Isadoro Anthony "Izzy" Jannazzo (January 31, 1915 – June 18, 1995) was an American professional boxer who challenged Barney Ross for the NYSAC, NBA, and The Ring magazine world welterweight championship in November 1936, and took the Maryland version of the World Welterweight Championship in October 1940. In 1937, he fought national welterweight champions before large crowds in Australia and Germany. In 1940, he was listed as the world's top welterweight contender by some sources."Joe Louis's Foes are Belittled", Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, pg. 47, 25 December 1940 His managers were Guy Anselmi and Chris Dundee.
Early life and career Isadoro Jannazzo was born on January 31, 1915, in Ensley, Alabama to poor Sicilian Italian parents Francesca and Anthony Jannazzo. He would become part of a family of six, which included a sister Bernice and brothers Vincent and Sam and would live in his hometown until roughly the age of seventeen. He may have boxed in as many as one hundred amateur bouts, and once contended for a state bantamweight championship around the age of fourteen. After his family's move to New York around 1932, his mother died, causing him to shoulder additional financial responsibility for the support of his family. In 1941, Izzy married Francesca "Frances" Tombrello, who was five years his junior. Francesca's family, who had also lived in Ensley, Alabama, where she was born, had been friends of his family for many years. Francesca and her family moved to New York shortly after his. Izzy and his wife would settle on Troutman Street in Brooklyn, New York, in attached buildings near other family members.
Fighting in the New York City area, primarily Brooklyn or the Bronx between December 6, 1932, and January 13, 1934, he won nine of nineteen fights, losing six and drawing three times. He was not considered a power hitter yet won 65 of 126 bouts, though scoring only 8 knockouts.
Important early career wins On April 21, 1934, he defeated Murray Brandt in a six-round points decision at Ridgewood Grove Arena in Brooklyn. He had formerly lost to Brandt in a six-round decision.
On May 31, 1934, he defeated Stanislaus Loayza in a six-round points decision at Fort Hamilton Arena in Brooklyn, New York. Stanislaus would contend for the NYSE World Lightweight Title in July 1935 against Jimmy Goodrich and was well known in his native Chile.
On November 17, 1934, he defeated Joe Rossi at the Ridgewood Grove in Brooklyn, New York in a six-round points decision. Rossi was another well rated New York welterweight who had previously beaten Jannazzo in six rounds on September 30, 1933, in Brooklyn. He would draw with Rossi in a six-round Brooklyn bout shortly after.
On January 7, 1935, he defeated Tony Falco at the St. Nicholas Arena in New York in a ten-round points decision. Jannazzo, with a reach advantage landed effective rights in the first, had an even second, and fought fiercely and evenly in the third and fourth. Jannazzo took the fifth with clean rights to the body and face while eluding Falco. Falco took the sixth using both hands, but Jannazzo may have taken the eighth with two stiff rights to the head of Falco near the end of the round. Jannazzo may have taken the ninth with lefts to the face of Falco, though the tenth was even with both boxers too exhausted to land stiff blows."Jannazzo Defeats Falco in Roundup", The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, pg. 17, 6 January 1935
At 145 pounds, Jannazzo fought Jackie Davis twice on January 26, and February 16, in eight round points decisions at Ridgewood Grove in Brooklyn, losing the first, but winning the second. Jannazzo had roughly a four-pound weight advantage in each bout.
Defeating Kid Azteca and Steve Halaiko On March 2, 1935, he lost to Kid Azteca at the Arena Nacional in Mexico City in a ten-round points decision. In 1936, Azteca, Mexico City born, would take and hold the Mexican Welterweight title and fight in five separate decades in his native land.
On May 4, 1936, Jannazzo, at 145 1/2, scored a small upset defeating top NYSE welterweight contender Billy Celebron at the St. Nicholas Arena in New York in a ten-round points decision. According to the United Press, Celebron won only three rounds with the fourth and seventh even."Izzy Jannazzo Whips Celebron", The Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, pg. 29, 5 May 1936
On July 6, 1936, fighting at 145 1/2, he knocked out Steve Halaiko in the fourth of six rounds at the Dexter Park arena in Queens."Squared Circle", The Decatur Daily Review, Decatur, Illinois, pg. 8, 7 July 1936
Win over former Light Welterweight Champion Johnny Jadick, draw with Ceferino Garcia At 145 1/4 pounds, on July 22, 1936, he defeated former champion Johnny Jadick, in a ten-round points decision at the Dykman Oval in Manhattan. In a decisive win, Jannazzo put Jadick on the canvas in the first, fourth and sixth rounds.Jadick was down three times in "Jannazzo Wins Nod in Scrap", Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, pg. 11, 23 July 1936 The fight was a benefit for the United Palestine Appeal."Jannazo Wins Ten-Round Bout", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 21, 23 July 1936 Jadick had previously taken the World Light Welterweight Championship on March 18, 1932, against Tony Canzoneri.
On October 30, 1936, he fought an important fifteen-round draw with Ceferino Garcia before a crowd of 5640 at New York's Madison Square Garden. In a fairly close bout, the Associated Press gave eight rounds to Garcia, six to Jannazzo, and one even. Jannazzo, a powerful hitter who had once floored Barney Ross, was thrown off in his attack by the scientific defense of Jannazzo, who was able to throw Garcia off balance from his attacks with his jabbing. Garcia scored the fight's only knockdown in the eighth for a count of one with a strong right. In the seventh through the fifteenth, both boxers changed the pace from the more cautious early rounds, and unleashed continuous punches. Garcia lost two of the first three rounds from penalties for low punches, and narrowly lost the other, but won most all of the remaining rounds through the ninth with a more aggressive display. The tenth through the twelfth went to Jannazzo who effectively used jabs to Garcia's head, interfering with his punching."Title Contenders Stage Battle to Draw", Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno, Nevada, pg. 13, 31 October 1936 Garcia would take the World Middleweight Championship in 1939.
Undisputed Welterweight Title bout against Barney Ross, November 1936
On November 27, 1936, he faced the incomparable triple division champion Barney Ross before 8,484 spectators in a NYSAC, NBA, and Ring Magazine recognized World Welterweight Championship at Madison Square Garden, losing in a fifteen-round unanimous decision. There were few serious knockdowns in the bout, a credit to Jannazzo, though Ross may have taken as many as nine rounds, clearly starting out with an edge in the first two."Ross Fails to Impress While Trimming Izzy", The Times, Hammond, Indiana, pg. 51, 28 November 1936 Jannazzo was knocked down only briefly in the second and the fifth, for counts of one, and two, both from rights from Ross, though he likely slipped backing away in the fifth. The Associated Press had Ross with ten of the fifteen rounds, with four to Janazzo and one even."Ross Beats Izzy Jannazzo", Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa, 28 November 1936, pg. 7 Janazzo showed pluck lasting fifteen rounds with Ross, even scoring with hard right crosses in the seventh, eighth, and tenth, though the outcome of the bout was never strongly in doubt."Barney Ross Defeats New Yorker", Warren Times Mirror, Warren, Pennsylvania, pg. 8, 28 November 1936
On June 18, 1937, he defeated Phoenix welterweight Freddie Dixon in a ten-round points decision at the Municipal Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona.
Boxing in Sydney, Australia, and Hamburg, Germany, December 1937–38 On December 21, 1937, and January 25, 1938, he fought Jack Carroll and Dick Humphries in Sydney, Australia, losing both bouts in ten round points decisions. The bout with Carroll, Australian Welterweight Champion, brought an enthused capacity crowd of 30,000, likely the largest crowd of Jannazzo's career. Jannazzo was badly pummeled by Carroll's blows to both body and head, but never tired in the bout, and attempted to return counterpunches after each encounter. The bout was described as one of Carroll's best."Carroll's Greatest Bout", The Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, pg. 17, 22 December 1937 "Jack Carroll Wins from Izzy Jannazzo", The Winnipeg Tribune gave Carroll nine of the ten rounds.Winnipeg Tribune, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, pg. 19, 21 December 1937
On October 15, 1938, he fought a fifteen-round draw with Gustav Eder, German Welterweight Champion, at Hanseaten Hall in Hamburg, Germany. The bout was close, with Jannazzo scoring with fast lefts through the first seven rounds, but Eder scoring with rights to the head and body in the subsequent rounds. The decision was unpopular with the enthusiastic home crowd of 10,000, among whom may felt Jannazzo had shown more science in the boxing and landed the more telling blows."Izzy Jannazzo Fights to Draw", Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, pg. 31, 16 October 1938Home crowd actually favored Jannazzo at the end in "German Crowd Thinks American Outpointed Eder", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, St. Louis, Missouri, pg. 12, 16 October 1938 In a previous match in New York in September 1936 with Eder, Jannazzo had won a fifteen-round points decision.
On February 7, 1940, he defeated Jackie Burke in a ten-round points decision at the Watres Armory in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Jannazzo battered Burke with both hands throughout the bout."Jannazzo Wins Bout", Arizona Republic, Phoenix, Arizona, pg. 49, 6 February 1940
On April 10, 1940, he defeated Steve Mamakos at Riverside Stadium in Washington, D. C., in a ten-round split decision.
On September 4, 1940, he defeated Holman Williams in a ten-round points decision at Griffith Stadium in Washington, D.C. In that year, Holman was rated seventh in the world among welterweights. He would become a boxer of some renown, taking the World Colored Middleweight Championship on October 16, 1942, against Charley Burley in New Orleans, Louisiana. Holman would lose the title to the "Cocoa Kid". Williams had previously beaten Jannazzo on March 27, 1940, in Scranton, Pennsylvania in a ten-round points decision. Williams, fighting at 150 in their March meeting, won from clever infighting in the later rounds, when Jannazzo may have tired from his strong opening rounds."Ring and Mat", The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Brooklyn, New York, pg. 18, 28 March 1940
Taking the Welterweight Championship of the World (Maryland version), October 1940
He won the Welterweight Championship of the World (as recognized by Maryland state), fighting at 147 pounds against the Puerto Rican boxer "Cocoa Kid" on October 14, 1940, in a close fifteen round split decision before 3,000 fans at Carlin's Park in Baltimore, Maryland. Jannazzo took the bout using a strong left jab, and effective footwork that left him out of the range of his Puerto Rican challenger. The "Kid", who fought with a four-pound disadvantage, repeatedly tried to take the fight to Jannazzo but was stopped by Jannazzo's ever present left jab."Jannazzo Wins Maryland Welter Title", Dunkirk Evening Observer, Dunkirk, New York, pg. 12, 15 October 1940 Jack Dempsey refereed the bout.
Loss to future middleweight champion Georgie Abrams, December 1940