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Patrizio Oliva was an outstanding amateur, winning gold at the Olympics in 1980. Later, as a professional, he claimed the WBA junior welterweight title.
One of seven children, Oliva was born in Naples, Italy, on January 28, 1959. Boxing was a part of his life from a young age.
“Very difficult. I come from poverty,” Oliva told The Ring about his early years. “I started [boxing] at 8 years old because before me, my brother Mario was a boxer and Italian champion and was part of the national team. He was supposed to participate in the 1972 Munich Olympics, but three days before leaving for Munich, he was bitten by an insect, which gave him an infection on his face and he could no longer leave. He was the one who started me boxing. When I first entered the gym, I immediately fell in love with boxing.”
Far beyond just enjoying the sport, however, Oliva’s desire to succeed had deeply personal roots.
“Even though I was poor, I never fought in the ring for money,” he said. “I had a great passion. I promised my brother Ciro, on his deathbed, when I was 12, that I would become a champion and dedicate all my victories to him and bring the lost happiness back to my family, due to his death. I fought in the ring for him.
“As a child, I stood in front of the mirror and would say, ‘Patrizio Oliva, Olympic and world champion.’”
“I walked 15 kilometers to go to the gym because I didn’t have enough money to buy my bus ticket, and I did this for years. I would get home at 10 p.m.”
The commitment paid off, as Oliva went on to enjoy a highly decorated amateur career. He won national titles in 1976, ’77 and ’78 (he didn’t compete in ’79) before representing his country at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
He stopped his first two opponents, then outpointed Ace Rusevski 3-2 at the quarterfinal stage and Tony Willis 5-0 in the semifinal. He then dominated Serik Konakbayev 4-1 in the final to claim the gold medal. Oliva’s performances were so impressive that he was awarded the prestigious Val Barker trophy for best boxer at the Games.
“I realized the dream I had every night, winning the Olympic gold and the professional world title,” recalled Oliva, who went 93-3 in the amateur ranks. “As a child, I stood in front of the mirror and would say, ‘Patrizio Oliva, Olympic and world champion.’”
With nothing left to achieve in amateur boxing, Oliva signed professional contracts with promoter Elio Cotena and manager Rocco Agostino. He made his pro debut with a six-round unanimous decision over the vastly more experienced Nelson Gomes in October 1980 and was paid 2 million lire (around $2,300 at the time).
Oliva went on to win his first 25 fights and then bested Robert Gambini to become European champion in January 1983.
“It was an important moment,” he said proudly. “Gambini was a good boxer, but I won by 13 points on the scorecards. (laughs) I also established myself in the European field.”
Over the next three years, that’s exactly what he did, making eight successful defenses of his EBU title.
With his record standing at 43-0, Oliva’s backers were able to secure a WBA 140-pound title shot at Argentina’s Ubaldo Sacco (47-3-1 at the time) in March 1986. The fight took place in Monaco.
“It was a very tough match, 15 hellish rounds,” said Oliva, who edged the victory by split decision. “Sacco always attacked. I fought a very tough battle.
“[We had a] small party after the match. I was too tired. Then, in Naples, my fellow citizens, about 2,000 people, celebrated me on my return from Monte Carlo.”
Oliva alongside soccer legend Diego Maradona. (Photo courtesy Oliva)
However, not everyone in Naples was happy with Oliva’s title success.
“[Argentine Napoli soccer player Diego] Maradona was rooting for Sacco, so when he lost, he was disappointed,” recalled Oliva. “He didn’t say anything to me, but he told his teammates that his compatriot had won. But then we met in a restaurant in Naples and clarified. The Argentines are very nationalistic.”
Oliva stayed busy with two non-title fights before making his maiden defense at home against unbeaten Minnesota native Brian Brunette in September 1986.
“It was very nice. Before the match, the match was advertised; cars drove around the streets with my photo and that of Brunette,” he said. “Then, at the press conference, Brunette’s brothers said that they were afraid that I could die in that match, (laughs) because their brother had won all his matches by knockout. So, I said, ‘If your brother isn’t as good with his fists as you are with words, I will punch him a lot and end his career.’”
Oliva’s words proved to be prophetic, as he stopped Brunette in three rounds and the American only fought once more.
via Marc back to the future on YouTube:
Next, the skillful Italian had to gut out a scrappy 15-round unanimous decision over aggressive Mexican Rodolfo Gonzalez in Sicily in January 1987.
However, the wear and tear of a long amateur and professional career had taken its toll on Oliva. In his next fight, he was surprisingly beaten in three rounds by then-unheralded Argentine fighter Juan Martin Coggi, who gained a measure of revenge for his compatriot, Sacco, fighting outside of his home country for the first time.
via lucca04 on YouTube:
“Coggi proved he is a champion. After he beat me, he kept the title for many years,” remarked Oliva. “I have to say that when I faced Coggi, I had no more motivation to box. I was mentally tired. I had done four world title fights and two non-title fights in 18 months. So, when I got into the ring, my reflexes were very low, and he surprised me with a very powerful hook.”
Oliva stepped away from the ring and began working as a commentator for Italian TV. However, after two years away, he found himself craving a return.
He came back as a welterweight in July 1989, and after shedding the built-up ring rust, he bested the talented Kirkland Laing (UD 12) to become European champion in a second weight class.
via David Kirkwood on YouTube:
Oliva made two defenses, taking Errol McDonald’s unbeaten record when the Brit was disqualified for dangerous use of the head in Round 12, then outpointing experienced Frenchman Antoine Fernandez (UD 12).
At this point, Oliva had been set to face IBF titlist Maurice Blocker, but the assignment then unexpectedly shifted to WBC counterpart Buddy McGirt.
“Blocker, a 6-feet-2 tall boxer – so I do all the preparation with tall sparring partners, but two weeks before the match, they tell me that I will fight the WBC champion, McGirt, 5-feet-6 tall, therefore completely different from Blocker,” Oliva revealed.
“In the second round, I called the referee, Arthur Mercante, back to tell him that McGirt was dangerous with his head, because he had already hit me. Then, in the fourth round, he cut my eyebrow with a headbutt. Then Mercante signals to the judges that it was a punch and not a headbutt. (laughs) Anyway, the match was good and McGirt won clearly.”
via Ironbar Boxing on YouTube:
This time, Oliva (57-2, 20 knockouts) decided to bow out for good.
“I was still European champion; I could still defend the title, but I understood that I no longer had the passion for boxing, and so I stopped.
“When I retired from boxing, I was head coach of the Italian team at the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics.”
Oliva, along with Hall of Famer Nino Benvenuti and three-time Olympian Roberto Cammarelle, at the Italian premiere of the movie Grudge Match in January 2014. (Photo by Ernesto Ruscio/Getty Images)
Looking back, Oliva says during his career there were two big fights that were discussed.
“My manager spoke to me about a possible meeting with [Alexis] Arguello, and then before Coggi with [Hector] ‘Macho’ Camacho.”
Oliva, now 65, is married, has four children and still lives in Naples, where he remains a popular figure.
“I have a gym where many sporting activities are done. I am head coach of the national schoolboy team,” he said. “Then, I do mental coaching in companies and I am a film and theater actor. At the theater, I’m doing a show on my life.”
He graciously took time to speak to The Ring about the best he fought in 10 key categories.
BEST JAB
Ubaldo Sacco: “His jab was continuous and he did it for 15 rounds but I dodged many of them.” (laughs)
BEST DEFENSE
Buddy McGirt: “He had his guard closed and moved his body well.”
BEST FOOTWORK
Sacco: “He fought at a good pace for 15 rounds. He always came forward and never stopped, even when I hit him hard.”
BEST HAND SPEED
Juan Martin Coggi: “He surprised me with a fast and powerful left hook.”
SMARTEST
McGirt: “He was better than me.”
STRONGEST
Kirkland Laing: “He was much stronger than me physically. I used my hand speed and leg mobility to beat him.”
Oliva vs. Ubaldo Sacco (photo courtesy Oliva)
BEST PUNCHER
Coggi: “He was very fast and powerful with his punches.”
BEST CHIN
Antoine Fernandez: “He took some strong punches but resisted.”
BEST BOXING SKILLS
McGirt: “He had a good rhythm and good body work.”
BEST OVERALL
Sacco: “Sacco, Gonzalez, McGirt, Coggi … but for me, Sacco was absolutely the best. He had technique, defense, he was an excellent striker and he also had a good punch.”
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].
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