Mario D'Agata
# Mario D'Agata

Mario D'Agata (29 May 1926 – 4 April 2009) 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 (out of seven) 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 (which raised his winning streak to a total of thirteen 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

| 67 fights | 54 wins | 10 losses |
| - | - | - |
| By knockout | 22 | 1 |
| By decision | 27 | 8 |
| By disqualification | 5 | 1 |
| Draws | 3 | 3 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round,time | Date | Age | Location | Notes |
| 67 | Loss | 54–10–3 | Federico Scarponi | PTS | 12 | Jul 19, 1962 | 36 years, 51 days | Roma, Italy | For vacant Italy bantamweight title |
| 66 | Win | 54–9–3 | Andre Gasperini | PTS | 8 | Mar 27, 1962 | 35 years, 302 days | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 65 | Win | 53–9–3 | Ugo Milan | TKO | 6 (8) | Jan 19, 1962 | 35 years, 235 days | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy | |
| 64 | Win | 52–9–3 | Francisco Carreno | PTS | 8 | Nov 24, 1961 | 35 years, 179 days | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy | |
| 63 | Win | 51–9–3 | Lazaro ben Layachi | KO | 6 (8) | Oct 27, 1961 | 35 years, 151 days | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy | |
| 62 | Loss | 50–9–3 | Jackie Brown | PTS | 10 | Jun 9, 1960 | 34 years, 11 days | Firhill Park, Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 61 | Loss | 50–8–3 | Freddie Gilroy | PTS | 10 | Sep 15, 1959 | 33 years, 109 days | Empire Pool, Wembley, London, England | |
| 60 | Loss | 50–7–3 | José Becerra | RTD | 10 (12) | Feb 5, 1959 | 32 years, 252 days | Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | |
| 59 | Loss | 50–6–3 | Piero Rollo | PTS | 15 | Oct 12, 1958 | 32 years, 136 days | Stadio Amsicora, Cagliari, Italy | Lost EBU and Italy bantamweight titles |
| 58 | Win | 50–5–3 | Mimoun Ben Ali | PTS | 10 | Sep 13, 1958 | 32 years, 107 days | Cagliari, Italy | |
| 57 | Win | 49–5–3 | Michel Lamora | KO | 4 (10) | Feb 13, 1958 | 31 years, 260 days | Napoli, Italy | |
| 56 | Win | 48–5–3 | Roger Cappato | PTS | 10 | Dec 26, 1957 | 31 years, 211 days | Palazzo dello Sport (Pad. 3 Fiera), Milan, Italy | |
| 55 | Win | 47–5–3 | Jean Renard | KO | 7 (10) | Dec 10, 1957 | 31 years, 195 days | Teatro Duse, Bergamo, Italy | |
| 54 | Win | 46–5–3 | Federico Scarponi | KO | 8 (15), 2:30 | Oct 27, 1957 | 31 years, 151 days | Stadio Amsicora, Cagliari, Italy | Won vacant EBU bantamweight title |
| 53 | Win | 45–5–3 | Roland Roy | TKO | 7 (10) | Jun 28, 1957 | 31 years, 30 days | Cornigliano Stadio del Littorio, Genoa, Italy | |
| 52 | Loss | 44–5–3 | Alphonse Halimi | PTS | 15 | Apr 1, 1957 | 30 years, 307 days | Palais des Sports, Paris, France | Lost NYSAC and The Ring bantamweight titles |
| 51 | Draw | 44–4–3 | Robert Tartari | PTS | 10 | Dec 8, 1956 | 30 years, 193 days | Palais des Expositions, Geneva, Switzerland | |
| 50 | Win | 44–4–2 | Juan Cardenas | PTS | 10 | Oct 27, 1956 | 30 years, 151 days | Palazzo dello Sport (Pad. 3 Fiera), Milan, Italy | |
| 49 | Win | 43–4–2 | Robert Cohen | TKO | 7 (15) | Jun 29, 1956 | 30 years, 31 days | Stadio Olimpico, Roma, Italy | Won NYSAC and The Ring bantamweight titles |
| 48 | Win | 42–4–2 | Jesus Lucas Rubio | PTS | 10 | May 18, 1956 | 29 years, 355 days | Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy | |
| 47 | Win | 41–4–2 | Jesus Lucas Rubio | PTS | 10 | Mar 21, 1956 | 29 years, 297 days | Teatro Mariani, Ravenna, Italy | |
| 46 | Win | 40–4–2 | Little Cezar | SD | 10 | Jan 21, 1956 | 29 years, 237 days | Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Manila, Philippines | |
| 45 | Win | 39–4–2 | Andre Valignat | DQ | 5 (15), 2:02 | Oct 29, 1955 | 29 years, 153 days | Palazzo dello Sport (Pad. 3 Fiera), Milan, Italy | Won vacant EBU bantamweight title |
| 44 | Win | 38–4–2 | Jean Kidy | RTD | 5 (10) | Oct 15, 1955 | 29 years, 139 days | Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy | |
| 43 | Win | 37–4–2 | Pedro Paris | KO | 3 (10) | Sep 15, 1955 | 29 years, 109 days | Bologna, Italy | |
| 42 | Win | 36–4–2 | Jose Luis Martinez | KO | 8 (10) | Aug 18, 1955 | 29 years, 81 days | Messina, Italy | |
| 41 | Win | 35–4–2 | Mohamed Farid | TKO | 4 (10), 1:45 | Aug 9, 1955 | 29 years, 72 days | Arena Flegrea, Napoli, Italy | |
| 40 | Win | 34–4–2 | Jose Crespo | KO | 5 (10) | Jul 30, 1955 | 29 years, 62 days | Bari, Italy | |
| 39 | Win | 33–4–2 | Henri Schmid | PTS | 10 | Jul 21, 1955 | 29 years, 53 days | Prato, Italy | |
| 38 | Win | 32–4–2 | Robert Meunier | PTS | 10 | Jun 28, 1955 | 29 years, 30 days | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy | |
| 37 | Win | 31–4–2 | Assane Fakyh | RTD | 4 (10) | Jun 13, 1955 | 29 years, 15 days | Livorno, Italy | |
| 36 | Win | 30–4–2 | Arthur Emboule | RTD | 8 (10) | May 25, 1955 | 28 years, 361 days | Stadio di Torino-Esposizioni, Torino, Italy | |
| 35 | Win | 29–4–2 | Billy Peacock | PTS | 12 | Dec 10, 1954 | 28 years, 195 days | West Melbourne Stadium, Victoria, Melbourne | |
| 34 | Win | 28–4–2 | Bobby Sinn | PTS | 12 | Nov 19, 1954 | 28 years, 174 days | West Melbourne Stadium, Victoria Melbourne | |
| 33 | Win | 27–4–2 | Alex Bollaert | TKO | 5 (10) | Oct 1, 1954 | 28 years, 125 days | Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy | |
| 32 | Win | 26–4–2 | Andre Valignat | PTS | 10 | Jul 31, 1954 | 28 years, 63 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 31 | Win | 25–4–2 | Emile Chemama | PTS | 10 | Jun 12, 1954 | 28 years, 14 days | Stade de la Pépinière, Tunis, Tunisia | |
| 30 | Loss | 24–4–2 | Robert Cohen | UD | 10 | May 15, 1954 | 27 years, 351 days | Stade de la Pépinière, Tunis, Tunisia | |
| 29 | Win | 24–3–2 | Kid Andre | TKO | 10 (10) | Apr 30, 1954 | 27 years, 336 days | Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy | |
| 28 | Win | 23–3–2 | Giovanni Zuddas | PTS | 12 | Apr 10, 1954 | 27 years, 316 days | Palazzo del Ghiaccio, Milan, Italy | Retained Italy bantamweight title |
| 27 | Win | 22–3–2 | Luigi Fasulo | RTD | 4 (12) | Jan 23, 1954 | 27 years, 239 days | Napoli, Italy | Retained Italy bantamweight title |
| 26 | Draw | 21–3–2 | Andre Valignat | PTS | 10 | Nov 15, 1953 | 27 years, 170 days | Palais de la Mutualité, Paris, France | |
| 25 | Win | 21–3–1 | Pierre Gress Gyde | TKO | 6 (10) | Oct 30, 1953 | 27 years, 154 days | Pavillon des Sports, Geneva, Switzerland | |
| 24 | Win | 20–3–1 | Giovanni Zuddas | DQ | 9 (12) | Sep 26, 1953 | 27 years, 120 days | Teatro Politeama Universale, Arezzo, Italy | Won vacant Italy bantamweight title |
| 23 | Win | 19–3–1 | Arthur Emboule | PTS | 10 | Jul 6, 1953 | 27 years, 38 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 22 | Win | 18–3–1 | Edmond Moletto | PTS | 10 | Mar 30, 1953 | 26 years, 305 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 21 | Win | 17–3–1 | Jacques Louni | PTS | 10 | Jan 15, 1953 | 26 years, 231 days | Teatro Politeama Universale, Arezzo, Italy | |
| 20 | Win | 16–3–1 | Giuseppe D'Augusta | PTS | 10 | Dec 26, 1952 | 26 years, 211 days | Milan, Italy | |
| 19 | Win | 15–3–1 | Gaetano Annaloro | DQ | 7 (8) | Nov 26, 1952 | 26 years, 181 days | Teatro Nazionale, Milan, Italy | |
| 18 | Win | 14–3–1 | Rino Stiaccini | PTS | 6 | Nov 7, 1952 | 26 years, 162 days | Florence, Italy | |
| 17 | Win | 13–3–1 | Enzo Ganadu | RTD | 3 (10) | Jun 11, 1952 | 26 years, 13 days | Milan, Italy | |
| 16 | Loss | 12–3–1 | Renato Denti | DQ | 5 (10) | May 17, 1952 | 25 years, 354 days | Florence, Italy | |
| 15 | Win | 12–2–1 | Giuliano Catini | TKO | 2 (10) | Feb 20, 1952 | 25 years, 267 days | Florence, Italy | |
| 14 | Loss | 11–2–1 | Kid Arcelli | PTS | 10 | Dec 28, 1951 | 25 years, 213 days | Siena, Italy | |
| 13 | Win | 11–1–1 | Luigi Fasulo | TKO | 3 (10) | Nov 30, 1951 | 25 years, 185 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 12 | Draw | 10–1–1 | Giuseppe D'Augusta | PTS | 8 | Sep 29, 1951 | 25 years, 123 days | Catania, Italy | |
| 11 | Loss | 10–1 | Kid Arcelli | PTS | 10 | Aug 2, 1951 | 25 years, 65 days | Florence, Italy | |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Arturo Paoletti | DQ | 7 (10) | Jun 22, 1951 | 25 years, 24 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Tino Cardinale | PTS | 8 | May 31, 1951 | 25 years, 2 days | Florence, Italy | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Benito Giovanni Fattori | PTS | 8 | May 2, 1951 | 24 years, 338 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Arturo Peratici | PTS | 8 | Feb 28, 1951 | 24 years, 275 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Giovanni Capobianchi | PTS | 8 | Jan 31, 1951 | 24 years, 247 days | Cinema Teatro Goldoni, Florence, Italy | |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Pietro Cesarini | DQ | 2 (8) | Jan 12, 1951 | 24 years, 228 days | Cinema Teatro Pucci, San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy | |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Gaudenzio Carutti | TKO | 4 (6) | Dec 16, 1950 | 24 years, 201 days | Montevarchi, Italy | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Settimio Marabitti | PTS | 6 | Nov 4, 1950 | 24 years, 159 days | Roma, Italy | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Settimio Marabitti | PTS | 6 | Oct 28, 1950 | 24 years, 152 days | Arezzo, Italy | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Giuseppe Salardi | PTS | 6 | Oct 14, 1950 | 24 years, 138 days | Siena, Italy | |
