Ralph Giordano (born Raffaele Giordano, May 27, 1905 – July 15, 1993), better known as Young Corbett III, was an Italian-born American boxer. He was the Undisputed World Welterweight Champion in 1933 and challenged for the NYSAC Middleweight championship in 1938. A tough southpaw, he did not have strong punching power but was known for his great speed and determination.Roberts, Skutt, p.90 Corbett is considered one of the greatest southpaws of all timeTop 12 All-Time Best Southpaws, thefightcity.com, Retrieved on 6-21-16Ranking the 10 Greatest Southpaws in Boxing History, bleacherreport.com, Retrieved on 6-21-16 and one of the all-time great counterpunchers.Ken Blady, The Jewish Boxers Hall of Fame, SP Books, 1988, p.205 He was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1959, the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1982,Young Corbett III/NIASHF , NIASHF.com, Retrieved on 7-10-14 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.Young Corbett III/IBHOF , IBHOF.com, Retrieved on 3-28-08

Biography

Early life Born in Rionero in Vulture, in the Italian region of Basilicata, from Vito Giordano and Gelsomina Capobianco, he moved with his family to the United States when he was still an infant and was erroneously registered as Raffaele Capabianca Giordano. After four years of living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he moved to Fresno, California, and began boxing in 1919 while still a 14-year-old "newsboy." One day Corbett and a friend hopped a freight train headed for Sacramento in search for a match there but they arrived in Marysville by mistake, where they attended a boxing show that night. After convincing the promoter that he was a fighter, Corbett faced a more experienced boxer named Eddie Morris, who knocked him out in the third round. Corbett, however, earned $7.50 for his performance.

After graduating from Edison High School in 1920, Corbett began to practice more seriously. He got his stage name when a ring announcer told him he would not present him as Ralph Giordano and dubbed him "Young Corbett III" because his fighting style reminded him of William J. Rothwell, known as Young Corbett II,Hudson Jr., p.70 or, according to other sources, for his haircut similar to that of heavyweight champion James J. Corbett.

Boxing career

Corbett fought many great fighters of his era, suffering only 5 defeats in his first 75 recorded bouts. He engaged in a four-fight series with future welterweight champion Young Jack Thompson, winning three and drawing once. He also scored wins over Jack Zivic, Sgt. Sammy Baker, welterweight champion Jackie Fields and future middleweight king Ceferino Garcia.

Before a crowd of 16,000 on February 22, 1933, Corbett captured the welterweight championship of the world by decisioning, from Jackie Fields in over 10 rounds at San Francisco's Seals Stadium. He competed with a broken hand received from a sparring session three days before the fight, and hurt his left thumb in the fifth round but continued to fight undaunted. Referee Jack Kennedy remembered Corbett as "vicious in those first five rounds. He ripped him like a tiger. Fields could not protect himself".Roberts, Skutt, p.91

Three months later, he was dethroned by Hall of Famer Jimmy McLarnin in a first round knockout. Corbett then moved up to the middleweight division. He scored wins over future light heavy champ Gus Lesnevich (TKO 5), as well as Hall of Famers Mickey Walker, and Billy Conn. On February 22, 1938 he beat Fred Apostoli, winning the middleweight championship. On November 18 of that year, he challenged Apostoli again, but was stopped in 8 rounds.

Retirement and death

Corbett boxed until August 20, 1940, winning his last fight against Richard "Sheik" Rangel. He retired with a 123-12-20 (33 KOs) record. He later operated a bar in Fresno. On October 2, 1945 Corbett survived a serious car accident on Highway 99 near Delano, suffering a fractured skull and other injuries. He died in Auberry, California at the age of 88, after about 20 years afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. A statue of him, posed in a fighting stance and boxing gloves, was erected in Fresno. The sculpture was realized by Clement Renzi.

Personal life Corbett was married to Gladys Padgett (1909-1994). Besides his boxing career, he was a physical education instructor for the California Highway Patrol and a grape grower.Young Corbett III - Non c'era solo Rocco Mazzola (Italian) His cousin Al Manfredo (1912-1990) also was a boxer and later a boxing manager. Corbett is the great-grandfather of former American football safety Matt Giordano.

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRoundDateLocationNotes155Win123–12–20 Sheik RangelPTS10Aug 20, 1940154Win122–12–20 Harry CahillPTS10Apr 15, 1940153Win121–12–20 Dale SparrPTS10Mar 13, 1940152Win120–12–20 Dick FosterTKO7 (10)Dec 14, 1939151Loss119–12–20 Fred ApostoliTKO8 (15)Nov 18, 1938150Win119–11–20 Glen LeePTS10Jul 19, 1938149Win118–11–20 Jackie BurkePTS10May 25, 1938148Win117–11–20 Fred ApostoliPTS10Feb 22, 1938147Win116–11–20 Dick FosterPTS10Dec 17, 1937146Loss115–11–20 Billy ConnUD10Nov 8, 1937145Win115–10–20 Billy ConnPTS10Aug 13, 1937144Win114–10–20 Joe SmallwoodPTS10Jul 21, 1937143Win113–10–20 Dale SparrPTS10Apr 2, 1937142Win112–10–20 Gus LesnevichTKO5 (10)Mar 12, 1937141Win111–10–20 Joe BernallPTS10Sep 18, 1936140Win110–10–20 Mike BazzonnePTS10Jul 31, 1936139Win109–10–20 Frankie BrittKO7 (10)Jul 10, 1936138Loss108–10–20 Lou BrouillardPTS10Jul 4, 1935137Win108–9–20 Bep van KlaverenPTS10Feb 22, 1935136Win107–9–20 Bep van KlaverenPTS10Jan 28, 1935135Win106–9–20 Mickey WalkerPTS10Aug 14, 1934134Win105–9–20 Young TerryKO3 (10)Apr 13, 1934133Win104–9–20 Babe MarinoPTS10Feb 5, 1934132Loss103–9–20 Jimmy McLarninTKO1 (10)May 29, 1933131Win103–8–20 Jackie FieldsPTS10Feb 22, 1933130Win102–8–20 Joe GlickPTS10Dec 19, 1932129Win101–8–20 Ceferino GarciaTKO9 (10)Oct 25, 1932128Win100–8–20 Babe AndersonTKO9 (10)Aug 19, 1932127Win99–8–20 Vearl WhiteheadPTS10May 16, 1932126Win98–8–20 David VelacoPTS10Apr 21, 1932125Win97–8–20 Ceferino GarciaPTS10Apr 12, 1932124Win96–8–20 David VelascoPTS10Mar 4, 1932123Win95–8–20 Gaston LeCadrePTS10Aug 14, 1931122Win94–8–20 Meyer GracePTS10Jun 18, 1931121Win93–8–20 Tommy HermanPTS10May 1, 1931120Win92–8–20 Paul PirronePTS10Mar 20, 1931119Win91–8–20 Paulie WalkerPTS10Feb 20, 1931118Draw90–8–20 Paulie WalkerPTS10Jan 13, 1931117Win90–8–19 Farmer Joe CooperKO1 (10)Nov 5, 1930116Win89–8–19 Sammy JacksonPTS10Sep 30, 1930115Win88–8–19 Jack ThompsonPTS10Jul 4, 1930114Win87–8–19 Andy DiVodiKO6 (10)May 16, 1930113Win86–8–19 Alf RossPTS10Apr 25, 1930112Win85–8–19 Jackie FieldsPTS10Feb 22, 1930111Win84–8–19 Babe AndersonPTS10Jan 1, 1930110Win83–8–19 Tommy ElksPTS10Dec 13, 1929109Win82–8–19 Bucky LawlessKO1 (10)Aug 30, 1929108Win81–8–19 Clyde ChastainPTS10Jun 21, 1929107Win80–8–19 Al Van RyanPTS10Jun 7, 1929106Win79–8–19 Pete MeyersPTS10Apr 22, 1929105Win78–8–19 Fred MahanPTS10Mar 15, 1929104Win77–8–19 Al GracioTKO8 (10)Feb 11, 1929103Draw76–8–19 Pete MeyersPTS10Jan 11, 1929102Loss76–8–18 Sergent Sammy BakerPTS12Sep 26, 1928101Win76–7–18 Sergent Sammy BakerPTS12Sep 13, 1928100Win75–7–18 Nick TestoKO5 (10)Aug 17, 192899Win74–7–18 Jack ZivicPTS10Jun 18, 192898Win73–7–18 Tony AzevedoPTS10Apr 20, 192897Win72–7–18 Eddie RobertsKO9 (10)Mar 12, 192896Win71–7–18 Jack ThompsonPTS10Feb 13, 192895Win70–7–18 Young Sam LangfordPTS10Dec 21, 192794Win69–7–18 Gilberto AttellKO5 (10)Dec 14, 192793Win68–7–18 Sailor AshmoreKO5 (10)Nov 22, 192792Win67–7–18 Dave CookKO2 (10)Nov 1, 192791Win66–7–18 Charlie FeraciPTS10Oct 21, 192790Win65–7–18 Joe VargasPTS10Sep 20, 192789Win64–7–18 Freddie MackPTS10Aug 5, 192788Draw63–7–18 Tommy WhitePTS10Jul 29, 192787Draw63–7–17 Jack ThompsonPTS10Jun 24, 192786Win63–7–16 Jack SilverPTS10Jun 7, 192785Win62–7–16 Frankie TierneyPTS10May 25, 192784Win61–7–16 Young Harry WillisDQ10 (10)Apr 13, 192783Draw60–7–16 Billy MurphyPTS10Mar 23, 192782Win60–7–15 Larry MurphyPTS10Mar 1, 192781Win59–7–15 Phil SalvadoreTKO4 (10)Jan 18, 192780Win58–7–15 Dick HoppePTS10Dec 3, 192679Win57–7–15 Jack SparrTKO3 (10)Nov 3, 192678Win56–7–15 Joe ChaneyPTS6Oct 12, 192677Win55–7–15 Jerry Young CarpenteroTKO5 (10)Oct 5, 192676Win54–7–15 Charlie FeraciPTS10Sep 24, 192675Win53–7–15 Sailor AshmoreKO5 (10)Sep 10, 192674Win52–7–15 Joe LaymanPTS10Aug 27, 192673Win51–7–15 Billy AlgerPTS10Aug 6, 192672Win50–7–15 Leo ClaroKO3 (10)Jul 26, 192671Win49–7–15 Young PapkePTS10Jul 13, 192670Draw48–7–15 Billy AlgerPTS10Jul 5, 192669Win48–7–14 Jack SparrPTS10Jun 29, 192668Win47–7–14 Joe SchlockerPTS10Jun 15, 192667Win46–7–14 Young BurmayKO3 (6)May 25, 192666Win45–7–14 Young Jack ThompsonPTS6May 18, 192665Win44–7–14 Danny McCoyKO4 (6)May 10, 192664Win43–7–14 Freeman BlackTKO4 (6)Feb 23, 192663Draw42–7–14 Dick HoppePTS8Feb 19, 192662Win42–7–13 John Battling WardPTS10Jan 25, 192661Win41–7–13 Jimmy CarterKO5 (6)Jan 12, 192660Win40–7–13 Jack GarciaTKO5 (6)Oct 26, 192559Win39–7–13 Joe PowellPTS8Jul 7, 192558Win38–7–13 Frankie ThomasPTS6Jun 23, 192557Draw37–7–13 Young Sam LangfordPTS10Jun 19, 192556Win37–7–12 Billy RayesPTS6May 22, 192555Win36–7–12 Joe ChaneyPTS6May 19, 192554Win35–7–12 Kid KopecksDQ6 (8)Apr 27, 192553Loss34–7–12 Jack McCarthyPTS10Mar 24, 192552Win34–6–12 Gilbert GallantKO2 (10)Mar 11, 192551Draw33–6–12 Julius JessickPTS4Feb 6, 192550Win33–6–11 Indian Mike DoylePTS4Dec 16, 192449Draw32–6–11 Julius JessickPTS4Nov 18, 192448Win32–6–10 Joe ChaneyPTS4Nov 11, 192447Win31–6–10 Sailor SmithPTS4Oct 30, 192446Win30–6–10 Pete FrancisPTS4Sep 25, 192445Loss29–6–10 KO KellyPTS4May 27, 192444Loss29–5–10 Ad CadenaPTS4May 8, 192443Draw29–4–10 Jack SparrPTS4May 2, 192442Draw29–4–9 Eddie DoodyPTS4Apr 25, 192441Draw29–4–8 Sam RobideauPTS4Apr 24, 192440Win29–4–7 Battling TecoPTS4Apr 18, 192439Win28–4–7 Benny BerrisPTS4Apr 8, 192438Draw27–4–7 Joe ChaneyPTS4Mar 17, 192437Draw27–4–6 J RobertsPTS4Mar 6, 192436Draw27–4–5 Benny BerrisPTS4Mar 4, 192435Win27–4–4 Joe BellPTS4Jan 30, 192434Loss26–4–4 Trench KingPTS4Dec 29, 192333Win26–3–4 Eddie HadenPTS4Nov 20, 192332Win25–3–4 Clarence SanchezPTS4Nov 11, 192331Win24–3–4 Tommy O'LearyPTS4Nov 9, 192330Win23–3–4 Georgie LeePTS4Oct 31, 192329Win22–3–4 Frankie VierraPTS4Oct 16, 192328Win21–3–4 Young PredellaPTS4Sep 18, 192327Draw20–3–4 Kid RitchiePTS4Sep 14, 192326Win20–3–3 Clarence SanchezKO3 (4)Jul 12, 192325Win19–3–3 Eddie MahoneyPTS4Jun 28, 192324Win18–3–3 Lee WeberPTS4May 22, 192323Win17–3–3 Kid HudsonKO2 (4)May 10, 192322Win16–3–3 Joe SimasPTS4Apr 26, 192321Win15–3–3 Clarence SanchezPTS4Apr 19, 192320Win14–3–3 Bud RileySD4Apr 6, 192319Win13–3–3 Pat RyanKO1 (4)Feb 16, 192318Win12–3–3 Lee WeberPTS4Feb 9, 192317Win11–3–3 Jimmy BradyPTS4Feb 6, 192316Win10–3–3 Billy ColeKO2 (4)Jan 23, 192315Win9–3–3 Billy JordanTKO2 (4)Jan 9, 192314Win8–3–3 Eddie O'ConnelPTS4Oct 24, 192213Win7–3–3 Kid SwanKO2 (4)Jan 20, 192212Draw6–3–3 Kid HardyPTS4Dec 15, 192111Loss6–3–2 Eddie McGovernPTS4Sep 27, 192110Win6–2–2 Young PetersPTS4Jan 10, 19219Win5–2–2 Terry McGovernPTS4Sep 28, 19208Win4–2–2 Kid ChrisKO2 (4)Jul 23, 19207Win3–2–2 Kid ChrisPTS4Jul 2, 19206Win2–2–2 Terry HoganPTS4Jul 1, 19205Draw1–2–2 Terry HoganPTS4Jun 18, 19204Loss1–2–1 Eddie MorrisKO3 (4)Feb 5, 19203Loss1–1–1 Jack O'KeefeKO3 (4)Jan 13, 19202Draw1–0–1 Kid JeffriesPTS4Oct 3, 19191Win1–0 Young McGovernPTS4Sep 28, 1919

Titles in boxing Major world titles NYSAC welterweight champion (147 lbs) NBA (WBA) welterweight champion (147 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles The Ring welterweight champion (147 lbs)

Undisputed titles Undisputed welterweight champion

See also List of welterweight boxing champions List of middleweight boxing champions

References

Bibliography James B. Roberts, Alexander G. Skutt, The Boxing Register: International Boxing Hall of Fame Official Record Book, McBooks Press, 2006 David L. Hudson Jr., Combat Sports: An Encyclopedia of Wrestling, Fighting, and Mixed Martial Arts, ABC-CLIO, 2009

External links

boxrec.com boxrec.com