Anton Christoforidis

Anton Christoforidis (Greek: Αντώνιος Χριστοφορίδης; 26 May 1917 – 19 October 1985) was a Greek professional light heavyweight boxer. He won the NBA Light Heavyweight Championship in 1941, making him the first Greek to become a world boxing champion.

Anton Christoforidis
Christoforidis with the NBA Light Heavyweight Championship
Statistics
Real nameAntonios Christoforidis
Weight(s)Light heavyweight
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Reach72 in (183 cm)
NationalityGreek
Born(1917-05-26)26 May 1917
Mersin, Ottoman Empire
Died19 October 1985(1985-10-19) (aged 68)
Athens, Greece
Boxing record
Total fights76
Wins53
Wins by KO13
Losses15
Draws8

Early life

Christoforidis was born in Mersin, Ottoman Empire, but lived his first years in Smyrna. In 1922 he came to Athens, Greece as a refugee with his mother and his two sisters. His father and seven other relatives were killed in Asia Minor. His mother died two years after the family came to Athens. He had a very poor childhood, and was working in a hotel when he realized that he was a very strong boy and didn't mind fighting. He started boxing lessons and soon became the Athens champion, although he was only 16 years old. Then he decided to go to Paris where he grew up very soon in the boxing arenas.[1]

He was a very competent boxer who possessed good skills and got the most out of his ability. Since he did not possess heavy hands, having only recorded thirteen knockouts in seventy-six fights (fifty-three wins), he relied on ring savvy and work-rate.[1]

Christoforidis and Joey Maxim were sparring partners.[2]

Professional career
Anton Christoforidis and Joey Maxim.

Christoforidis had most of his early fights in Europe, particularly in France. From 1934 to late 1939, he had 46 fights in Europe, and then went to the United States. His first bout was against Theodore Korenyi in Athens, Greece, which he won by second-round knockout. His last fight in Europe prior to his departure for America was a points win over the legendary Canadian welterweight/middleweight Lou Brouillard in April 1939.[1]

On 8 November 1937, Christoforidis won both the Greek middleweight and Greek light heavyweight titles from Costas Vassis in Athens, Greece.[1]

Christofordis defeated EBU (European) middleweight champion Bep van Klaveren on 14 November 1938 in Rotterdam, Netherlands and won the EBU title. One of the spectators was Adolf Hitler.[1][2]

His first title defense was against France's Edouard Tenet in Paris, France. Anton was ahead on points going into the eleventh round, but broke his left hand that round and was forced to finish the fight on the defensive. He lost via decision.[1]

He made his United States debut on 5 January 1940 in Madison Square Garden, defeating Willie Pavlovich by decision. At that point, Christoforidis settled in Geneva, Ohio. Anton next built up an eight fight winning streak, which was stopped when future Hall of Famer Jimmy Bivins bested him over 10 rounds. Anton once said, "I won that fight; it was strictly a hometown decision." In a rematch the next month, Christoforidis returned the favor and won a 10-round decision, handing Bivins the first defeat of his career.[1][2][3]

Christoforidis fighting Melio Bettina for the NBA Light Heavyweight Championship.

The Bivins victory and successful results he had against other American opponents earned Christoforidis a bout with Melio Bettina for the vacant National Boxing Association world light heavyweight title. He won the light heavyweight crown on 13 January 1941 in Cleveland, Ohio, by defeating Melio Bettina in a unanimous decision of a fifteen-round bout. Bettina was winning slightly after twelve rounds, but Christofordis finished strong in the final three to win a decision popular with the spectators.[1] The world light heavyweight title was recently stripped from Billy Conn, who failed to defend the belt in six months due to moving up in weight to challenge heavyweight champion Joe Louis.

After knockout wins over Italo Colonello and Johnny 'Bandit' Romero in non-title bouts, Christofordis lost to Gus Lesnevich by unanimous decision on 22 May 1941. Although this was not an NBA title fight, Lesnevich was later awarded the title by the NBA regardless on 24 May 1941.[1]

On 12 January 1942, Christofordis suffered his first knockout loss at the hands of rising contender and future light heavyweight legend Ezzard Charles in Cincinnati, Ohio.[1] Christoforidis was down for "six" and "nine" before the fight was stopped.

Christoforidis fought his last bout on 18 February 1947 against Anton Raadik.[1] He retired with a record of 53 wins (13 by knockout), 15 losses and 8 draws.

Retirement, death and legacy

Christoforidis ran a bar-restaurant in Geneva, Ohio, for several years after retiring from boxing in 1947. He was also fond of the Cleveland area.[2]

In 1961, Christoforidis and his wife got divorced, and in 1968 he sold his interests in Geneva and moved to Florida to retire. In 1971, for the first time he took an extended trip back to Greece for an intended 45 days, but enjoyed it so much, he stayed for 15 years. Christoforidis was treated as a hero in Greece and enjoyed associating the rich and famous on the golf courses and, as he said, "being in shirt sleeves 12 months a year."[2]

Christoforidis died suddenly of a heart attack while being in his car, on 19 October 1985[4] in Athens, Greece at the age of 67.[2] He has made history by becoming the first Greek professional boxing world champion.[1][5]

Professional boxing record
76 fights 53 wins 15 losses
By knockout 13 3
By decision 39 12
By disqualification 1 0
Draws 8
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round,time Date Age Location Notes
76 Loss 53–15–8 Anton Raadik RTD 7 (10) Feb 18, 1947 29 years, 268 days Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
75 Loss 53–14–8 Steve Belloise TKO 10 (10), 2:15 Nov 22, 1946 29 years, 180 days Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
74 Win 53–13–8 Augie Fleischauer TKO 7 (10), 0:54 Aug 19, 1946 29 years, 85 days Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
73 Win 52–13–8 Butch Lynch KO 3 (10), 0:49 Jul 8, 1946 29 years, 43 days Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
72 Loss 51–13–8 Lloyd Marshall UD 10 Apr 21, 1943 25 years, 330 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
71 Loss 51–12–8 Jimmy Bivins UD 15 Feb 23, 1943 25 years, 273 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. For vacant "duration" light heavyweight title
70 Win 51–11–8 Nate Bolden UD 10 Dec 22, 1942 25 years, 210 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
69 Draw 50–11–8 Nate Bolden PTS 10 Aug 10, 1942 25 years, 76 days Marigold Gardens Outdoor Arena, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
68 Win 50–11–7 Mose Brown PTS 10 Jul 27, 1942 25 years, 62 days Forbes Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
67 Win 49–11–7 Johnny Colan PTS 10 Jun 23, 1942 25 years, 28 days Lakefront Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
66 Win 48–11–7 Johnny Colan PTS 10 May 20, 1942 24 years, 359 days Chicago Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
65 Win 47–11–7 Paulie Mahoney KO 9 (10) Apr 29, 1942 24 years, 338 days Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, New York, U.S.
64 Win 46–11–7 Jimmy Reeves PTS 10 Apr 17, 1942 24 years, 326 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
63 Loss 45–11–7 Ezzard Charles TKO 3 (10), 2:42 Jan 12, 1942 24 years, 231 days Music Hall Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
62 Win 45–10–7 George Burnette PTS 10 Jan 2, 1942 24 years, 221 days Fairgrounds Coliseum, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
61 Win 44–10–7 Ceferino Garcia PTS 10 Dec 1, 1941 24 years, 189 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
60 Loss 43–10–7 Gus Lesnevich UD 15 May 22, 1941 23 years, 361 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S. Lost NBA light heavyweight title;
Not an NBA Title fight but Lesnevich
awarded the title by the NBA on May 24, 1941
59 Win 43–9–7 Johnny "Bandit" Romero KO 2 (10), 2:31 Apr 30, 1941 23 years, 339 days Municipal Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, U.S.
58 Win 42–9–7 Italo Colonello TKO 5 (10) Apr 7, 1941 23 years, 316 days Coliseum, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
57 Win 41–9–7 Melio Bettina UD 15 Jan 13, 1941 23 years, 232 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. Won vacant NBA light heavyweight title
56 Win 40–9–7 Jimmy Bivins MD 10 Dec 2, 1940 23 years, 190 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
55 Loss 39–9–7 Jimmy Bivins UD 10 Nov 15, 1940 23 years, 173 days Public Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
54 Win 39–8–7 Jimmy Reeves KO 2 (10), 2:44 Oct 22, 1940 23 years, 149 days Arena, Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
53 Win 38–8–7 Tony Bruno PTS 10 Aug 21, 1940 23 years, 87 days Mills Stadium, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
52 Win 37–8–7 Joe Sutka PTS 10 Jul 9, 1940 23 years, 44 days Arena Gardens, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
51 Win 36–8–7 Jimmy Burns TKO 6 (10) Jun 5, 1940 23 years, 10 days Coliseum, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
50 Win 35–8–7 George Burnette PTS 8 Apr 5, 1940 22 years, 315 days Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
49 Win 34–8–7 Frank Zamaris PTS 6 Mar 29, 1940 22 years, 308 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
48 Win 33–8–7 Willie Pavlovich PTS 8 Jan 5, 1940 22 years, 224 days Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
47 Win 32–8–7 Lou Brouillard PTS 10 Apr 5, 1939 21 years, 314 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
46 Loss 31–8–7 Edouard Tenet PTS 15 Jan 14, 1939 21 years, 233 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France Lost IBU middleweight title
45 Win 31–7–7 Bep van Klaveren PTS 15 Nov 14, 1938 21 years, 172 days De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands Won IBU middleweight title
44 Loss 30–7–7 Bep van Klaveren PTS 10 May 23, 1938 20 years, 362 days Nenijtohal, Rotterdam, Netherlands
43 Draw 30–6–7 Gustav Eder PTS 12 May 6, 1938 20 years, 345 days Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Nazi Germany
42 Win 30–6–6 Gustav Eder PTS 12 Jan 14, 1938 20 years, 233 days Sportpalast, Schoeneberg, Nazi Germany
41 Win 29–6–6 Costas Vassis PTS 15 Nov 8, 1937 20 years, 166 days Athens, Greece Won Greek light heavyweight title;
Won Greek middleweight title
40 Win 28–6–6 Mielu Doculescu KO 1 (10) Oct 30, 1937 20 years, 157 days Athens, Greece
39 Draw 27–6–6 José Martínez Valero PTS 10 Aug 22, 1937 20 years, 88 days Oran, French Algeria
38 Win 27–6–5 Victor Janas PTS 10 Aug 8, 1937 20 years, 74 days Stade Communal de Saint Eugène, Algiers, French Algeria
37 Loss 26–6–5 Kid Tunero PTS 10 Jun 13, 1937 20 years, 18 days Chantilly, France
36 Draw 26–5–5 José Martínez Valero PTS 10 Apr 3, 1937 19 years, 312 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
35 Draw 26–5–4 José Martínez Valero PTS 10 Mar 1, 1937 19 years, 279 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
34 Win 26–5–3 Victor Janas PTS 10 Feb 4, 1937 19 years, 254 days Salle Wagram, Paris, France
33 Draw 25–5–3 Edouard Tenet PTS 10 Jan 18, 1937 19 years, 237 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
32 Win 25–5–2 Mario Casadei DQ 10 (10) Dec 7, 1936 19 years, 195 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
31 Loss 24–5–2 Edouard Tenet PTS 10 Nov 5, 1936 19 years, 163 days Salle Wagram, Paris, France
30 Win 24–4–2 Carmelo Candel PTS 10 Aug 2, 1936 19 years, 68 days Arenes d'Eckmühl, Oran, French Algeria
29 Loss 23–4–2 Victor Janas MD 10 May 2, 1936 18 years, 342 days Automobile Hall, Algiers, French Algeria
28 Win 23–3–2 Carmelo Candel KO 8 (10) Apr 19, 1936 18 years, 329 days Marseille, France
27 Win 22–3–2 Vilda Jaks PTS 12 Apr 2, 1936 18 years, 312 days Salle Wagram, Paris, France
26 Win 21–3–2 Adrien Anneet PTS 10 Mar 5, 1936 18 years, 284 days Salle Wagram, Paris, France
25 Loss 20–3–2 Carmelo Candel PTS 10 Feb 7, 1936 18 years, 257 days Salle Wagram, Paris, France
24 Loss 20–2–2 Kid Tunero PTS 10 Jan 6, 1936 18 years, 225 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
23 Win 20–1–2 Victor Janas PTS 10 Dec 9, 1935 18 years, 197 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
22 Win 19–1–2 Vilda Jaks PTS 10 Nov 22, 1935 18 years, 180 days Salle Wagram, Paris, France
21 Win 18–1–2 Julien Faes PTS 10 Oct 28, 1935 18 years, 155 days Velodrome d'Hiver, Paris, France
20 Win 17–1–2 Marcel Foulon TKO 6 (10) Oct 15, 1935 18 years, 142 days Central Sporting Club, Paris, France
19 Loss 16–1–2 Vilda Jaks PTS 10 Sep 20, 1935 18 years, 117 days Salle Wagram, Paris, France
18 Draw 16–0–2 Kid Tunero PTS 10 Sep 3, 1935 18 years, 100 days Central Sporting Club, Paris, France
17 Win 16–0–1 Andre Georges Nioche PTS 10 Aug 20, 1935 18 years, 86 days Central Sporting Club, Paris, France
16 Win 15–0–1 Assane Diouf PTS 10 Aug 6, 1935 18 years, 72 days Central Sporting Club, Paris, France
15 Win 14–0–1 Jany Ambreski PTS 10 Jul 3, 1935 18 years, 38 days Athens, Greece Venue needs verification
14 Win 13–0–1 Paul Jeancenelle PTS 6 May 4, 1935 17 years, 343 days Palais des Sports, Paris, France
13 Win 12–0–1 Andre Georges Nioche PTS 10 Apr 6, 1935 17 years, 315 days Salle des Îlets, Montluçon, France
12 Win 11–0–1 Francisco Garcia Lluch PTS 10 Feb 5, 1935 17 years, 255 days Central Sporting Club, Paris, France
11 Win 10–0–1 Andre Georges Nioche PTS 10 Jan 30, 1935 17 years, 249 days Paris-Ring, Paris, France
10 Win 9–0–1 Martinaux PTS 6 Jan 9, 1935 17 years, 228 days Paris-Ring, Paris, France
9 Win 8–0–1 Lucien Hallart PTS 8 Jan 4, 1935 17 years, 223 days Élysée Montmartre, Paris, France
8 Win 7–0–1 Marcel Blaise PTS 10 Dec 19, 1934 17 years, 207 days Paris-Ring, Paris, France
7 Win 6–0–1 Georges Ries PTS 10 Dec 6, 1934 17 years, 194 days Ring de Belleville, Paris, France
6 Win 5–0–1 Marcel Thouvenin PTS 6 Nov 14, 1934 17 years, 172 days Paris-Ring, Paris, France
5 Win 4–0–1 Guillaume Taddei TKO 4 (10) Nov 10, 1934 17 years, 168 days Central Sporting Club, Paris, France
4 Win 3–0–1 Roger Damagnez PTS 10 Oct 30, 1934 17 years, 157 days Paris-Ring, Paris, France
3 Draw 2–0–1 Paul Jeancenelle PTS 6 Oct 17, 1934 17 years, 144 days Paris-Ring, Paris, France
2 Win 2–0 Curzio Sala KO 7 (10) Aug, 1934 N/A Athens, Greece Date unavailable
1 Win 1–0 Theodore Korenyi KO 2 (10) Jul, 1934 N/A Athens, Greece Professional debut
Date uncertain

See also

Notes and references
  1. "Anton Christoforidis: Unheralded but Undisputed Boxing Champion". The National Herald. 1 April 2016. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
  2. Fitch, Jerry (September 2006). "Anton "The Sheik" Greek". The Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  3. "Jimmy Bivins vs. Anton Christoforidis (3rd meeting)". BoxRec. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
  4. Ta Nea, Σήμερα η κηδεία του Αντώνη Χριστοφορίδη (translation: Antonis Christoforidis is laid to rest today), 22 October 1985, p. 51.
  5. "Anton Christoforidis". The Cyber Boxing Zone. Retrieved 28 April 2012.
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