Nino Benvenuti, a revered Italian boxer, two-weight undisputed champion and Hall of Fame inductee, passed away on Tuesday at 87 years old. Regarded as the greatest Italian boxer in history, Benvenuti (82-7-1, 35 knockouts), shared the ring with the likes of Emile Griffith, Dick Tiger, Luis Rodriguez and Carlos Monzon. The Italian National Olympic Committee paid tribute to their gold medalist: “Italian sport is in mourning. Giovanni ‘Nino’ Benvenuti, one of the best boxers in history and, certainly, one of the most beloved athletes, passed away today at the age of 87.” Benvenuti had a standout amateur career, going unbeaten in 120 fights and winning four national titles, two European titles and an Olympic gold medal at the Rome Games in 1960. This was the same Olympics in which Cassius Clay, later to be known as Muhammad Ali, also won gold. However, it was Benvenuti who won the Val Barker trophy for the best boxer in the tournament. Turning professional in 1961, Benvenuti would race to 65 fights undefeated, picking up the WBC super-welterweight title in an all-Italian clash at the San Siro in front of 40,000 fans with Sandro Mazzinghi, and the European middleweight title against Luis Folledo in 1965. He successfully defended both of these titles before his first professional defeat in 1966 against Ki Soo Kim, whom Benvenuti beat in the Olympics, losing his WBC belt via split decision over 15 rounds. This would signal the end of the Italian’s campaign at super-welterweight. From then on, he would turn his attention to the middleweight division. In 1967, Benvenuti challenged Griffith for his WBC middleweight title in the first of a famous trilogy of fights. Their initial meeting was The Ring magazine’s fight of the year as the pair exchanged knockdowns on the way to a unanimous decision victory for Benvenuti. However, an immediate rematch saw Griffith reclaim his title. The rivalry was settled in 1968 with Benvenuti claiming another unanimous decision. An unbeaten 1968, and a successful title defence in a rematch with Don Fullmer, brother of legend Gene, meant that Benvenuti was chosen as The Ring’s fighter of the year. The end of the legendary career of the two-weight champion came in 1971. He had lost his WBC title to rising star Carlos Monzon the previous year and suffered another loss in Italy before taking a rematch with Monzon, which he would lose via third-round stoppage. Benvenuti enjoyed a short career as an actor, starring in the films Sundance and the Kid (1969) and Mark Shoots First (1975). He also spent time as a sports commentator in Italy and was a registered member of the Journalists’ Association.