Rosalie Tilelli, right, attended Saturday's ceremony in which the statue of her late husband, Joey Giardello was unveiled. Joey Giardello, top right, on left, delivers a punch to the face of Billy Graham in their 1952 bout.
Many local icons are remembered via colorful murals painted on the sides of buildings. Mario Lanza, Al Martino and Eddie Fisher are just a few of the many famous faces who continue to overlook the South Philadelphia streets.
Saturday afternoon, a new, larger-than-life statue of former middlewight champion Joey Giardello — born Carmine Orlando Tilelli — was unveiled on South 13th Street between Mifflin and East Passyunk Avenue. About 400 people gathered at the location, including his widow, Rosalie Tilelli, their four sons, as well as other family and friends, to see the unveiling of the sculpture by artist Carl LeVotch.
The project was a partnership of the Veterans Boxers Association, PhillyBoxingHistory.com and the Harrowgate Boxing Club. The bronze statue is the first such monument of a real-life pugilist in Philadelphia, which is known for its rich boxing history.
Giardello, who died Sept. 4, 2008, held the WBC and WBA middleweight title from 1963 to ’65. He previously resided at 11th Street and Moyamensing Avenue and the 3100 block of South Juniper Street. His Hall-of-Fame career included a mark of 101-25-7. SPR
Joey Giardello's ring record resulted in his induction in the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993, but come this spring, the love from South Philly will result in his likeness being enshrined on Passyunk Avenue. For more than a year, three city-based organizations -- the Veteran Boxers Association, Harrowgate Boxing Club and Philly Boxing History -- have been planning the creation of a statue of the late Giardello, a former resident and famed boxer, Project Manager John DiSanto said. "He was a great subject matter because everyone who heard about it said, 'Wow that's a great idea,'" DiSanto, who runs the Web site www.phillyboxinghistory.com that documents the sport's local history, said. The middleweight who held the title for his weight class from '63 to '65 will be remembered daily when the statue that also will list other local boxers and venues finds its home in May on Passyunk at 13th and Mifflin streets near Giardello's former training facility -- Passyunk Gym at Passyunk and Moore Street. "It's a very vibrant part of the neighborhood because people are crossing over to buy their newspapers and lottery tickets and people probably sit there and read there, people eat their lunch or...
His last boxing match was in 1967, but Joey Giardello kept fighting until his death last Thursday afternoon at the Cadbury Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Cherry Hill, N.J. He was 78. Giar...
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