Alessandro "Sandro" Mazzinghi (3 October 1938 – 22 August 2020) was an Italian professional

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who held the world

light middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in boxing but also may include other combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the Intern ...

championship twice.

Biography

In 1961 Mazzinghi won the Military World Championships. The same year he turned professional, following his elder brother

Guido Guido is a given name. It has been a male first name in Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, the Low Countries, Scandinavia, Spain, Portugal and Latin America, as well as other places with migration from those. Regarding origins, there ...

. He eventually became a European and World Champion, and had a record of 64–3–0–2 (42 KOs). Of these matches, five were valid for the European title and 8 for the World title. On 7 September 1963 he won the world light middleweight title, defeating the American

Ralph Dupas Ralph Dupas (October 14, 1935 – January 25, 2008) was an American boxer from New Orleans who reigned as the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council world junior middleweight champion in 1963. Early boxing career Dupas was the second ...

by a ninth-round technical knockout in

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. In December of the same year, a rematch took place in

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, and Mazzinghi won again by knockout. He remained world champion until 1965, a year after a terrible accident. The boxer remained in critical condition for some days, with a skull fracture that would condition his career in the following years. Mazzinghi came back in the ring to defend his title in

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, against Tony Montano (knockout in the 12th round) and in

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, against Fortunato Manca (winning by decision in 15 rounds). On 18 June 1965 Mazzinghi faced

Nino Benvenuti Giovanni "Nino" Benvenuti (26 April 1938 – 20 May 2025) was an Italian professional boxer and actor. He held world titles in two weight classes, having held the undisputed super-welterweight championship from June 1965 to June 1966 and the ...

and lost by knockout in the sixth round, losing his world title. In their rematch, Mazzinghi barely escaped an early round knockout when he was floored – unable to rise in time he was saved by the bell. He rebounded from that close call to give Benvenuti a hard fight, but Benvenuti won by decision. Mazzinghi started again and gained the Superwelter European crown in

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, on 17 June 1966 defeating Yoland Leveque; he defended his title four times. On 26 May 1968, Mazzinghi beat Korean Ki-Soo Kim in "

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" Stadium,

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, regaining the world light middleweight crown. On 25 October he fought against American

Freddie Little Freddie Little (born April 25, 1936) is a retired American professional boxer who held the undisputed junior middleweight championship. He used to work at Anthony Saville Middle School in Las Vegas, Nevada as a P.E. teacher but suffered a medical ...

, but was disqualified by the referee for an illegal blow; this decision was revoked and the result of the match was changed to a "no contest". A few days later, the Italian Boxing Federation took away the title from Mazzinghi, after the WBA wouldn't. In 1970 he left boxing for seven years, and would make a comeback from 1977 to 1978. He retired in 1978.