Sandro Lopopolo

Alessandro "Sandro" Lopopolo (18 December 1939 – 26 April 2014) was an Italian 1959 amateur featherweight and 1960 amateur lightweight boxing champion, and also world boxing champion in the light welterweight division afterwards, when he turned professional, between 1961 and 1973. Sandro Lopopolo started his career in 1957, losing his first against amateur boxer Nino Benvenuti, in the 12th round, in Madison Square Garden, New York City.^[1]

Alessandro Lopopolo
Born	(1939-12-18)18 December 1939 Milan, Italy
Died	26 April 2014(2014-04-26) (aged 74) Milan, Italy
Nationality	Italian
Statistics
Weight(s)	Light welterweight
Height	5 ft 5+1⁄2 in (166 cm)
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	76
Wins	58
Wins by KO	20
Losses	10
Draws	7
No contests	1
Medal record Men's Boxing Representing  Italy Olympic Games 1960 Rome Lightweight

Boxing career

Sandro Lopopolo was considered as a hometown favorite for the lightweight division Olympic boxing title at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where he won the silver medal.^[2] At the Olympics, after four easy wins in the early rounds, Lopopolo defeated the Argentine Abel Laudino by split decision in the semifinals. He lost the final to Kazimierz Paździor by a majority decision. Lopopolo turned professional in early 1961 and had a long and successful professional career. Fighting in the light-welterweight category most of his professional career, Lopopolo won the Italian light-welterweight titles in 1963 and 1965 and held the European and World light-welterweight title from April 1966 to April 1967.^[2][3]

Lopopolo won the Lineal, WBA and WBC light welterweight titles from Carlos Morocho Hernández on 29 April 1966, after outpointing his opponent.^[4] He lost the crown to Paul Takeshi Fuji on 30 April 1967 by technical knockout in the 2nd round. He retired with a record of 58 wins (20 KOs), 10 losses and 7 draws. Lopopolo liked to box from a distance and was part of “the golden era” of Italian boxing, with the likes of Duilio Loi, Nino Benvenuti, Sandro Mazzinghi, Bruno Arcari and Carmelo Bossi.^[5][6][7]

Lopopolo died in 2014, at age 74, in his hometown, Milan, due to a complication from a respiratory infection.^[6]

Professional boxing record

76 fights	58 wins	10 losses
By knockout	20	2
By decision	36	8
By disqualification	2	0
Draws	7
No contests	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
76	Win	58–10–7 (1)	Pietro Gasparri	PTS	10 (10)	1973-03-30	Novara, Italy
75	Loss	57–10–7 (1)	Roger Menetrey	TKO	13 (15)	1972-12-09	Grenoble, France	For EBU welterweight title
74	Win	57–9–7 (1)	Carlos Cappella	PTS	10 (10)	1972-04-20	PalaLido, Milan, Italy
73	Loss	56–9–7 (1)	Roger Zami	UD	15 (15)	1972-02-28	Paris, France	For vacant EBU light welterweight title
72	Win	56–8–7 (1)	Percy Pugh	PTS	10 (10)	1971-11-12	Milan, Italy
71	Win	55–8–7 (1)	Jean Vantorre	KO	1 (10)	1971-07-29	Monza, Italy
70	Loss	54–8–7 (1)	Robert Gallois	PTS	10 (10)	1971-06-09	Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France
69	Win	54–7–7 (1)	Dorman Crawford	DQ	5 (8)	1971-05-14	Milan, Italy
68	Win	53–7–7 (1)	Roger Menetrey	PTS	10 (10)	1971-03-22	Paris, France
67	Draw	52–7–7 (1)	Marcel Cerdan Jr	PTS	10 (10)	1971-01-25	Paris, France
66	Win	52–7–6 (1)	David Pesenti	PTS	8 (8)	1970-10-30	Palazzo Dello Sport, Genoa, Italy
65	Draw	51–7–6 (1)	Dorman Crawford	PTS	10 (10)	1970-07-02	Milan, Italy
64	Win	51–7–5 (1)	Georges Fabbri	PTS	8 (8)	1970-05-30	Aosta, Italy
63	Loss	50–7–5 (1)	Rene Roque	PTS	15 (15)	1970-04-22	Montecatini Terme, Italy	For vacant EBU light welterweight title
62	Win	50–6–5 (1)	Miloud N'Diaye	PTS	10 (10)	1970-01-17	Cagliari, Italy
61	Win	49–6–5 (1)	Lennox Beckles	KO	1 (10)	1969-12-19	Milan, Italy
60	Win	48–6–5 (1)	Miloud N'Diaye	PTS	10 (10)	1969-11-08	Novara, Italy
59	Win	47–6–5 (1)	Larry Flaviano	TKO	8 (10)	1969-10-10	Milan, Italy
58	Win	46–6–5 (1)	Eddie Machen Jr	KO	1 (10)	1969-09-06	Prato, Italy
57	Win	45–6–5 (1)	Olli Maki	PTS	10 (10)	1969-07-11	Milan, Italy
56	Win	44–6–5 (1)	Lakdar El Harizi	PTS	8 (8)	1969-05-09	PalaLido, Milan, Italy
55	Win	43–6–5 (1)	Sylvain Lucchesi	PTS	8 (8)	1969-04-03	PalaLido, Milan, Italy
54	Win	42–6–5 (1)	Quintino Soares	TKO	2 (10)	1969-03-14	Pavia, Italy
53	Loss	41–6–5 (1)	Lennox Beckles	PTS	10 (10)	1968-05-26	San Siro, Milan, Italy
52	Win	41–5–5 (1)	Conny Rudhof	PTS	10 (10)	1968-03-23	Belgrade, Yugoslavia
51	Win	40–5–5 (1)	Massimo Consolati	TKO	5 (10)	1967-10-08	Belgrade, Yugoslavia
50	Loss	39–5–5 (1)	Takeshi Fuji	KO	2 (15)	1967-04-30	Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan	Lost WBA, WBC & The Ring light welterweight titles
49	Win	39–4–5 (1)	Joe Africa	PTS	10 (10)	1966-11-25	Torino, Italy
48	Win	38–4–5 (1)	Vicente Rivas	RTD	7 (15)	1966-10-21	PalaEur, Roma, Italy	Retained WBA, WBC & The Ring light welterweight titles
47	Loss	37–4–5 (1)	Nicolino Locche	UD	10 (10)	1966-09-10	Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina
46	Win	37–3–5 (1)	Klaus Klein	PTS	10 (10)	1966-08-10	Senigallia, Italy
45	Loss	36–3–5 (1)	Vicente Rivas	SD	10 (10)	1966-07-08	Palacio de Deportes, Caracas, Venezuela
44	Win	36–2–5 (1)	Carlos Hernández	MD	15 (15)	1966-04-29	PalaEur, Roma, Italy	Won WBA, WBC & The Ring light welterweight titles
43	Win	35–2–5 (1)	Romano Bianchi	PTS	12 (12)	1965-12-14	Ascoli Piceno, Italy
42	Draw	34–2–5 (1)	Francesco Caruso	PTS	10 (10)	1965-08-22	Francavilla a Mare, Italy
41	Loss	34–2–4 (1)	Juan Albornoz	PTS	15 (15)	1965-07-17	Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain	For vacant EBU light welterweight title
40	Win	34–1–4 (1)	Antonio Fernandes de Jesus	PTS	10 (10)	1965-06-18	Verona, Italy
39	Win	33–1–4 (1)	Piero Brandi	TKO	8 (12)	1965-03-13	Genoa, Italy	Won Italian light welterweight title
38	Win	32–1–4 (1)	Antonio Fernandes de Jesus	PTS	10 (10)	1965-02-05	Piacenza, Italy
37	Win	31–1–4 (1)	Jose Luiz Penteado	PTS	10 (10)	1964-12-19	Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy
36	Loss	30–1–4 (1)	Piero Brandi	PTS	12 (12)	1964-09-24	Treviso, Italy	Lost Italian light welterweight title
35	Win	30–0–4 (1)	Massimo Consolati	PTS	12 (12)	1964-07-25	Senigallia, Italy	Retained Italian light welterweight title
34	Win	29–0–4 (1)	Giordano Campari	PTS	12 (12)	1964-06-28	Saint-Vincent, Italy	Retained Italian light welterweight title
33	Draw	28–0–4 (1)	Valerio Nunez	PTS	10 (10)	1964-04-22	PalaLido, Milan, Italy
32	Win	28–0–3 (1)	Douglas Vaillant	PTS	10 (10)	1963-12-20	Milan, Italy
31	Win	27–0–3 (1)	Francesco Caruso	PTS	12 (12)	1963-11-29	Mestre, Italy	Won vacant Italian light welterweight title
30	Win	26–0–3 (1)	Karl Furcht	TKO	6 (10)	1963-11-08	PalaLido, Milan, Italy
29	Win	25–0–3 (1)	Michele Gullotti	PTS	8 (8)	1963-10-04	Milan, Italy
28	Draw	24–0–3 (1)	Mario Vecchiatto	PTS	10 (10)	1963-05-05	Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy
27	Win	24–0–2 (1)	Tommy O'Connor	KO	1 (10)	1963-03-08	Milan, Italy
26	Win	23–0–2 (1)	J D Ellis	PTS	10 (10)	1963-01-25	Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy
25	Win	22–0–2 (1)	Rene Barriere	TKO	5 (10)	1962-12-15	Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy
24	Win	21–0–2 (1)	Jean Dantas	PTS	10 (10)	1962-10-25	Salsomaggiore, Italy
23	Win	20–0–2 (1)	Francesco Caruso	PTS	8 (8)	1962-09-28	Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy
22	Win	19–0–2 (1)	Bernard Moreau	PTS	8 (8)	1962-09-14	Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy
21	Win	18–0–2 (1)	Romolo Spila	PTS	8 (8)	1962-07-22	Civitanova Marche, Italy
20	Win	17–0–2 (1)	Belaid Meslem	PTS	8 (8)	1962-06-30	Saint-Vincent, Italy
19	Win	16–0–2 (1)	Miguel Campos Lopez	TKO	2 (8)	1962-06-16	Reggio Emilia, Italy
18	Win	15–0–2 (1)	Roger Younsi	PTS	8 (8)	1962-05-26	Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy
17	Win	14–0–2 (1)	Aime De Visch	PTS	8 (8)	1962-04-29	Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy
16	Win	13–0–2 (1)	Mohammed Ben Said	TKO	6 (10)	1962-04-10	Torino, Italy
15	Win	12–0–2 (1)	Jacques Chauveau	TKO	7 (10)	1962-03-22	PalaLido, Milan, Italy
14	Win	11–0–2 (1)	Sesto Righeschi	PTS	8 (8)	1962-02-27	Ascoli Piceno, Italy
13	Win	10–0–2 (1)	Boby Ros	PTS	8 (8)	1962-01-19	Milan, Italy
12	Win	9–0–2 (1)	Giuseppe Fanfoni	TKO	1 (8)	1961-12-26	Milan, Italy
11	Win	8–0–2 (1)	Jaime Aparici	PTS	8 (8)	1961-11-24	Milan, Italy
10	Win	7–0–2 (1)	Ahcene Attar	TKO	6 (8)	1961-10-21	Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy
9	Draw	6–0–2 (1)	Nedo Stampi	PTS	8 (8)	1961-10-06	Florence, Italy
8	Win	6–0–1 (1)	Giuliano Tarquini	KO	2 (8)	1961-09-26	Torino, Italy
7	Win	5–0–1 (1)	Mario Pallavera	PTS	8 (8)	1961-08-05	Saint-Vincent, Italy
6	Win	4–0–1 (1)	Renato Messori	KO	5 (6)	1961-07-22	Saronno, Italy
5	Win	3–0–1 (1)	Milov Bulat	TKO	6 (6)	1961-06-23	Milan, Italy
4	Win	2–0–1 (1)	Antonio Di Paolo	DQ	5 (6)	1961-05-31	Roma, Italy
3	NC	1–0–1 (1)	Luigi Lombardi	NC	3 (6)	1961-03-31	Ancona, Italy
2	Draw	1–0–1	Roberto Misin	PTS	6 (6)	1961-03-18	PalaLido, Milan, Italy
1	Win	1–0	Bernardo Favia	TKO	2 (6)	1961-03-04	Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy

See also

• List of world light-welterweight boxing champions

References

1. Sandro Lopopolo. BoxRec.com (26 April 2014). Retrieved on 2015-05-19.
2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Sandro Lopopolo". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
3. Alessandro "Sandro" Lopopolo. cyberboxingzone.com (18 December 1939). Retrieved on 2015-05-19.
4. "Sandro Lopopolo - Lineal Junior Welterweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
5. "Pugilato, è morto Sandro Lopopolo. Fu argento olimpico – Tgcom24" (in Italian). Tgcom24.mediaset.it. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
6. Former world champion Sandro Lopopolo passes away. wbcboxing.com (27 April 2014). Retrieved on 2015-05-19.
7. Robert Coster (28 April 2014) Sandro Lopopolo passes Archived 10 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. fightnews.com.

External links

• Boxing record for Sandro Lopopolo from BoxRec (registration required)
• Sandro Lopopolo at Olympedia
• Sandro Lopopolo - CBZ Profile

Sporting positions
World boxing titles
Preceded by Carlos Hernández	WBA light welterweight champion April 29, 1966 – April 30, 1967	Succeeded by Takeshi Fuji
	WBC light welterweight champion April 29, 1966 – April 30, 1967
	The Ring light welterweight champion April 29, 1966 – April 30, 1967
	Undisputed light welterweight champion April 29, 1966 – April 30, 1967