Frankie Genaro
Encyclopedia
Frank "Frankie" Genaro (né DiGennaro, August 26, 1901 – December 27, 1966) was a former Olympic
gold medalist and boxing 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.
. In 1923, he captured the American flyweight title with another win over Villa and decisioned future bantamweight
champ Bud Taylor
.
Genaro lost his American title to Fidel LaBarba in 1925 and dropped a decision to former world champ Newsboy Brown
in his next outing. In 1928 he defeated Frenchy Belanger to win the NBA flyweight crown. He then lost the title in his first defense against Emile 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.
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 was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
, Canastota, New York in June 1998.
He was born in New York City
and died in Staten Island, New York.
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist and boxing world flyweight
Flyweight
Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing less than 112 lb but above 108 lb .-Professional boxing:...
champion. He is credited with engaging in 130 bouts, recording 96 victories (19 KO's), 26 losses, 8 draws and 4 No Decisions.
Amateur career
Genaro won the flyweight Gold Medal at the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp on August 24, two days before his 19th birthday.Olympic results
- Defeated Einar Nilsen (Norway)
- Defeated Jean Rampignon (France)
- Defeated Charles Albert (France)
- Defeated Anders Pedersen (Denmark)
Pro career
He turned pro that same year and almost immediately was fighting world class flyweights, scoring wins over Charley (Phil) Rosenberg and Pancho VillaFrancisco Guilledo
Francisco Guilledo , more commonly known as Pancho Villa, was a Filipino boxer. Villa, who stood only 5 feet and 1 inch tall and never weighed more than 114 pounds , rose from obscurity to win the World Flyweight boxing championship in 1923, earning acclaim in some quarters as "the...
. In 1923, he captured the American flyweight title with another win over Villa and decisioned future bantamweight
Bantamweight
Bantamweight is usually a class in boxing for boxers who weigh above 115 pounds and up to 118 pounds . However, in Mixed Martial Arts it is 134-136 pounds . Wrestling also has similar weight classes including bantamweight...
champ Bud Taylor
Bud Taylor
Charles Bernard "Bud" Taylor was an American boxer from Terre Haute, Indiana. He was nicknamed the Terre Haute Terrier and the Blonde Terror of Terre Haute.-Pro Boxing Career:...
.
Genaro lost his American title to Fidel LaBarba in 1925 and dropped a decision to former world champ Newsboy Brown
Newsboy Brown
David Montrose, better known as Newsboy Brown, was an American boxer.As part of the inaugural card for the famous Olympic Auditorium, he defeated Frankie Grandetta by points. Brown had two famous bouts against Corporal Izzy Schwartz. Brown beat him in 1925 but lost in a title bout to Corporal Izzy...
in his next outing. In 1928 he defeated Frenchy Belanger to win the NBA flyweight crown. He then lost the title in his first defense against Emile 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
Belanger
Bélanger is a Norman and Anglo-Norman surname that derives from the Old French given name Berenger, which is of Germanic origin. In the English-speaking parts of North America, Bélanger has been anglicized to Belanger or occasionally to Belonger....
. He then faced Midget Wolgast
Midget Wolgast
Joseph Robert Loscalzo also known as Midget Wolgast was a world flyweight boxing champion.-Professional career:...
, 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
Victor Perez
Victor "Young" Perez was a Sephardic Jew born in French Tunisia, who became the World Flyweight Champion in 1931 and 1932. He was born to Khmaïssa Perez a household goods salesman and Khaïlou René Perez. He was raised along with his four siblings in Dar-El Berdgana, the Jewish quarter of Tunis...
in 1931.
Genaro's title days were over, but he did beat future featherweight champion Joey Archibald
Joey Archibald
Joey Archibald was the former world boxing featherweight champion. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island....
in 1933 before retiring in 1934. During his career Genaro fought 10 world champions and three Hall of Famers. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
, Canastota, New York in June 1998.
He was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and died in Staten Island, New York.