Primo Carnera - Biography

Biography

Born in Sequals, then in the Province of Udine, now in the Province of Pordenone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Italy), Carnera was touted in America as being 6'7" tall and thus the tallest heavweight in history (up until that time), but he was actually 6′5½″ tall (197 cm). He fought at as much as 275 pounds (125 kg),. Until December 19, 2005, when the 7 ft 1 in, 147 kg Nikolay Valuev won the WBA title, Jess Willard who stood 6' 6½" was the tallest champion in boxing history.

At a time when the average height in Italy was approximately 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) and in the United States 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m), Carnera was considered a giant. Though an inch shorter than Willard, he was around 40 lbs heavier and was the heaviest champion before Valuev in boxing history.

He enjoyed a sizable reach advantage over most rivals, and when seen on fight footage, he seems like a towering giant compared to many heavyweights of his era, who were usually at least 60 pounds (27 kg) lighter and 7 inches (18 cm) shorter than he was. One publicity release about him read in part: "For breakfast, Primo has a quart of orange juice, two quarts of milk, nineteen pieces of toast, fourteen eggs, a loaf of bread and half a pound of Virginia ham." Because of his size, he earned the nickname "The Ambling Alp." Time Magazine called him "The Monster".