Luigi Minchillo: Il Guerriero Del Ring

In January 1977, aged twenty-one, Luigi Minchillo made his professional debut, stopping fellow Italian Silvano Bischeri in the fifth round. Minchillo went 17-0 before suffering his first defeat, a fourth-round stoppage due to cuts against Alvaro Scarpelli.

In April 1979, only five months after his first setback, he challenged Clemente Gessi for the vacant Italian light-middleweight title, winning it in the maiden round. He defended his national championship four times and in July 1981 he challenged the French-Algerian Louis Acaries for the European light-middleweight title. Minchillo became champion by unanimous decision and the following month had a second-round TKO victory over America's Danny Myers, before his big date with Roberto Duran in September 1981. 

Duran returned to Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in his second bout since losing his world welterweight crown against Leonard. In the opposite corner was 'Il Guerriero Del Ring' or 'The Ring Warrior' Luigi Minchillo. The Italian was making his American debut and like Duran's conqueror, represented his country in the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

'Hands Of Stone' weighed in at 154 pounds (69.85 KG) slightly heavier than his opponent. The Italian was dominated by Duran for the whole ten rounds. Minchillo did open up a cut under Duran's right eye from an apparent butt, with Duran's corner doing such a good job on the injury, it never reopened.

Duran won the contest 100-91, 100-90 and 98-92, whilst Minchillo, who claimed he was constantly thumbed in the eye, dropped to 35-2 (22 KOs).

After his loss, Minchillo continued to keep a hold of his European light-middleweight championship with victories over Claude Martin, Maurice Hope, Jean-Andre Emmerich and Marijan Benes from November 1981 to October 1982.

He stayed unbeaten during 1983 to go 43-2 with twenty-seven stoppages when he travelled to America for the second time and only the sixth time he boxed out of his native country to challenge Thomas Hearns for the WBC light-middleweight title, who was making the first defence.

"I need to win impressively," said Hearns prior to the contest. "That means taking Minchillo out, putting him away at the first opportunity."

Hearns weighed 154 pounds (69.85 KG), smack on the light-middleweight limit, with Minchillo coming in at 153 (69.40 KG) but the height and reach advantages laid firmly with the American. The champion used his advantages to good effect and when Michillo did land a right flush on the chin, Hearns barely flinched. As the opening stanza was coming to an end, the ‘Hit Man’ opened up, to the delight of the 18,453 crowd at Detroit’s Joe Louis arena.

Hearns kept his man off balance with the jab for most of round two, making it impossible for the challenger to get on the inside. When Minchillo did land a solid punch it didn't hurt the man from Detroit, who wasn't afraid to let the right hand he damaged against Wilfredo Benitez go to head and body.

The challenger looked to mix things up at the start of round three but the power of Hearns had him backing up. Minchillo didn't have much success until the final 30 seconds when he had the champion covering up on the ropes, the best spell of the fight so far for the tough Italian.

The jab was still a dominating factor for the champion in the fourth, but Minchillo was trying his luck with an overhand right. On the third occasion he connected, bringing a grin from the 'Hit Man' as he continued to land his rangy punches.

The challenger took the fight to Hearns who was happy to box at range at the start of round five. He then visibly hurt the Italian with a left hook and started to look to take him out with a single punch. The challenger, who hadn't been knocked off his feet in his professional career, recovered and had Hearns on the ropes. The champion started to speak to his adversary; a futile move as Minchillo didn't speak English, so did his talking with his fists.

Hearns fired out his left jab in the sixth and it seemed he was reluctant to throw the right he damaged against Murray Sutherland last time out, but a right to the body put the doubts to rest. Hearns scored with some hefty shots as the challenger took them well and his moments to cut Hearns over the right eye.

The Italian looked to put the pressure on and Hearns picked him off with his jab. Minchillo landed some rights but it was the American who carried the power and the accuracy in a quiet seventh round. 

Minchillo’s left eye was beginning to swell as the eighth got under way and Hearns’s razor-sharp jab was targeting the damaged area. The champion was firing in some lethal body shots but it was the American who was showing signs of fatigue, as the Italian pressed forward and had some success with his right. Towards the end of the round the ‘Hit Man’ opened up, with Minchillo showing signs of distress.

Hearns dispelled any worries of fatigue as he bounced around the ring on his toes in the ninth, flicking out his jab on the back foot as the tough Italian chased him, trying to get in close and unleash his hooks. The champion wasn’t troubled and sank in some hard body shots to easily take the round.

The pattern continued in round ten and with a few seconds left they traded freely, exactly what the strong, determined challenger wanted. There was confusion at the bell, Hearns went back to the corner a few seconds before the bell went, with Minchillo believing Hearns had quit, ran around the ring with his arms aloft in celebration, only to be disappointed he had to fight another six minutes.

Hearns controlled the penultimate round with his long-range boxing, sinking in some hard body

punches for good measure. The ‘Hit Man’ was finding out from first-hand experience why the challenger had never been off his feet.

Minchillo needed a knockout in the final three minutes to win the title. Hearns kept him at arms length, finally hurting his game challenger with about 30 seconds remaining. The champion couldn’t find the lethal punch and won a unanimous decision 118-109, 120-110 and 120-109, in what was a competitive match, despite the landslide score margins.

At the end of the year, Minchillo was sharing the ring again with another world champion in the guise of Mike McCallum, who was making the first defence since winning the vacant WBA light-middleweight back in October 1984. McCallum stopped Minchillo in round thirteen, but he stormed back with ten victories from December 1985 to October 1987.

The Italian had his last contest on 29th January 1988, challenging European light-middle king Rene Jacquot, losing in the fourth round due to injury. Minchillo retired with a 55-5 (31 KO’s) resume, citing Marijan Benes, who he claimed a majority decision over in October 1982, as his toughest opponent.

All the best fight fans

Lea

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