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Giovanni Benvenuti (born April 26, 1938), better
known as Nino Benvenuti, is an Italy|Italian
former Boxing|boxer who is considered by many,
including noted boxing writer Brian Doogan, to be
the greatest boxer ever from Italy. He was born in
Isola, Istria (near Trieste) and his father was a
Fishing|fisherman.

Benvenuti went to the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome,
Italy|Rome, where he earned the Welterweight
division's gold medal and the Val Barker trophy as
the Games' best boxer.  At the end of his amateur
career he had an outstanding record of 120 wins
and no losses.

On January 20 of 1961, he made his professional
boxing debut, beating Ben Ali Allala, by decision
in six rounds. 

He won 29 fights in a row before challenging for
the Italian Middleweight title, on March 1, 1963,
in Rome against Tomasso Truppi. His winning streak
extended to 30 when he knocked out Truppi in round
eleven. His winning streak reached 46 wins in a
row when he met former world Jr. Middleweight
champion Denny Moyer on September 18, 1964,
beating Moyer on points in ten rounds.

After reaching 55 wins in a row, including a five
round knockout of Truppi in a rematch, he met
world Jr. Middleweight champion Sandro Mazzinghi
in Milan, on June 18, 1965. This had been a fight
the Italian public had been clamoring for: Both
men were Italian, both men claimed to be the best
in their division, and they had expressed desire
to fight each other. Benvenuti became the world
junior middleweight champion with a sixth round
knockout win. It was common, at that era, for
world champions to fight for regional belts after
winning the world title, so on October 15, he
added the Europe|European belt at the Middleweight
division, with a sixth round knockout of Luis
Folledo.

A rematch with Mazzinghi took place on December
17, and Benvenuti retained the world junior
middleweight crown with a fifteen round decision.
But after three non title wins, including a twelve
round decision over Don Fullmer and a fourteen
round knockout in Germany of Jupp Elze
(Benvenuti's first professional fight abroad), he
travelled to South Korea, where he lost his world
junior middleweight title against Soo Kim Ki, who
beat him by decision in fifteen rounds on June 25,
1966. Benvenuti deemed his first loss as a
professional as an unjustified decision for the
local boxer, and, frustrated by it, he decided to
concentrate on the middleweight division instead. 

On April 17, 1967, Benvenuti beat Emile Griffith
by decision in fifteen rounds at New York, New
York|New York's Madison Square Garden, in what was
the beginning of their trilogy of fights, to
conquer the world Middleweight title. But on a
rematch at Yankee Stadium on September 29, he lost
by a decision in fifteen, and the world
middleweight title belt. Also in 1967, he wrote
his auto-biography book, I, Benvenuti.

On March 4, 1968, Benvenuti and Griffith completed
their trilogy, once again at the Madison Square
Garden, with Benvenuti dropping Griffith in round
nine and winning a fifteen round decision to
regain the world Middleweight title. On December
14, in San Remo, he and Fullmer met once again,
this time with the world middleweight title on the
line. Benvenuti retained the belt with a fifteen
round decision. On May 26, 1969, Benvenuti was
outpointed over ten rounds by world Light
Heavyweight champion Dick Tiger in an
over-the-weight, non-title match. On October 4, he
retained the world Middleweight title with a seven
round disqualification win over United
States|American Fraser Scott in a foul-filled
bout. On November 22, he beat former world
Welterweight champion Luis Rodriguez (boxer)|Luis
Rodriguez by knockout in 11 to, once again, retain
his world Middleweight title.

This marked the beginning of a downfall period for
Benvenuti: In his next fight, on March 13 of 1970,
he was knocked out in the eighth round of a
non-title fight by unknown American Tom Bethea in
Australia. While this upset defeat caused Bethea
to get a world title shot at Benvenuti's title and
Benvenuti avenged the defeat with an eighth round
knockout of Bethea himself, Benvenuti soon lost
his title for the last time, being beaten by young
Carlos Monzon by knockout in round twelve in Rome
on November 7.

In 1971, and after losing a ten round decision to
Jose Chirino, Benvenuti got a rematch with Monzon
for the world Middleweight title. Benvenuti was
once again beaten by Monzon, this time by knockout
in round three on May 8, 1971, in Monte Carlo. He
announced his retirement there, and never returned
to boxing.

Benvenuti became a successful business man, show
host and city counselor in Trieste. He opened a
high class restaurant and forged friendships with
Monzon and Griffith, and he sent his son to take
boxing classes with Griffith in New York. Monzon
was a guest of honor at Benvenuti's television
show several times, and, when he was accused of
murdering his wife in 1988, Benvenuti became one
of his most loyal supporters, visiting him in jail
in Argentina several times, and clamoring for
Monzon's freedom. 

In 1995, Benvenuti caused sensation with the news
that he was turning away from the material world
and had travelled to Calcutta, India, to become a
volunteer at Mother Teresa's hospice.

Benvenuti had a record of 82 wins, 7 losses and 1
draw (tie) in 90 professional boxing bouts, with
35 wins by knockout.

He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of
Fame.