Primo Carnera

Primo Carnera
Carnera
Born	(1906-10-26)26 October 1906 Sequals, Italy
Died	29 June 1967(1967-06-29) (aged 60) Sequals, Italy
Nationality	Italian American
Other names	The Ambling Alp The Gentle Giant The Vast Venetian
Statistics
Weight(s)	Heavyweight
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Reach	85 in (216 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	103
Wins	89
Wins by KO	72
Losses	14
Draws	0
No contests	0

Primo Carnera (Italian pronunciation: [ˈpriːmo karˈnɛːra]; 26 October 1906 – 29 June 1967), nicknamed the Ambling Alp, was an Italian professional boxer and wrestler who reigned as the boxing World Heavyweight Champion from 29 June 1933 to 14 June 1934. He won more fights by knockout than any other heavyweight champion in boxing history.

Personal life

Carnera with family receiving dual citizenship in August 1953

Primo Carnera was born in Sequals, then in the Province of Udine, now in the Province of Pordenone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia at the north-easternmost corner of Italy.

On 13 March 1939, Carnera married Giuseppina Kovačič (1913–1980), a post office clerk from Gorizia. In 1953 they received dual citizenship. They settled in Los Angeles, where Carnera opened a restaurant and a liquor store. They had two children, Umberto and Giovanna Maria. Umberto became a medical doctor.

Professional boxing career

Overview

Carnera was touted in America as being 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) tall, and thus the tallest heavyweight in history (up until that time), but he was actually 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall. He fought at as much as 275 pounds (125 kg). Jess Willard who stood 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) was the tallest world heavyweight champion in boxing history until Nikolai Valuev, at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) and 328 pounds (149 kg). Though an inch (2.5 cm) shorter than Willard, Carnera was around 40 lb (18 kg) heavier and was the heaviest champion in boxing history until Valuev.

At a time when the average height in Italy was approximately 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and in the United States 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m), Carnera was considered a giant.

He enjoyed a sizable reach advantage over most rivals, and when seen on fight footage, he seems like a towering giant compared to many heavyweights of his era, who were usually at least 60 pounds (27 kg) lighter and 7 inches (18 cm) shorter. One publicity release about him read in part: "For breakfast, Primo has a quart of orange juice, two quarts of milk, nineteen pieces of toast, fourteen eggs, a loaf of bread and half a pound of Virginia ham." His size earned him the nickname "The Ambling Alp". Time magazine called him "The Monster".

Primo Carnera silent newsreel 1933

Starting career

12 September 1928 was the date of Carnera's first professional fight, against Leon Sebilo, in Paris. Carnera won by knockout in round two. He won his first six bouts, then lost to Franz Diener by disqualification in round one at Leipzig. Then, he won seven more bouts in a row before meeting Young Stribling. He and Stribling exchanged disqualification wins, Carnera winning the first in four rounds, and Stribling winning the rematch in round seven. In Carnera's next bout he avenged his defeat to Diener with a knockout in round six.

In 1930, he moved to the United States, where he toured extensively, winning his first seventeen bouts there by knockout. George Godfrey broke the knockout streak in Philadelphia by losing to Carnera by disqualification in the fifth round. In 1932, Carnera faced the tallest heavyweight in history up to that point, Santa Camarão, a 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) Portuguese fighter. Carnera won the fight in a sixth-round knockout.

Carnera training c. 1934

On 10 February 1933, he knocked out Ernie Schaaf in thirteen rounds in New York City. Schaaf died four days later. Schaaf had suffered a severe beating and knockout in a bout with future heavyweight champion Max Baer six months earlier, on 31 August 1932. Furthermore, an autopsy revealed that Schaaf had meningitis, a swelling of the brain, and was still recovering from a severe case of influenza when he entered the ring with Carnera.

World Heavyweight Champion

For his next fight, Carnera faced the world heavyweight champion, Jack Sharkey, on June 29, at the Madison Square Garden Bowl in Queens, New York. Carnera became world champion by knocking out Sharkey in round six.

He retained the title against Paulino Uzcudun and Tommy Loughran, both by decision in 15 rounds, but in his next fight on 14 June 1934 against Max Baer, Carnera was knocked down multiple times in 11 rounds, before referee Arthur Donovon stopped the fight. There is disagreement regarding how many times Carnera was knocked down, with sources giving conflicting totals of 7, 10, 11 (per Associated Press) and 12 (per The Ring magazine founder Nat Fleischer, ringside for the fight, who wrote that Carnera was knocked down 12 times and slipped once after a missed punch).

After defeat

After that, Carnera won his next four fights, three of them as part of a South American tour that took him to Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, as well as two exhibitions fought on the South American continent. But then, on 25 June 1935, he was knocked out in six rounds by Joe Louis.

For the next two and a half years, he won five and lost three of eight total fights. But in 1938, Carnera, a diabetic, had to have a kidney removed, which forced him into retirement by 1944. Carnera's record was 89 wins and 14 losses. His 72 wins by knockout made him a member of the exclusive club of boxers that won 50 or more bouts by knockout.

Carnera died in 1967 in his native town of a combination of liver disease and complications from diabetes.

Legacy in boxing

Carnera was the third European to hold the world heavyweight championship after Bob Fitzsimmons and Max Schmeling. He would be the last until Ingemar Johansson claimed the title against Floyd Patterson in 1959, over a quarter of a century later.

Carnera was also the first boxer to win the European Heavyweight title and subsequently become World Heavyweight champion.

Carnera's 1933 title defense against Tommy Loughran held the record for the greatest weight differential between two combatants in a world title fight (86 lb or 39 kg) for 73 years until the reign of Nikolai Valuev, who owns the current record for the 105+1⁄2 lb (47.9 kg) weight advantage he held in his 2006 defense against Monte Barrett.

Valuev also broke Carnera's record of 270 lb (120 kg) to become the heaviest world champion in history, weighing as high as 328 lb (149 kg) during his reign. Carnera still ranks as the fourth-heaviest, behind Valuev, Tyson Fury and Andy Ruiz Jr., over eighty years after he held the title.

Carnera's 1933 title defense against Paulino Uzcudun in Italy was the first Heavyweight title fight to be held in Europe since Jack Johnson's title defence against Frank Moran in Paris in 1913. It would be the last such occasion until Muhammad Ali defended the title against Henry Cooper in London in 1966. Carnera-Uzcudun was the first World Heavyweight championship fight to be contested between two Europeans. It would be another sixty years, when Lennox Lewis defended the WBC heavyweight title against fellow-Englishman Frank Bruno in 1993, that this would occur again.

Trailing only Ezzard Charles's 95 wins, Carnera holds the second-most victories of all heavyweight champions with 89. Carnera's 72 career knockouts is the most of any world heavyweight champion.

Acting career

Carnera and Audrey Dalton in Casanova's Big Night (1954)

Carnera appeared in a short film in 1931. During his tenure as world champion he played a fictional version of himself in the 1933 film The Prizefighter and the Lady starring Max Baer and Myrna Loy. Here he plays the heavyweight champion who barely holds onto his title with a draw decision after a furious fight with Baer. The film was made just a year before Carnera fought Baer for real, in a bout that was as wild as the film version, but ended with a knockout loss for Carnera.

Carnera had a bit part in the 1949 movie Mighty Joe Young. He played himself in the tug-of-war scene with the giant gorilla. After being pulled by the ape into a pool of water, Carnera throws a couple of futile punches to Joe's chin.

He also played a bully boy wrestler in Carol Reed's film A Kid for Two Farthings (1955) based around London's Petticoat Lane Market where he has a match against a local bodybuilder who is marrying Diana Dors.

Primo appeared in at least ten Italian films between 1939 and 1943, as well as several in the 1950s, like Prince Valiant, in the role of Sligon. His last screen role was as the giant Antaeus alongside Steve Reeves in Hercules Unchained (USA title, filmed in Italy, 1959, original title Ercole e la regina di Lidia).

Professional wrestling career

In 1945 he temporarily returned to boxing and won two fights. But the next year, after three losses against Luigi Musina his talent for wrestling was discovered. In 1946 he became a professional wrestler and was immediately a huge success at the box office. For several years he was one of the top draws in wrestling. Carnera continued to be an attraction into the 1960s. Max Baer attended at least one of Carnera's wrestling matches.

Carnera won his debut on 22 August 1946, when he defeated Tommy O'Toole in California. On 23 October 1946, Carnera won his 41st consecutive wrestling match by defeating Jules Strongbow. On 19 November 1946, Carnera beat Harry Kruskamp to remain undefeated at 65-0-0.Primo Carnera went 120 straight wrestling matches undefeated (119-0-1) before suffering his first loss to Yvon Robert in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on 20 August 1947. Carnera's greatest victory took place on 7 December 1947 when he defeated former world heavyweight champion Ed "Strangler" Lewis.

In May 1948, Carnera took a 143-1-1 record against world heavyweight champion Lou Thesz. Thesz defeated Carnera in a world title defense.

Mob accusations

Carnera in 1955

According to boxing historian Herbert Goldman, Carnera was "very much mob controlled." Carnera met his first serious heavyweight contender, Young Stribling, in 1929, and won when Stribling fouled him. In a rematch, he fouled Stribling. His 1930 fight against California club fighter Bombo Chevalier in Emeryville was considered fixed, and Carnera was banned from fighting in California. His 1930 match against George Godfrey was controversial, as Godfrey was disqualified in the sixth round when he was clearly getting the better of Carnera.

Time magazine, in a 5 October 1931 cover story on Carnera before he won the heavyweight title, commented on his odd career:

Since his arrival in the US, backed by a group of prosperous but shady entrepreneurs, Carnera's career has been less glorious than fantastic. His first opponents—Big Boy Peterson, Elzear Rioux, Cowboy Owens—were known to be incompetent but their feeble opposition to Carnera suggested that they had been bribed to lose. Suspicion concerning the Monster's abilities became almost universal when another adversary, Bombo Chevalier, stated that one of his own seconds had threatened to kill him unless he lost to Carnera. Against the huge, lazy, amiable Negro George Godfrey (249 lb), he won on a foul. But only one of 33 US opponents has defeated Monster Carnera—fat, slovenly Jimmy Maloney, whom Sharkey beat five years ago. In a return fight, at Miami last March, Carnera managed to outpoint Maloney.

Depictions in popular culture

Carnera holding a reporter for a close-up shot in 1933

In film

Requiem for a Heavyweight, Rod Serling's 1956 Emmy Award-winning teleplay for Playhouse 90 directed by Ralph Nelson (who also won an Emmy), focused on down-and-out former heavyweight boxer Harlan "Mountain" McClintock. The travails of McClintock, who was played by Jack Palance (Sean Connery played the part on British television and Anthony Quinn essayed the role in the 1962 film), was thought by many boxing fans to resemble Carnera's life.

In 1947, fighting aficionado Budd Schulberg wrote The Harder They Fall, a novel about a giant boxer whose fights are fixed. It was adapted into Mark Robson's 1956 film, which starred Humphrey Bogart and Rod Steiger. A highlight was the appearance of Max Baer, playing a fighter the mob could not fix who destroys the giant in his first fair fight. Critics drew parallels with the real-life Baer-Carnera fight two decades before. In response, Carnera unsuccessfully sued the film's company.

Carnera played himself in the 1949 movie Mighty Joe Young.

Carnera was played by Matthew G. Taylor in the 2005 film Cinderella Man, a film about the life of fellow boxer James J. Braddock.

In 2008, the actor Andrea Iaia played Carnera in the Italian biographical film Carnera: The Walking Mountain, directed by Renzo Martinelli.

In 2013, Emporio Elaborazioni Meccaniche named a motorbike, the 1983 BMW R80RT Carnera, in honor of Carnera.

In comics

In 1947, Carnera, an Italian comic book series sporting a fictional version of Primo Carnera, was produced. In 1953, it was translated into German. A facsimile version was published in 2010.

Another popular Italian comic character, Dick Fulmine, was graphically inspired by Carnera.

In literature

Carnera is mentioned by Bertie Wooster in the 1934 novel Right Ho, Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse on p. 234.

In his 1933 collection of short stories Mulliner Nights, Wodehouse described one character as follows: "He was built on large lines, and seemed to fill the room to overflowing. In physique he was not unlike what Primo Carnera would have been if Carnera hadn't stunted his growth by smoking cigarettes when a boy."

Carrera's fight with Walter Neusel is described in One-storied America by Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov (1937).

Carnera is mentioned by Julian “Digger” Burroughs in the 1982 novel Lucifer’s Weekend, by Warren Murphy on p. 81.

In music

Carnera is mentioned in Cambalache, a 1934 tango song by Enrique Santos Discépolo that was featured in the musical drama film The Soul of the Accordion.

The Yeasayer song Ambling Alp, from their 2010 album Odd Blood references Carnera by his nickname in the title and second verse. Both Carnera and German boxer Max Schmeling are referenced for their bouts with American Joe Louis.

Professional boxing record

103 fights	89 wins	14 losses
By knockout	72	5
By decision	15	7
By disqualification	2	2

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
103	Loss	89–14	Luigi Musina	UD	10	19 May 1946	Gorizia, Italy
102	Loss	89–13	Luigi Musina	PTS	8	19 Mar 1946	Trieste, Italy
101	Loss	89–12	Luigi Musina	TKO	7 (8)	21 Nov 1945	Milan, Italy
100	Win	89–11	Sam Gardner	KO	1 (4)	25 Sep 1945	San Sabba Stadium, Trieste, Italy
99	Win	88–11	Michel Blevens	KO	3 (4)	22 Jul 1945	Moretti Stadium, Udine, Italy
98	Win	87–11	Josip Zupan	KO	2 (10)	4 Dec 1937	Budapest Zirkus, Budapest, Hungary
97	Loss	86–11	Albert Di Meglio	PTS	10	18 Nov 1937	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
96	Loss	86–10	Leroy Haynes	TKO	9 (10), 0:40	27 May 1936	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
95	Loss	86–9	Leroy Haynes	TKO	3 (10), 0:53	16 Mar 1936	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
94	Win	86–8	Isidoro Gastanaga	TKO	5 (10)	6 Mar 1936	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
93	Win	85–8	Big Boy Brackey	TKO	4 (10), 1:06	9 Dec 1935	Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
92	Win	84–8	Ford Smith	UD	10	25 Nov 1935	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
91	Win	83–8	Walter Neusel	TKO	4 (10), 2:23	1 Nov 1935	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
90	Loss	82–8	Joe Louis	TKO	6 (15), 2:32	25 Jun 1935	Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York, U.S.
89	Win	82–7	Ray Impelletiere	TKO	9 (10), 0:38	15 Mar 1935	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
88	Win	81–7	Erwin Klausner	KO	6 (12)	22 Jan 1935	Estádio das Laranjeiras, Río de Janeiro, Brazil
87	Win	80–7	Seal Harris	KO	7 (10)	13 Jan 1935	Estádio da Floresta, Sao Paulo, Brazil
86	Win	79–7	Victorio Campolo	PTS	12	1 Dec 1934	Club Atletico Independiente, Buenos Aires, Argentina
85	Loss	78–7	Max Baer	TKO	11 (15), 2:16	14 Jun 1934	Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S.	Lost NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles
84	Win	78–6	Tommy Loughran	UD	15	1 Mar 1934	Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S.	Retained NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles
83	Win	77–6	Paulino Uzcudun	UD	15	22 Oct 1933	Piazza di Siena, Rome, Italy	Retained The Ring heavyweight title; Won European and IBU heavyweight titles
82	Win	76–6	Jack Sharkey	KO	6 (15), 2:27	29 Jun 1933	Madison Square Garden Bowl, Queens, New York, U.S.	Won NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring heavyweight titles
81	Win	75–6	Ernie Schaaf	KO	13 (15), 0:51	10 Feb 1933	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
80	Win	74–6	Young Spence	KO	1 (10)	30 Dec 1932	Fair Park Arena, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
79	Win	73–6	James Merriott	KO	1 (10)	20 Dec 1932	City Auditorium, Galveston, Texas, U.S.
78	Win	72–6	Joe Rice	KO	2 (10)	19 Dec 1932	Northside Coliseum, Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.
77	Win	71–6	KO Christner	KO	4 (10)	15 Dec 1932	City Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
76	Win	70–6	Big Boy Peterson	TKO	2 (10)	13 Dec 1932	Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
75	Win	69–6	King Levinsky	SD	10	9 Dec 1932	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
74	Win	68–6	John Schwake	KO	7 (10), 2:16	2 Dec 1932	St. Louis Coliseum, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
73	Win	67–6	José Santa	TKO	6 (10)	18 Nov 1932	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
72	Win	66–6	Les Kennedy	KO	3 (10)	4 Nov 1932	Boston Arena, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
71	Win	65–6	Jack Taylor	KO	2 (10), 1:59	17 Oct 1932	Jefferson County Armory, Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
70	Win	64–6	Gene Stanton	KO	6 (10)	13 Oct 1932	114th Infantry Armory, Camden, New Jersey, U.S.
69	Win	63–6	Ted Sandwina	KO	4 (10)	7 Oct 1932	Benjamin Field Arena, Tampa, Florida, U.S.
68	Win	62–6	Art Lasky	NWS	10	1 Sep 1932	St. Paul Auditorium, St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
67	Win	61–6	Jack Gagnon	KO	1 (10), 1:35	19 Aug 1932	Mark's Stadium, North Tiverton, Rhode Island, U.S.
66	Loss	60–6	Stanley Poreda	PTS	10	16 Aug 1932	Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
65	Win	60–5	Hans Birkie	UD	10	2 Aug 1932	Queensboro Stadium, Long Island City, New York, U.S
64	Win	59–5	Jerry Pavelec	TKO	5 (10), 0:51	28 Jul 1932	Playgrounds Stadium, West New York, New Jersey, U.S
63	Win	58–5	Jack Gross	TKO	7 (10), 2:50	20 Jul 1932	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
62	Loss	57–5	Larry Gains	PTS	10	30 May 1932	White City Stadium, London, England
61	Win	57–4	Hans Schönrath	TKO	3 (10)	15 May 1932	Stadio San Siro, Milan, Italy
60	Win	56–4	Maurice Griselle	TKO	10 (10)	30 Apr 1932	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
59	Win	55–4	Don McCorkindale	PTS	10	7 Apr 1932	Royal Albert Hall, London, England
58	Win	54–4	George Cook	KO	4 (10)	23 Mar 1932	Royal Albert Hall, London, England
57	Win	53–4	Pierre Charles	PTS	10	29 Feb 1932	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
56	Win	52–4	Ernst Gühring	TKO	5 (10)	5 Feb 1932	Berlin Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany
55	Win	51–4	Moise Bouquillon	TKO	2 (10)	25 Jan 1932	Palais des Sports, Paris, France
54	Win	50–4	Victorio Campolo	KO	2 (15), 1:27	27 Nov 1931	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
53	Win	49–4	King Levinsky	UD	10	19 Nov 1931	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
52	Loss	48–4	Jack Sharkey	UD	15	12 Oct 1931	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.	For American heavyweight title
51	Win	48–3	Armando De Carolis	KO	2 (10), 1:08	6 Aug 1931	Shellpot Park, Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
50	Win	47–3	Roberto Roberti	TKO	3 (10), 2:25	4 Aug 1931	Dreamland Park, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
49	Win	46–3	Knute Hansen	KO	1 (10), 2:10	24 Jul 1931	Edgerton Park Arena, Rochester, New York, U.S.
48	Win	45–3	Bud Gorman	KO	2 (10), 2:35	30 Jun 1931	Arena Gardens, Toronto, Ontario Canada
47	Win	44–3	Umberto Torriani	KO	2 (10), 0:43	26 Jun 1931	Broadway Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
46	Win	43–3	Pat Redmond	KO	1 (10), 2:24	15 Jun 1931	Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
45	Win	42–3	Jim Maloney	PTS	10	5 Mar 1931	Madison Square Garden Stadium, Miami, Florida, U.S.
44	Win	41–3	Reggie Meen	TKO	2 (6)	18 Dec 1930	Royal Albert Hall, London, England
43	Win	40–3	Paulino Uzcudun	SD	10	30 Nov 1930	Estadio Olímpico de Montjuïc, Barcelona, Spain
42	Loss	39–3	Jim Maloney	PTS	10	7 Oct 1930	Boston Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
41	Win	39–2	Jack Gross	KO	4 (10)	17 Sep 1930	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
40	Win	38–2	Pat McCarthy	TKO	2 (10), 1:16	8 Sep 1930	Newark Velodrome, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
39	Win	37–2	Riccardo Bertazzolo	TKO	3 (15)	30 Aug 1930	Atlantic City Auditorium, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S.
38	Win	36–2	George Cook	KO	2 (10), 1:44	29 Jul 1930	Taylor Bowl, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
37	Win	35–2	Bearcat Wright	KO	4 (10), 1:13	17 Jul 1930	League Park, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
36	Win	34–2	George Godfrey	DQ	5 (10), 1:13	23 Jun 1930	Shibe Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
35	Win	33–2	KO Christner	KO	4 (10), 1:20	5 Jun 1930	Michigan State Fairgrounds Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
34	Win	32–2	Sam Baker	KO	1 (10)	22 Apr 1930	Portland Ice Hippodrome, Portland, Oregon, U.S.
33	Win	31–2	Leon Chevalier	TKO	6 (10)	14 Apr 1930	Oakland Baseball Park, Emeryville, California, U.S.
32	Win	30–2	Neil Clisby	KO	2 (10), 0:40	8 Apr 1930	Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
31	Win	29–2	Jack McAuliffe II	KO	1 (10), 2:18	28 Mar 1930	Stockyards Stadium, Denver, Colorado, U.S.
30	Win	28–2	George Trafton	KO	1 (10), 0:54	26 Mar 1930	Convention Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.
29	Win	27–2	Frank Zaveta	KO	1 (10), 1:51	20 Mar 1930	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
28	Win	26–2	Chuck Wiggins	KO	2 (10)	17 Mar 1930	St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
27	Win	25–2	Sully Montgomery	KO	2 (10), 1:15	11 Mar 1930	Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
26	Win	24–2	Roy Clark	KO	6 (10), 2:38	3 Mar 1930	Philadelphia Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
25	Win	23–2	Farmer Lodge	KO	2 (10), 1:22	24 Feb 1930	Heinemann Park, New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
24	Win	22–2	Johnny Erickson	KO	2 (10), 1:45	17 Feb 1930	Coliseum, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
23	Win	21–2	Jim Sigman	KO	1 (8), 1:35	14 Feb 1930	Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
22	Win	20–2	Buster Martin	KO	2 (10), 0:56	11 Feb 1930	St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
21	Win	19–2	Cowboy Billy Owens	KO	2 (10), 2:22	6 Feb 1930	113th Regiment Armory, Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
20	Win	18–2	Elzear Rioux	KO	1 (10), 0:47	31 Jan 1930	Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
19	Win	17–2	Big Boy Peterson	KO	1 (10), 1:10	24 Jan 1930	Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
18	Win	16–2	Franz Diener	TKO	6 (15)	17 Dec 1929	Royal Albert Hall, London, England
17	Loss	15–2	Young Stribling	DQ	7 (10)	7 Dec 1929	Vélodrome d'Hiver, Paris, France
16	Win	15–1	Young Stribling	DQ	4 (15)	18 Nov 1929	Royal Albert Hall, London, England
15	Win	14–1	Jack Stanley	TKO	1 (8)	17 Oct 1929	Royal Albert Hall, London, England
14	Win	13–1	Hermann Jaspers	KO	3 (10)	18 Sep 1929	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
13	Win	12–1	Feodor Nikolaeff	KO	1 (10)	30 Aug 1929	Garage de Normandie, Dieppe, France
12	Win	11–1	Joe Thomas	TKO	4 (10)	25 Aug 1929	Arènes du Rond-Point du Prado, Marseille, France
11	Win	10–1	Jose Lete	UD	10	14 Aug 1929	Estadio Municipal de Atocha, San Sebastián, Spain
10	Win	9–1	Jack Humbeeck	TKO	6 (10)	26 Jun 1929	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
9	Win	8–1	Marcel Nilles	TKO	3 (10)	30 May 1929	Cirque de Paris, Paris, France
8	Win	7–1	Moise Bouquillon	PTS	10	22 May 1929	Salle Wagram, Paris, France
7	Loss	6–1	Franz Diener	DQ	1 (10)	28 Apr 1929	Messehalle, Leipzig, Germany
6	Win	6–0	Ernst Roesemann	TKO	5 (8)	18 Jan 1929	Berlin Sportpalast, Berlin, Germany
5	Win	5–0	Constant Barrick	KO	3 (10)	1 Dec 1928	Vélodrome d'Hiver, Paris, France
4	Win	4–0	Epifanio Islas	UD	10	25 Nov 1928	Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy
3	Win	3–0	Salvatore Ruggirello	TKO	4 (10)	30 Oct 1928	Cirque de Paris, Paris, France
2	Win	2–0	Joe Thomas	KO	3 (10)	25 Sep 1928	Cirque de Paris, Paris, France
1	Win	1–0	Leon Sebilo	TKO	2 (10)	12 Sep 1928	Salle Wagram, Paris, France

Championships and accomplishments

Boxing

• International Boxing Union
  • IBU Heavyweight Championship (22 October 1933 – 21 June 1935; vacated)
• National Boxing Association
  • NBA World Heavyweight Championship (29 June 1933 – 14 June 1934)
• New York State Athletic Commission
  • NYSAC World Heavyweight Championship (29 June 1933 – 14 June 1934)

Professional wrestling

• NWA Hollywood Wrestling
  • NWA International Television Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Bobo Brazil
• NWA San Francisco
  • NWA World Tag Team Championship (San Francisco version) (1 time) – with Sandor Szabo
• WWE
  • WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2019)

See also

• Walk of Fame of Italian sport
• List of heavyweight boxing champions

Bibliography

• Page, Joseph S. (2010). Primo Carnera: The Life and Career of the Heavyweight Boxing Champion. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-4810-4.

External links

• Boxing record for Primo Carnera from BoxRec (registration required)
• Primo Carnera - CBZ Profile
• Biography: Primo Carnera
• Carnera: The Walking Mountain at IMDb
• Primo Carnera Photos
• Primo Carnera at Find a Grave
• Primo Carnera on WWE.com