Nino Benvenuti dead at 87: Two-weight world champion and Olympic gold medallist passes away
He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992
Katherine Walsh
ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 28: Nino Benvenuti walks a red carpet for 'Stronger' during the 12th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 28, 2017 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
BOXING great Nino Benvenuti has died at the age of 87.
Benvenuti, widely considered to Italy's greatest ever boxer, became world champion in two weight classes.
ROME, ITALY - OCTOBER 28: Nino Benvenuti walks a red carpet for 'Stronger' during the 12th Rome Film Fest at Auditorium Parco Della Musica on October 28, 2017 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)
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Italian boxing legend Nino Benvenuti has died at the age of 87
Nino Benvenuti Vs Shelton. 1964. (Photo by: EyeOn/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
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Benvenuti became world champion in two classes, light middleweight and middleweight
Benvenuti held the undisputed super-welterweight championship from June 1965 to June 1966.
And the undisputed middleweight championship twice, from April to September 1967, and from March 1968 to November 1970.
Benvenuti boasted a stunning record of 82 wins, including 35 knockouts, seven losses and one draw in his 90 professional boxing bouts and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1992.
His three world title fights against Emile Griffith in 1967 and 1968 were epic battles.
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But Benvenuti's amateur career was equally impressive, winning EVERY SINGLE ONE of his 120 matches.
The pinnacle of his amateur career came when he won Olympic gold at the Rome 1960 Games in the welterweight category, also receiving the prestigious Val Barker Trophy for boxing style.
As an amateur, he won the Italian welterweight title from 1956 to 1960 and the European title in 1957 and 1959.
Turning professional in 1961, Benvenuti was the only Italian boxer to have held the universally recognised world title in two different weight categories.
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