The pride of Palo del Colle, Italy, says his new hometown reminds him of his first hometown.
That’s pretty much why Vito Antuofermo, 63, former undisputed world middleweight champion, set down roots in Bayonne last year; because of friends here and how it reminds him of the town where he grew up, nine miles from the city of Bari.
“I’ve met good friends, those originally from Bayonne, such as John Franconeri, a dentist on Broadway,” Antuofermo said.
What does he like about his newfound home? Just about everything.
“It reminds me of back in Italy,” he said. “People are friendly.”
Bayonne is also only a bridge away from where he now works as a longshoreman in Port Newark. And then there’s that city across the Hudson River that he is kind of fond of.
“Manhattan’s only a hop away,” Antuofermo said. “There are a lot of great things about Bayonne.”
But the road from the eastern coast of Italy to the eastern coast of New Jersey was not a straight one.
There were stops at gyms in Flatbush, Brooklyn, and a home in Howard Beach, Queens. And fights, lots of fights, both in the street and in amateur and professional boxing rings.
Antuofermo emigrated here from Italy when he was 17 years old, and was immediately introduced to New York City’s mean streets. But having a natural ability to throw a punch was not only a lifeline, but it was the launching pad to a successful career.
Getting into a scrape with another teenager on a Brooklyn street got him the attention he was not looking for; two city police officers.
“They grabbed me and the guy I was fighting and put us in the patrol car,” Antuofermo said. “They were trying to scare me.”
Bringing Antuofermo to a Flatbush Police Athletic League gym, the cops asked for a trainer’s help.
“The cops said, ‘See if you can make a fighter out of this kid. They were fighting out on the street.’”
Taking a beating the first day, Antuofermo still came back the next. That led to a fight on a boxing card at a local church. After a win there, great things started to happen, including entry into the Golden Gloves tournament, four wins there and a championship, and then the professional ranks.
From there it was 36 wins in his first 38 bouts as a middleweight, and then the ultimate challenge; a shot at the unified World Boxing Association’s and World Boxing Council’s Middleweight titles.
“That first title defense, when I fought Hagler, was the greatest moment in my life.” – Vito Antuofermo
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On June 30, 1979, Antuofermo beat crafty Argentinean Hugo Corro in a 15-round decision, winning both titles and earning the moniker of the undisputed world middleweight champion.
Then came the biggest challenge of his career, boxing for the first time against “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler, one of the most feared boxers of his time. Antuofermo held his own for 15 rounds, battling to a draw, and thereby successfully defending both his titles.
“That first title defense, when I fought Hagler, was the greatest moment in my life,” he said. “I was a 3 to 1 underdog going in.”
Post fighting career
Though Antuofermo lost his titles a year later, he boxed competitively for another five years and had become one of boxing’s royalty. He later parlayed that notoriety into a second career, when he pursued acting. His biggest role was that of bodyguard “Joey Zasa” in “Godfather Part III” in 1990, and he also had a role as a mobster on “The Sopranos.”
Antuofermo, who had done public relations work for Coca-Cola while boxing, later purchased a sales and delivery franchise from the company, as well as opening his own restaurant in Howard Beach. From 2000 to ’01, he worked at the Global terminal, where he met some of his Bayonne friends, he said.
He is close with San Vito Pizzeria owner Luciano Ventrone and his family.
Other Bayonne boxers
Antuofermo joins a long list of boxing contenders who have called Bayonne home. High on the list is native son Chuck Wepner, who fought Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight title in 1975, is the reputed inspiration for the “Rocky” films series, and was honored by the city Community Development Department on March 21 with a mural in his honor.
But other pugilists have called Bayonne home, including former middleweight contender Mustafa Hamsho, who also fought Hagler, as well as three-division world champion Wilfred Benitez and North Jersey’s Bobby Czyz.
Another home-grown boxer, Nino Gonzalez, who fought Roberto Duran after his infamous “no mas” (no more) fight with Sugar Ray Leonard, also was a Bayonne resident, growing up in the Avenue C and 17th Street neighborhood.
Joseph Passantino may be reached at JoePass@hudsonreporter.com.
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