Biography of Primo Carnera

The giant Italian più forte del mondo

October 25, 1906
June 29, 1967
Primo Carnera was the greatest boxer of the 20th century: Italian word of Nino Benvenuti, another great champion he shares with Carnera also an extraordinary greatness as a man. Born on 25 October 1906, the "giant with feet of clay", as he was baptized because of its grim parable descendant, Carnera is an extremely important character in local sports history.
In fact, it has been the first Italian Boxer to win the world heavyweight title. If we think that pugilistic sport is not part of the dna of the breed, more inclined to team games like football or volleyball, this was a memorable event. More than two meters tall, 120 kilograms, Carnera was able to Excel in a field where Americans are usually the undisputed masters, giving breath and force on the lean Italian boxing tradition. The highly moving story of connotation Carnera is derived by taking the typical emigrant road to success: from Sequals, the small town forty kilometres from Udine where born and remains up to eighteen, when he decided to move at some relatives in France near Le Mans.
His is the ascent of the one who with the sweat of his brow, the sacrifices and the immense effort you won his place in the Sun and, if you will, tries to impose an image from "hard" when she gave ample proof of a big heart (and just mention the Foundation Carnera demonstrating). The funny aspect of the matter is that Carnera, despite the huge tonnage that was evident from an early age, by its very nature was far from thought to dedicate himself to boxing. He could see it better as a Carpenter but, having regard to its fearsome mole, were not few who, in an Italy that is poor and eager for redemption, advised to undertake a competitive sports career.
The key role in choosing the good giant to devote himself to the ring due to the insistence of his uncle who was hosting in France. In its first meeting a local amateur is massacred by the giant Italian. Given the start withering, America is around the corner and dreams of glory and wealth they start standing out in front of the eyes of ingenuous sample. The stages of his busy career start with the drama of Ernie Schaaf, who died after the match on 10 February 1933; follow the challenge with Uzcudum in Rome (1933) in the moment of greatest triumph of fascism, and ends with the exploit of his life, success by knockout in New York on Jack Sharkey in six shots.
It was June 26, 1933 and Carnera became world heavyweight boxing champion; and it was from 1914 that a meeting was held not for the world of the greatest in Europe. Propaganda mussolinian turned it into a big event, with il Duce in the stands and Piazza di Siena, the parlor of horseback riding, turned into a big arena, packed to seventy thousand people many of whom received since morning. At the peak of his career, Carnera, "the strongest man in the world", lend her face smashed several advertising: the Punt e mes, Zanussi appliances, Necchi. Despite the fame, however, never loses its disarming spontaneity. Looms the sad decline. Lost in a disastrous against Max Baer, despite a defeat by knockout in 1937 in Budapest against the Romanian Joseph Zupan was transformed by Italian newspapers in brilliant victory.
Carnera was a myth that you could not dent, a hero from Polish to greater glory of Italy. In his story the gentle giant was in fact even comic book hero and performer of some twenty films including "the ladies man" (1933) with Myrna Loy, Jack Dempsey and Max Baer and "the Iron Crown (1941), with Gino Cervi, Massimo Girotti, Luisa Ferida, Osvaldo Valenti and Paolo Stoppa. In 1956, the film "The clay giant" with Humphrey Bogart, loosely based on the career of Carnera Boxer, threw his heavy shadows discreditable dating, assuming all kinds of combine behind the scenes of his match. An accusation that Primo Carnera has always rejected until the day of his death on 29 June in Friuli, Sequals, 1967.
It is also important to refute the cliché that uncouth man and has only seen Carnera muscles. In fact this giant with a heart of gold knew the lyrics and, as a good fond of poetry, he could recite entire verses of Dante Alighieri's favorite. In 2008 was presented at Madison Square Garden in New York on the biopic "Carnera: The Walking Mountain" (the Italian Renzo Martinelli); on this occasion the daughter of champion Juana Maria, exercising the profession of psychologist in the United States, about the life of the father has got to tell: "... gave the dedication and care for others. He taught us that nobody stays on top forever, and that the true character of a person is judged by how it deals with the descent. He was a man very sweet and tender. I know that the fascist regime elected him, but the truth is that the regime used my dad, how he was using each of those days. Dad has never been fascist and did not belong to any political party. I adored my father, I was kidnapped by his courage and by his strength, both physical and spiritual.
He loved classical literature, art and the opera. Always trying to improve and wished that my brother and I charted. When I graduated from high school in Los Angeles, was in Australia and sent me a telegram and a bouquet of red roses, apologizing for not being able to be with me. While I received my diploma, I tried my mom sitting in the front row and near her was my father. He had made the trip from Australia to Los Angeles to attend the ceremony. Then he left that very night".
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.