Sport: Boxing
Born: August 30, 1926
Died: September 23, 2008
Town: Bayonne, New Jersey
Anthony Riccio was born August 30, 1926 in Bayonne, NJ. He was orphaned as a baby and raised by his grandmother, who often told of Tony’s habit of punching anyone who leaned too far over his crib. As a boy, he picked up spare change shining shoes, but the main outlet for his limitless energy was fighting neighborhood kids of all ages, shapes and sizes. Local trainer Pat Amato discovered Tony when he was 12. Amato watched as the smaller, weaker boy beat up a 16-year-old who was moving in on his shoe-shine territory. They made a deal that, when Tony was old enough, he would become a boxer.
At 15, Tony stood 5’8” and weighed around 140 pounds. What he lacked in skill and power, he made up for with his relentless attacking style and ability to deliver punches in bunches. Amato felt that he did not need amateur experience and moved him into the professional ranks. Tony’s first fight as a pro was a loss to Freddie Herman in the summer of 1941. At age 16, he began winning fights and making a name for himself in New Jersey boxing circles.
Tony fought 39 times before he joined the Navy in 1944 and the age of 18. After his discharge in 1945, he picked up where he left off, often fighting once a month or more.
A bell-to-bell puncher who lacked knockout power, Tony nonetheless scored 50 victories and went the distance in all but a handful of his fights. That made him one of the Garden State’s most popular pugilistic attractions—something that was not lost on promoters, who often pit him against his nemesis, Joe Curcio. Tony was unafraid to mix it up with champions and top contenders, including Ray Robinson and Charley Fusari. His ring opponents read like a Who’s Who of the era’s top welterweights and middleweights, including Jackie Wilson, Sammy Angott and Rocky Castellani.
Tony left the ring in 1950 at the age of 24. He fought exactly 100 times, finishing with a record of 50-37, with 13 draws—a remarkable statistic. Despite a so-so record, he hated to lose. In 1949, his bout against Mike DeCosmo in Jersey City was stopped after six rounds when cuts over both eyes prevented him from coming out for the seventh. Tony was so enraged he stormed across the ring and continued to swing at DeCosmo, setting off a memorable melee that involved several ringside spectators.
In 2006, Tony was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2008 at the age of 82.