A. Joseph DeNucci (August 30, 1939 – September 8, 2017) was an American boxer and politician who served as the Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Early life and career

DeNucci started working at 10 in a

bowling alley A bowling alley (also known as a bowling center, bowling lounge, bowling arena, or historically bowling club) is a facility where the sport of bowling is played. It can be a dedicated facility or part of another, such as a clubhouse or dwelling ...

, picking up and racking pins. DeNucci started boxing at 16, winning the New England Golden Gloves Championship. A boxer in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, DeNucci compiled a record of 54 wins (with 27 knockouts), 15 losses, and 4 draws. He lost two middleweight fights, both by split decision, to

Emile Griffith Emile Alphonse Griffith (February 3, 1938 – July 23, 2013) was an American professional boxer who won world titles in three weight divisions. He held the world light middleweight, undisputed welterweight, and middleweight titles. His best-kno ...

. DeNucci holds the record for the most fights, 23, in the

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (later ...

Political career

DeNucci served in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

for ten years, where he was chairman of the Human Services Committee. DeNucci then served as the Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1987 to 2011. DeNucci was the longest-serving Auditor in Massachusetts history. He decided not to seek re-election in 2010.

Personal life

DeNucci had five children and fourteen grandchildren, and was married to Barbara DeNucci. He was a member of the

National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit institution honoring exceptional U.S. athletes of Italian descent. In 1977 George Randazzo created the Italian American Boxing Hall of Fame. This was as a means for ra ...

. DeNucci died on September 8, 2017, from complications related to

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

. Postmortem analysis of DeNucci's brain confirmed that he experienced

chronic traumatic encephalopathy Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. The encephalopathy symptoms can include behavioral problems, mood problems, and problems with thinking. The disease often gets wor ...

(CTE).

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Denucci, A. Joseph 1939 births 2017 deaths Politicians from Newton, Massachusetts American people of Italian descent Boston University alumni Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives State auditors of Massachusetts American male boxers Boxers from Massachusetts Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in Massachusetts Middleweight boxers Boxers with chronic traumatic encephalopathy 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century members of the Massachusetts General Court