When he passed away at the relatively young age of 64, his professional boxing career was not mentioned in his Miami Herald obituary?
?My Tony Alongi will be heavyweight champion within two years.??Rocky Marciano
?Somehow, Tony Alongi, one of the better heavyweights of that era, is almost forgotten today. But, he was the most exciting fighter and number 1 drawing card for promoter Chris Dundee, in Miami. He was?often showcased and [was] featured in the sports sections of newspapers all over the country.??Steve Canton
Boxing was a mainstream and exciting sport in the early 1960s?a carryover from the great post-war ?50s going into the Golden Age of the ?70s. Unlike today, the best fought the best and the well-schooled heavyweights were especially outstanding and active. This well-stocked division included Cassius Clay (who later would become Muhammad Ali), Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson, Sonny Liston, Jimmy Ellis, Cleveland Williams, Henry Cooper, Eddie Machen, George Chuvalo, Ingemar Johansson, Zora Folley, Jerry Quarry, Leotis Martin, Ernie Terrell, Oscar Bonavena Doug Jones, Karl Mildenberger, and others too numerous to list here. And also unlike today, 6-feet-5-inches was considered unusually tall. See: http://heavyweightaction.com/Decade%201960s.html
Tony Alongi
Tony Alongi, who sparred with Cassius Clay at the legendary 5th Street Gym in Miami in 1960, fought during this era; he was one of the better heavyweights who roamed the boxing landscape and his accomplishments warrant a distinct place in boxing?s memory bank.
Often called the ?Elongated Beanpole? and/or the ?Florida Superstar,? Tony stood over 6-feet-5-inches. He had retired from amateur boxing with an undefeated record of 27-0 and several New Jersey titles including the New Jersey Golden Glove Title in 1957. Moving to the pros, he became a highly regarded and highly touted heavyweight who fought from 1959 to 1967. Alongi hailed from North Jersey but later moved to and fought out of the Miami, Florida area where he was a big fan favorite at the Auditorium in Miami Beach (though he fought in many other locales and venues) and seemed destined to be a World Heavyweight Champion by the end of 1963.
Marciano?s Prot?g?
In a dream-come-true setting, Alongi was guided by legendary trainer Charley Goldman who, of course, had trained Alongi?s long-time idol Rocky Marciano. Alongi became a prot?g? of Marciano and was well known and appreciated by serious boxing fans. He was a classic stand-up boxer-puncher and he coupled that with outstanding footwork. Using his long reach, he also had a snapping ?lightning bolt? left jab. He was once described as being ?a smart and tricky fighter and, besides a good left jab, he knows how to use rough-house tactics, as he is well-schooled and ring-smart.?
Tony won his first 28 fights and graced the covers of several boxing magazines including the February 1961 Boxing Illustrated. Coming off a November 1961 victory over ranked heavyweight George ?Idaho Gladiator? Logan, Tony became ranked and was poised to soar to the heights.
First Defeat
However, it was not to be as disaster struck. He was stopped on a closed eye near the end of the last round in his 10-round bout with Argentinean Rodolfo Luciano Diaz (15-5-1). Tony was well ahead on points at the time and only needed to hang on for a few more seconds. Many of his supporters blamed the eye injury on a head-butt. All hell broke loose, as Alongi complained at the quick stoppage, and argued that he was not hurt and could continue. Whatever the case, the defeat ended his dream of remaining undefeated and also seemed to defuse the spark that had torqued his career to that high point.
?[It was] completely ridiculous. Tony was so far ahead on the scorecards [against Rodolfo Luciano Diaz] there was no way he could lose. The guy head-butted him the 7th round, and the referee missed it. He lets it go until there are 26 seconds left, and then says he was worried Tony could get hurt. Completely ridiculous.??Charley Goodman, Alongi?s manager
?I was in complete control and won every round until he head-butted me. Still, I was so far ahead in points, and he never hurt me. I couldn?t see for 3 rounds, then the referee stops it with 26 seconds left. Sure, he?s worried about my health.??Alongi
Two fights (and wins) later, Tony was upset and stopped by the talented and equally tall Billy ?The Barber? Daniels at the Sunnyside Gardens in Queens, New York. The Barber was coming off a stoppage of top 10 heavyweight contender Mike DeJohn (43-10-1 at the time) and had given Cassius Clay all he could handle. The setback appeared to end any hope Tony had of becoming a champion.
The Comeback: Chuvalo and Quarry
Dejected, Alongi took five months off indicating twice that he would retire, but then he launched a surprisingly successful comeback going undefeated in his final 15 outings. Included in this streak (between June 1963 and February 1967) was a draw with rugged George Chuvalo. Many, including me, think he had beaten the Canadian. The Associated Press had Alongi a 96-94 winner.
Tony then had back-to-back draws with highly-rated and undefeated Jerry Quarry. These fights (one at Madison Square Garden in New York City and one at the Sports Arena in Los Angeles) were billed as a match-up of a ?West Coast Young Prospect? versus an ?East Coast Older Prospect? and a puncher with a ?powerful? left-hook vs. a boxer with a ?whip-like? left jab. Most observers thought that Tony had schooled Jerry during the first bout. In fact, the scores were 5-5, 5-5, and 7-3 (Alongi).
Alongi would have a third straight draw in 1966 when he and the well-traveled Bill McMurray were badly cut and referee Luis Gonzales was forced to call it a technical draw after three rounds as both had been butted.
Tony had his final two fights in 1967 beating Chuck Leslie and knocking out Charlie Hall in two rounds.
Retirement
And then at age 27, Tony suddenly announced his retirement citing damage in his right eye after which he lived out his days in a quiet and normal life in South Florida. Reportedly, when he passed away at the relatively young age of 64 on November 27, 2003, his professional boxing career was not mentioned in his Miami Herald obituary.
When Tony Alongi was right, he could give anybody big trouble. Indeed, his record could well have been 43-1-2, but as it was, it still was an eyebrow-raising 40-2-4. He was inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996 and posthumously into the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014.
In the end Tony was never bitter and was heard to say, ?Everything worked out for the best. It just wasn?t meant to be. I might have become rich and famous and not realized how nice it would be to have a wife and family. I wouldn?t trade my family for all the championships in the world.?
