Attilio N. "Rocky" Castellani (May 26, 1926 – August 31, 2008) was an American boxer. He was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to Attilio Castellani (1889–1974) and Rose Isopi Castellani (1896–1938), who later moved to Margate City, formerly South Atlantic City, in Atlantic County in eastern New Jersey. He fought in the battle of Iwo Jima during World War II as a Marine.
The highlight of Castellani's career was probably his 1955 bout with Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Robinson. Castellani lost a close split decision and knocked Robinson down in the sixth round. A year earlier, he had lost a fight to Carl "Bobo" Olson for the middleweight title. He also lost to Gene Fullmer, Kid Gavilan, and Joey Giambra, but defeated Tony DeMarco, Joey Giardello, Johnny Bratton, and Ralph 'Tiger' Jones
He finished his career with a 65–14–4 record. After he retired, Castellani operated "Rocky's," a bar in Atlantic City.
A biography of Castellani is entitled Young Rocky: A True Story of Attilio "Rocky" Castellani by Joe Kinney.
Famous quotes containing the word rocky:
“Luckily for us, now that steam has narrowed the Atlantic to a strait, the nervous, rocky West is intruding a new and continental element into the national mind, as we shall yet have an American genius.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)