Artie Diamond
American boxer (1929–1976)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Artie Diamond (born abt 1929[1]– February 1976[2]) was a Jewish[3][4]-American welterweight and middleweight boxer who fought professionally from 1949 to 1951.[1] Diamond turned pro in 1949 when he was 20 and fought for a little over a year before retiring in 1951 with a 24–9 record.[1] After retiring, he got in trouble with the law and was sentenced to 7.5–15 years for armed robbery. After he got out, he worked for a time as an assistant trainer to José Torres before he was jailed again. Diamond later worked as a security guard and was killed when he and a night club owner were shot by a stranger.
Boxing career
Diamond served in the Navy before moving to New York City where he was trained by Cus D'Amato,[1] who later trained Floyd Patterson, José Torres, and Mike Tyson.[1] As an amateur, Diamond fought 20 fights, winning 18 (15 by knock out).[1]
Diamond turned pro in 1949.[1] His boxing record was W24(16KO) and L9(4KO) and DRAW-0. He boxed 150 rounds and finished with a 48.48 KO%.[5] He was known for never ducking a punch. In fact, D'Amato was so concerned that Diamond took too many punches that Diamond was forced to retire in 1951.[1][2][3]
Later life
Later that year, Diamond and some friends decided to rob an armoured truck.[1] Diamond was sentenced to 7.5–15 years[1] and spent time in Clinton Correctional Facility in New York for shooting a guard during the robbery. His first day in Clinton, he beat up all the boss heads including one fight where he bit off another inmate's ear.[6] He got a month in solitary confinement for biting another inmate's ear.[1][2][3]
After almost 8 years, Diamond was paroled and got a job as assistant trainer for conditioning for Jose Torres.[1] However, Diamond got in trouble again for planning a payroll robbery.[1] Diamond was sent to Green Haven prison where he was jumped by four inmates and was unconscious for several days.[1] After his release, he got a job as head of security for a night club.[1]
Death
Diamond and his boss were shot by a stranger.[1] He died aged 46 at Bellevue Hospital in New York City. Predeceased by his first wife Catherine, Artie was survived by his second wife and a daughter, Debbie.
Diamond was featured in Inside Sports in February 1982 in a 5-page article titled "Artie Diamond: The Toughest SOB Who Ever Lived".[6]
Bouts
| Date[5] | Weight (lb) | Opponent | Weight (lb) | Record | Venue | Result | notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 December 1951 | 158¼ | Jimmy Herring | 158 | 45-9-2 | Madison Square Garden | L TKO | Diamond was down in the 3rd, the bout was stopped by the ring doctor after he felt Diamond had taken a severe beating. |
| 7 December 1951 | 158¾ | Jimmy Herring | 159 | 44-9-2 | Madison Square Garden | L points | |
| 17 November 1951 | 161 | Bob Stecher | 160 | 40-8-1 | Ridgewood Grove | W TKO | |
| 16 May 1951[7] | 161 | Jimmy Herring[7] | 157½ | 41-7-2 | St. Nicholas Arena[7] | L points | This was the main event. 1,497 were in attendance.[8] |
| 23 March 1951 | 159 | Aldo Minelli | 153 | 25-22-2 | Madison Square Garden | L points | |
| 23 February 1951 | 159½ | Rocky Compitello | 153¼ | 16-4-0 | Madison Square Garden | W TKO | |
| 27 December 1950[9] | 160 | Jimmy Flood[9] | 162½ | 38-2-2 | St. Nicholas Arena[9] | L TKO | Diamond was ahead on points in a vicious slugging match, when the fight was stopped in round 8 because of a bad cut over Diamond's right eye.[10][11] |
| 2 November 1950 | 158 | Tommy Bazzano | 153½ | 35-27-6 | Eastern Parkway Arena | L TKO | |
| 21 October 1950 | 159 | Armando Amanini | 156¾ | 7-13-1 | Ridgewood Grove | W KO | |
| 22 September 1950 | 158¾ | Sonny Levitt | 157½ | 26-8-3 | Madison Square Garden, | W TKO | |
| 31 August 1950 | 157¾ | Johnny Noel | 156 | 7-4-0 | Dexter Park Arena | W SD | |
| 21 August 1950 | 155¾ | Tommy Ciarlo | 146½ | 30-24-4 | Coney Island Velodrome | W UD | |
| 7 August 1950 | 155 | Sammy LaRotta | 153 | 14-5-1 | Coney Island Velodrome | W UD | Unanimous 8th-round decision.[12] |
| 17 July 1950 | 154½ | Joey Fernandez | 154½ | 8-6-4 | Elizabeth, New Jersey | W PTS | Diamond awarded 6 of 8 rounds[13] |
| 26 June 1950 | 152½ | Hurley Sanders | 155 | 17-12-3 | Ridgewood Grove | W UD | |
| 12 June 1950 | 152¼ | Tony Bove | 146¾ | 16-1-1 | Ridgewood Grove | W TKO | Won in the 5th round.[14] |
| 20 May 1950 | 155¾ | Eddie Edwards | 154 | 18-8-1 | Ridgewood Grove | W PTS | |
| 6 May 1950 | 155¾ | Eddie Edwards | 154 | 18-7-1 | Ridgewood Grove | W PTS | |
| 15 April 1950 | 156½ | Tommy Englehardt | 155½ | 17-5-2 | Ridgewood Grove | W PTS | |
| 1 April 1950 | 156¾ | Ben Jones | 156½ | 10-15-1 | Ridgewood Grove | W TKO | |
| 18 March 1950 | 157 | Kid Pambele | 153½ | 7-12-2 | Ridgewood Grove | W KO | Knockout in the 1st of 6 rounds.[15] |
| 4 March 1950 | 156 | Johnny Crosby | 151 | 2-17-1 | Ridgewood Grove | W KO | |
| 23 February 1950 | 156 | James Suber | 151½ | 6-12-2 | Sunnyside Garden | W KO | |
| 16 February 1950 | 155½ | Gordon Hunt | 157 | 0-1-0 | Broadway Arena | W KO | |
| 11 February 1950 | 157½ | Louis Johnson | 154½ | 1-1-0 | Ridgewood Grove | W KO | |
| 6 February 1950 | 150 | Jimmy DeCerio | 151 | 8-8-4 | Eastern Parkway Arena | W KO | |
| 29 December 1949 | 154½ | Mike Santonino | 156 | 17-11-1 | Broadway Arena | W KO | Middleweight match.[16] |
| 15 December 1949 | 151 | Sammy LaRotta | 149 | 11-3-1 | Broadway Arena | L points | |
| 28 November 1949 | 151½ | Frankie Navedo | 144½ | 1-8-0 | Jamaica Arena | W KO | |
| 27 October 1949 | 159½ | Tony Bove | 145¾ | 9-0-1 | Broadway Arena | L TKO | |
| 15 September 1949 | 147 | Vince Martinez | 147 | 8-0-0 | Fort Hamilton Arena | L points | |
| 2 September 1949 | 146 | Engel Cordova | 148½ | Long Beach Stadium | W KO | ||
| 21 July 1949 | 147½ | Joe Esposito | 145½ | 1-0-1 | Fort Hamilton Arena | W KO | Knockout 2:23 minutes into the first of four rounds.[17] |