K.O.W. - A Righteous Right

If you've seen the Sugar Ray Robinson Ringside on Classic, you know that Carmen Basilio, in his terse, no-bullshit, crusty old man kind of a way, steals the show. Watching the Basilio fights that they show during his segment, I was reminded of what a hard-as-nails badass he was and I realized that he was long overdue as a subject for the No Mas Knockout of the Week.

I wanted to put up Carmen's twelfth-round TKO of Tony Demarco, when he first won the welterweight crown in an all-out battle that was named Ring's Fight of the Year in 1955. Unfortunately, the video is not available. The Ring Fight of the Year for 1956 is available though, and it also features Basilio, avenging his loss to Johnny Saxton from earlier in the year with a vicious ninth-round TKO.

This bout was especially sweet for Basilio as it redressed one of the most infamous mob fixes of the mafia's heyday of boxing control. Saxton was a known favorite of the mob, while Carmen had always refused to play ball - the result of that disparity was a ridiculous decision for Saxton in their first fight. In the second, Basilio wised up and made sure the judges didn't get involved, punishing Saxton early and often, splitting his lip into a bloody mess that caused Saxton problems the rest of the fight. When we pick up the action below, Saxton is already several paces down queer street, clearly staying away from Basilio in the hope that he'll get his wits back. With a roundhouse leaping right in the ninth, however, Carmen puts those wits on permanent vacation. After that, the end comes quickly.