Tony Galento boxing podcast

Throughout our podcast, we've told stories of boxing greats – fighters who rose to fame on the back of boundless talent and unrelenting hard work. "Two Ton" Tony Galento wasn't one of those fighters. He was lazy, overweight, reckless, and downright dirty. But one night at Yankee Stadium in 1939, fighting Joe Louis for the heavyweight championship of the world, he almost pulled off the greatest upset in boxing history.

Galento was a vicious street fighter in the ring, ready to do whatever it took to win. Learning about his start in life, his behaviour was easier to understand. Raised by a brute of a father, he would be woken with a beating. He said no prizefighter could hurt him as much as his own father had. The ring became his safe space, an outlet for the violent disposition he inherited.

Despite a successful career, the 1929 title fight at Yankee Stadium came to define Tony Galento. For many, he was a comical figure. Dropping Joe Louis was simply a set up for the punchline that saw Galento knocked out. But for "Two Ton" Tony, it was no joke. It was his one shot at glory, forever lost.

After losing to Louis, Galento's career became a string of publicity stunts. He fought a kangaroo and boxed a bear, he wrestled an octopus. Years later, he would still complain he could've won the title if he fought his natural style – which is to say, head-butting and eye gouging his opponent.