, New York, U.S.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

''The Ring'' magazine titles

Regional/International titles

Undisputed titles