Frankie Genaro

Frank "Frankie" Genaro (born DiGennaro, August 26, 1901 – December 27, 1966) was an American former Olympic gold medalist and a 1928 National Boxing Association (NBA) World flyweight Champion. He is credited with engaging in 130 bouts, recording 96 victories (19 KO's), 26 losses, 8 draws and 4 No Decisions.

Frankie Genaro
Genaro in 1931
Statistics
Real nameFrank DiGennaro
Weight(s)Flyweight
Height5 ft 2 in (157 cm)[1]
Nationality United States
Born(1901-08-26)August 26, 1901
New York, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 27, 1966(1966-12-27) (aged 65)
New York, New York, U.S.
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights131
Wins97
Wins by KO19
Losses24
Draws9
No contests2
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1920 Antwerp Flyweight

Statistical boxing website BoxRec lists Genaro as the #13 ranked flyweight of all-time, while The Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer placed him at #3.[2][3] The International Boxing Research Organization rates Genaro as the 6th best flyweight ever.[4] He was inducted into The Ring magazine Hall of Fame in 1973 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998.[2][5][6]

Early life and amateur career

Before taking up boxing, Genaro's ambition was to become a jockey, but he took up boxing when he tired of cleaning stables awaiting his chance to race horses. His first amateur bout in 1919 was against Jimmy Nable, which he fought using the ringname A. J. DeVito. He took the New York State and National Flyweight championships early in his amateur career.[7]

Genaro won the flyweight Gold Medal at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp on August 24, two days before his 19th birthday.

Olympic results

Pro career

He turned pro that same year and almost immediately was fighting world class flyweights, scoring wins over Charley (Phil) Rosenberg and Pancho Villa. In 1923, he captured the American flyweight title with another win over Villa and decisioned future bantamweight champ Bud Taylor.

NBA world flyweight champion

Genaro lost his American title to Fidel LaBarba in 1925 and dropped a decision to former world champ Newsboy Brown in his next outing. On October 15, 1928 he defeated Frenchy Belanger in a ten round points decision to win the NBA flyweight crown at Toronto's Colliseum. He then lost the title in his first defense against Émile Pladner, but regained the title when he defeated Pladner in a rematch one month later.

Genaro successfully defended his title against Ernie Jarvis, Yvon Trevidic and Belanger. He then faced Midget Wolgast, who was recognized as world flyweight champ by the New York State Athletic Commission. The unification bout ended in a draw. Genaro then went on to successfully defend his title against Victor Ferrand, Jackie Harmon and Valentin Angelmann. He lost his crown when he was knocked out by Victor "Young" Perez in 1931.

Later career

Genaro's title days were over, but he did beat future featherweight champion Joey Archibald in 1933 before retiring in 1934. During his career Genaro fought 10 world champions and three Hall of Famers. He died in Staten Island, New York on December 27, 1966 at the age of 65.

References
  1. "Frankie Genaro". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  2. Cyber Boxing Encyclopedia – Frankie Genaro CyberBoxingZone.com Retrieved on 2014-04-30
  3. All-Time Flyweight Rankings. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-11.
  4. All-Time Flyweight Rankings IBROresearch.com Retrieved on 2014-04-29
  5. "Frankie Genaro". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  6. "Frankie Genaro". BoxRec. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  7. Dewy, Donald (2012) "Travels with Charlie" in Ray Arcell, A Boxing Biography. McFarland Publishing. Jefferson, North Carolina. p. 34. ISBN 978-0786469680
Achievements
Preceded by
Frenchy Belanger		 NBA World Flyweight Champion
October 15, 1928 – March 2, 1929		 Succeeded by
Émile Pladner
Preceded by
Émile Pladner		 NBA World Flyweight Champion
April 18, 1929 – October 26, 1931		 Succeeded by
Victor Perez
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