Tony DeMarco

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Tony DeMarco (b. January 14, 1932) is a former boxer and world welterweight champion. DeMarco fought the top fighters in his division during the 1950s and defeated top contenders and champions like Paddy DeMarco, Teddy "Red Top" Davis, Chico Vejar and Don Jordan. The highlight of his career came in 1955, when he knocked out Johnny Saxton in the 14th round of their title bout to capture the world’s welterweight title.

DeMarco's legacy is an undying part of Boston's history. DeMarco is fondly remembered as "the greatest boxer alive" by Bostonians who recall the era. Bosotonians even honored DeMarco with a street, named after him, in Boston's famous North End. The street, which is perpendicular to Atlantic Ave, is named "Tony DeMarco Way".

DeMarco is best remembered for his two championship matches with hall of famer Carmen Basilio. Both fights were toe to toe slugfests with several ebbs and flows that kept the fans on their seats. Both fights took place in 1955, and both ended in the 12th round with DeMarco suffering a TKO.

In their first bout, DeMarco was the defending champion. He risked his title by taking on Basilio, who was the top ranked contender and thought to be the uncrowned champion. Although Basilio prevailed, the fight was so exciting that the pair were rematched. The second fight was almost a carbon copy of the first with Basilio wearing down DeMarco-but not before a wicked DeMarco left hook had Basilio out on his feet. DeMarco was unable to capitalize on this advantage and lost the match on a 12 round TKO. The two Basilio-DeMarco fights are considered ring classics.