The legend of Carmen Basilio: The 'Onion Farmer' who won Fight of the Year 5 straight times
That's a pretty remarkable stretch of entertaining fights for Basilio, which shouldn't surprise anyone familiar with his pugnacious fighting style. He was a specialist in trench warfare, relying on his granite chin, relentless pace and unyielding resilience to batter and overwhelm his opponents.
Growing up the son of an onion farmer in Canastota, Basilio often helped in the fields, which is why he chose the ring sobriquet of "The Upstate Onion Farmer." Enduring that back-breaking labor strengthened the young Basilio's resolve, and undoubtedly forged the toughness that would later become the trademark of his Hall of Fame fighting career.
So who did Basilio face in five consecutive Fights of the Year?
1955 FOTY: Basilio vs. Tony DeMarco II
Date: Nov. 30, 1955
Location: Boston, MA
Basilio first fought Tony DeMarco in June 1955 in Syracuse, New York, where he snatched DeMarco's welterweight title by 12th-round stoppage. The rematch took place five months later at the Boston Garden, where Demarco was searching for revenge in front of his hometown fans.
According to the Wilmington Daily Press Journal, Basilio "was knocked backed onto his heels several times during the first, fourth, and fifth sessions, and was nearly knocked out in the seventh round by a left hook to the chin that buckled Basilio's knees and almost dropped him."
DeMarco further staggered Basilio several times in the eighth round. But the resilient Basilio demonstrated otherworldly recuperative powers in surviving those rocky moments and turning the tide in the second half of the fight.
It was Basilio's pressure and unending torrent of hooks that ultimately wore DeMarco down, as he scored two knockdowns in the 12th, which forced the referee to stop the fight.
"I hit DeMarco on the top of the head in the second and the hand bothered me the rest of the way," said Basilio in the Wichita Beacon. "After the fifth round, I knew he would run out of gas. It was just a question of time."
DeMarco's trainer, Sammy Fuller, was not happy with the strategy their fighter employed. "Tony fought the wrong fight again — just like the last time. He didn't follow our instructions to box the guy more. He kept trying for the knockout. He was all right when he was boxing, but he didn't do enough of it."
1956 FOTY: Basilio vs. Johnny Saxton II
Date: Sept. 12, 1956
Location: Syracuse, NY
After beating DeMarco, Basilio's 12-fight win streak was halted when he lost his welterweight title by controversial decision to Johnny Saxton on March 14, 1956, in Chicago.
Given the disputed nature of the first fight, a rematch with Saxton was held six months later at the War Memorial Auditorium in Syracuse in front of over 8,500 of Basilio's supporters.
Part of the reason why it was such a violent battle was because of Saxton's courageous — albeit unwise — decision to engage Basilio toe-to-toe rather than box him. Although Saxton got his licks in, he was never going to beat the master brawler at his own game.
Basilio hurt Saxton with several left hooks at the end of the fourth, but Saxton was able to survive the round. Saxton rebounded in the sixth with his best round by employing his typical boxing style and using his jab to keep Basilio away.
But Saxton's success in the sixth was short-lived as Basilio opened up a bad cut on Saxton's lip in the seventh round, which took 15 stitches to close, and forced Saxton to "swallow enough blood to make him sick for several days."
In the ninth round, Basilio landed a potent overhand right that wobbled Saxton, which he followed with an assortment of power punches until the referee called a halt to the bout. It was only the second time Saxton had been knocked out in 60 fights.
Basilio was pleased with his performance, which was far superior to their first fight. "I didn't have to chase him like I did in Chicago," said Basilio to the Plain Speaker. Saxton also acknowledged the role he played in losing his title: "I tried to fight the fan's fight — they don't want you to run."
1957 FOTY: Basilio vs. Suger Ray Robinson I
Date: Sept. 23, 1957
Location: New York, NY
After stopping Saxton in their rematch, Basilio beat Saxton again and then Harold Jones. The Canastota native then decided to take on the biggest challenge of his career by moving up a division to middleweight to fight the irreproachable Sugar Ray Robinson.
By then, Robinson was 36 years old and had already fought close to 150 times as a professional. He retired in 1952 and had been out of the ring for two and a half years before he made a comeback in 1955. Since returning to the ring, he had gone 9-2, including twice regaining the middleweight title. Going into his title defense against Basilio at Yankee Stadium, even though Robinson was past his prime, he was still a monumental adversary to overcome.
Robinson took full advantage of his size and reach as he landed stiff jabs on Basilio's face early on. But Basilio forced his way inside throughout the contest, where he raked Robinson with powerful hooks from his chin to his hips. Suffocating Robinson was Basilio's only path to victory, because giving Robinson space to uncork his blindingly fast and powerful combinations was asking to be knocked into another dimension.
The last third of the fight was particularly enthralling as both fighters took turns hurting each other while digging deep into their reservoirs of courage to stay on their feet.
In the last 30 seconds of the 11th round, Basilio pinned Robinson against the ropes and unloaded over 20 unanswered power punches, which an exhausted Robinson somehow survived.
Sugar Ray rebounded in the 12th by hurting Basilio with a series of left hooks and knocking him around the ring. Then, in the 13th, Robinson nailed Basilio with a massive left hook that caused the onion farmer's eyes to roll back in his head.
In the end, after the two brave combatants waged war for 15 grueling rounds, Basilio won a split decision, earning his second divisional title in the process.
There was no doubt in Basilio's mind that he was the rightful winner despite the split verdict. "Of course I won the fight. I forced the fight, didn't I?," Basilio told the Times Record. "I got in the most punches, didn't I? Then I won it. He's a good fighter, a great fighter. But he didn't worry me at all. I think I outsmarted him."
Robinson didn't argue the decision. "There were two judges and a referee. I abide by their decision. I have no squawks," said Robinson to the Times Record. "I don't know whether I'll ever fight again. I had to battle for everything I got in this fight. I'll decide in a few days whether I'll fight Basilio again."
1958 FOTY: Basilio vs. Suger Ray Robinson II
Date: March 25, 1958
Location: Chicago, IL
Ultimately, Robinson agreed to a rematch with Basilio, which took place six months later at Chicago Stadium in front of almost 18,000 spectators.
In the rematch, Robinson was more disciplined in his strategy of keeping Basilio away with his jab, while tying him up in close to prevent him from letting loose with haymakers.
The early rounds were evenly contested, with Robinson coming on strong in the third and bloodying Basilio's nose. Basilio rebounded to take the fourth round, and then gave Robinson "such a battering in the next four sessions that it seemed Sugar Ray would be knocked out."
But by the sixth round, Basilio's left eye had swollen to the size of a golf ball, which was fitting because Robinson was swinging and landing his two fists on Basilio's face like a driver smacking a ball onto the fairway.
According to the Tulsa Tribune, "The fight quickly developed into an ultra-rough match in which each tried to batter the other with forbidden 'rabbit punches' to the back of the head, belt one another when referee Frank Sikora was breaking them, and butt at times with the head."
From the 12th through the 15th, Robinson came close to stopping Basilio as he staggered him several times. Even though Basilio withstood another hellish 15 rounds, it was Robinson who walked away with the split decision win and the title.
"It was one of my toughest fights. I'm tired, very tired," said Robinson in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Although Basilio gave his best effort, he couldn't replicate his success from their first fight. "I couldn't get my distance right. If you can't get distance, you find yourself off-balance."
1959 FOTY: Basilio vs. Gene Fullmer
Date: Aug. 28, 1959
Location: Daly City, CA
After losing the title to Robinson in their rematch, Basilio scored wins over Art Aragon and Arley Seifer, which set the stage for another crack at the middleweight title against Utah's Gene Fullmer.
Against Basilio, Fullmer put forth one of the best performances of his career as he used his jab to great effect, preventing Basilio from finding his rhythm. And whenever Basilio managed to get inside, Fullmer held his own with excellent counterpunching. One of those brilliant counters came at the end of the eighth round, when Fullmer nailed and staggered Basilio with an overhand right at the bell.
In the 10th round, Basilio nailed Fullmer with a left hook-right uppercut combination that briefly stunned the Utah native. But Fullmer stood his ground and returned fire with enough solid blows to keep Basilio honest. That turned out to be Basilio's last stand, because as the fight progressed through the championship rounds, he couldn't keep Fullmer off of him.
In the 14th round, Fullmer landed a "right hand to the button and Basilio's legs looked like a marionette with the string suddenly tangled or cut," according to the Salt Lake Tribune. Somehow Basilio stayed on his feet, but after some follow-up punches from Fullmer, the referee intervened and stopped the fight at the request of Basilio's corner.
Fullmer achieved an impressive feat in becoming the first fighter to beat Basilio inside the distance. But it was a testament to Basilio's durability that it took until the 75th fight of his career for him to fail to see a fight's final bell.
Although Basilio didn't agree with the stoppage, he gave credit to the new champion when he spoke to reporters after the fight. "I don't know what was wrong, I just couldn't get on top," said Basilio in the San Bernardino County Sun. 'But I don't want to take anything away from Fullmer. He's the strongest guy I ever fought."
During Basilio's remarkable stretch of five consecutive Fights of the Year, three out of four opponents were fellow Hall of Famers and absurdly tough competition. Those fights proved that it took herculean efforts from some of the greatest ring legends to give Basilio a competitive fight. So if you were unlucky enough to share the ring with "The Upstate Onion Farmer" during the 1950s, you'd better hope that you had your roots firmly planted in the soil — because otherwise, you were getting blown away.
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Credit to Buster Posey and the Giants' front office, then, for deciding that this team simply doesn't have the juice, which is never an easy decision for a team that started out as hot as they were. Are there any second thoughts after a series win against the Mets? Maybe. And it's not unthinkable that the Giants could be the 2024 Tigers redux. Still, their word is 'sheesh' because that got real ugly, real fast. — Brisbee Advertisement Record: 55-59 Last Power Ranking: T-9 Deadline in a word: Unique Let's recap, and you tell me if any other organization would have pulled off this combination of moves. First, the Rays traded away a catcher (Danny Jansen), then added another (Nick Fortes), and subsequently traded Zack Littell in a three-team deal that netted a strong defensive catcher (Hunter Feduccia). The Rays also swapped one of their many glove-first utility infielders (José Caballero) for a young bat-first outfielder (Everson Pereira). They traded a faded prospect (Curtis Mead) for a veteran starter having a breakout season (Adrian Houser). And they traded a young, recently demoted starter (Taj Bradley) for a controllable reliever with truly elite stuff (Griffin Jax). Were they buyers? Were they sellers? As always, there were just the Rays. — Jennings Record: 57-55 Last Power Ranking: 19 Deadline in a word: Ruined Look at the returns the Twins (Jhoan Duran) and A's (Mason Miller) got for their closers. Now imagine what the return might have looked like had Emmanuel Clase been available. Instead, Clase is on non-disciplinary paid leave while the MLB completes a sports betting investigation. He could be back in September, or he could never play baseball again. Who knows! So the Guardians' deadline was an exercise in straddling the fence. Did they need to trade Shane Bieber? Probably not, but the odds of him exercising his player option this winter would be slim, assuming he looks good over the last two months. Did they need to trade Steven Kwan? No, so they didn't. Clase could have given them a chance to really improve for 2026 and beyond. Instead, they'll play out the string. — Weaver Record: 55-56 Last Power Ranking: 22 Deadline in a word: Hold The Marlins had two of the market's most intriguing trade chips in young starting pitchers Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera, but they chose to hold onto both of them. Alcantara's value was nowhere near its peak, and Cabrera is having a career year with three more years of team control. Maybe the Marlins can at least make the playoffs again before he's gone. The Marlins did, at least, trade away lefty bat Jesús Sánchez and catcher Nick Fortes, but this wasn't nearly the rebuild it could have been. In the short term, holding assets paid off as the Marlins swept the Yankees over the weekend. — Jennings Advertisement Record: 56-57 Last Power Ranking: 18 Deadline in a word: Surprise! Did you know the Royals went 16-9 in July? In late June, a sell-off seemed obvious and imminent. Instead, they extended Seth Lugo, then shopped the bargain-bin trade lines, picking up Mike Yastrzemski, Adam Frazier and Randal Grichuk, then trading catcher Freddy Fermin to the Padres for two relievers who can help right now. It's still a long shot that the Royals make the playoffs this year, but it's not like they went out and made big moves for a pipe dream. This was the 'I'll buy you a guitar from Wal-Mart and if you prove you can learn to play, we can talk about Guitar Center in six months' of a deadline. — Weaver Record: 57-57 Last Power Ranking: 17 Deadline in a word: Sure If you're going to sell, start with the closers, especially if you have a good one. Standard operating procedure, page A1. GMs and Presidents of Baseball Operations don't get extra credit for these trades. Any goofball on the 'MLB: The Show 25' servers would have made that kind of deal. Beyond the Ryan Helsley trade, the Cardinals have to be pleased that Steven Matz had perfect timing with his renaissance, saving his best season for his final year, when his contract was easier to trade away. But other than that, it was a mostly dry and dull sell-off, with most of the core remaining in place. They weren't going to make Chaim Bloom start from scratch next year, as he takes over for the departing John Mozeliak. So, it was a mini-sell. Fair enough. — Brisbee Record: 54-59 Last Power Ranking: 21 Deadline in a word: Bittersweet It's rare for an erstwhile contender to be so perfectly set up at the trade deadline. They didn't have tough decisions to make, with their entire roster neatly sorted into 'will be here next year' and 'won't be here next year' before leaving spring training. They traded the pending free agents and kept the young core. Simple and effective. Advertisement The Diamondbacks knew their problem was the rotation and pitching development, so they threw money at the problem twice, and all that happened was regression from the ace they already had. It stings. It's like that famous movie quote: they 'coulda been a contender.' Yes, except in this case, they should have been. — Brisbee Record: 55-58 Last Power Ranking: 23 Deadline in a word: LMAO This is a bit, right? The Angels aren't acquiring middling relievers at the deadline and forgoing a rebuilding strategy because Arte Moreno really thinks the team has a shot. He wants to see the fans and media scurry like ants, and he wants to giggle about it. It makes him feel alive. I can respect this. It's also the only possible way to respect it, so it had better be true. Because if it's not a bit? Hoooooooo, buddy, would this be the most nonsensical, rudderless deadline in modern baseball history. (Good thing it's a bit. Right?) — Brisbee Record: 47-64 Last Power Ranking: 24 Deadline in a word: Acceptance The Braves weren't good enough to be buyers, nor did they have especially attractive trade chips as sellers. So, rather than pick a side, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos seemed to accept what the Braves have become. He didn't trade away Marcell Ozuna or Raisel Iglesias — and certainly not Ozzie Albies or Sean Murphy — and mostly added some fringe big league pitchers (Erick Fedde, Carlos Carrasco, Tyler Kinley) to help hobble through the rest of the year. When a fourth-place team's big move is trading away whatever's left of Rafael Montero, it's not trying to do much. — Jennings Record: 51-62 Last Power Ranking: 25 Deadline in a word: Obligation We considered the word 'inevitable,' but no, the Orioles selling like they did was not inevitable. It was a reaction to an overwhelmingly disappointing season, to the point that selling off a bunch of rentals (mostly) had become the least they could do. Thanks for everything, Cedric Mullins, Ryan O'Hearn, Ramón Laureano, Ramón Urías, Charlie Morton, Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto and Andrew Kittredge, but the team just wasn't good enough this year, and you weren't part of the future plans. The front office was basically obligated to turn the page and begin the process of — again — trying to build around Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman and the rest. From that perspective, it's a shame Zach Eflin didn't give them a season worth trading. — Jennings Advertisement Record: 49-64 Last Power Ranking: 27 Deadline in a word: Perplexing Maybe if the Pirates keep Andrew Heaney around, they can make the playoffs this year. Maybe if the Pirates keep Isiah Kiner-Falefa around, they can make the playoffs this year. Maybe if the Pirates keep Dennis Santana around, they can make the playoffs this year. Maybe if the Pirates keep Tommy Pham around, they can make the playoffs this year. All but Santana are set to be free agents this year, so I cannot understand why the Pirates would trade Ke'Bryan Hayes, but not offload any of these veterans for players who might help them make the playoffs in future years. — Weaver Record: 49-65 Last Power Ranking: 26 Deadline in a word: Patient The A's played the Mason Miller game perfectly. When he was struggling in May, the old Branch Rickey maxim came to mind: It's better to trade a player a year too early than a year too late. They didn't flinch, though, and they were rewarded with one of the best prospects in the game. If there's a caveat, it's that the A's have had this kind of super-shortstop prospect before, Franklin Barretto. The good news is he currently has a 1.006 OPS. The bad news is that it's in Mexico City, where his 41-year-old teammate, Robinson Canó, has a 1.114 OPS. There's a long way between now and Leo De Vries, superstar. Still, what a score for an A's team very specifically looking for a superstar that will be ready in a few years. — Brisbee Record: 52-60 Last Power Ranking: 20 Deadline in a word: Desolation When there's nothing left to burn, you have to set yourself on fire. — 'Your Ex-Lover is Dead' by Stars That was originally my entire entry for the Twins, but my editor insisted I had to write more. But look — if you're a Twins fan reading this, you just came to see how far they sank (a lot), and if I'm going to make any jokes at your team's expense (I'm not). Advertisement I'd like to give the Twins some credit for not leaving a job half-done when it comes to selling, but a year and 10 months ago, the Twins were celebrating their first win in a playoff game since 2004. Ownership could have dug in and said, 'Boy, that felt great. Wonder what it would feel like to win a playoff series?' Instead, the Pohlads decided 'good enough,' cut payroll, misfired on selling the team, and now, well … here we are. They left the job half-done. A couple of them, actually. — Weaver Record: 44-67 Last Power Ranking: 28 Deadline in a word: Limited Honestly, what else were they going to do? Sure, they could have ripped the team apart at the seams, but what is the proper return for MacKenzie Gore or James Wood? No, the best thing the Nationals could do was trade their pieces that had value with no long-term place in the organization. And they did that. Starter Michael Soroka, outfielder Alex Call, infielder Amed Rosario, closer Kyle Finnegan, and — somehow — both Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia to the Angels. That's basically what they had to work with. — Jennings Record: 42-70 Last Power Ranking: 29 Deadline in a word: OK I originally had the word 'Sure.' up there, but Grant beat me to it with the Cardinals. So … OK. Luis Robert's hot streak wasn't enough to get those prices up, so they kept him. Adrian Houser's hot season was enough to get those prices up, so they traded him. Austin Slater to the Yankees for a 22-year-old pitcher, Tristan Gray to the Rays for cash. Sure. OK. The thing is, any exciting trade chips the White Sox had are gone now. Garrett Crochet was fun, right? Robert was the only one left who had some intrigue. He'll still have it this winter. — Weaver Record: 30-82 Last Power Ranking: 30 Deadline in a word: Finally Advertisement Take the relievers with any value at all and trade them. It's not a hard concept for a team that doesn't have any momentum or direction or 'good baseball players,' but it was really hard for the Rockies over the last few years. They finally did it, so everyone can applaud them. It gets even easier the next time, folks. They went one step further, though, and traded away Ryan McMahon, the closest thing they have to a face of the franchise. It wouldn't surprise me to see him break out on a team that believes in analytics, scouting, data or any pertinent information about baseball at all in the year 2025, but at least they got something back for him. Run free and don't look back, Ryan McMahon. And good job being normal, Rockies — Brisbee