TONY GALENTO

Tony "Two Ton" Galento (1910–1979) was a colorful American heavyweight boxer who famously knocked down heavyweight champion Joe Louis in the third round of their historic 1939 world title fight before ultimately losing by a technical knockout (TKO) in the fourth. Known for his round, 5-foot-9 physique, heavy punching power, and blatant disregard for traditional training, Galento remains one of boxing's most eccentric and memorable characters from the Golden Era.

His moniker "Two Ton" originated from his day job as an iceman. He once arrived late to a fight because he had "two tons of ice to deliver" on his way to the venue.

Galento openly despised standard athletic training. He famously trained on a diet of hot dogs, spaghetti, and large quantities of beer—sometimes drinking a half-dozen glasses of beer right before entering the ring.

Sportswriters affectionately and mockingly called him "the beer barrel that walks like a man."

After retiring from boxing and professional wrestling, Galento transitioned into acting. He played a memorable role as the mob henchman "Truck" in Marlon Brando's classic Academy Award-winning film On the Waterfront (1954), and appeared in Guys and Dolls (1955) and Wind Across the Everglades (1958).

Galento inevitably had his battles outside of the square ring, including charges for gambling, disorderly conduct and assault, to mention a few, which all added to his melting pot of life, but he also earned recognition from the boxing community, being inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame in 1970.

By his mid 60’s Galento’s health deteriorated, mainly due to diabetes. He had his left leg amputated in 1977 and his right one in 1979. A week later, he died on 22 July 1979 from a heart attack at the age of 69 at St Barnabas Hospital. Galento was buried on the same site he was married in 1935 in New Jersey and the funeral mass was attended by a host of big boxing names, including former heavyweight champ Jersey Joe Walcott.