Mario Bianchini

An intelligent boxer, Mario Bianchini was a very skilled defensive fighter who enjoyed a great amateur career. He won the Italian lightweight title in 1930 and that same year captured the European crown in Budapest. Amongst his 36 contests representing Italy was his fourth-place finish at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics.

Bianchini turned professional after the Olympics, and in a six-year career had 45 fights with a 23-15-7 record. His early fights were in Italy but he spent 1935 fighting in Argentina. Upon his return he got a crack at the vacant Italian welterweight title against Amedeo Deyana. Bianchini won on points but only after surviving a scare in round four when heavily knocked to the canvas, and he was unsteady on his feet for much of the remainder of the contest. Following a series of defeats, Bianchini retired in 1939 but opened his own gym in Roma. In a neighbourhood in Roma, where many streets are dedicated to famous sports personalities, one was named in Bianchini’s honour in the 2000s.