45 years ago
Hugo Pastor Corro vs Vito Antuofermo
Date: 30th June 1979
Venue: Chapiteau de l'Espace Fontvieille, Fontvieille, MonacoTitle: WBC & WBA World Middleweight Titles
Promoter: Top Rank
Hugo Pastor Corro
(
47
-
2
-
1
)
Weight: 159 lbs
Vito Antuofermo
(
44
-
3
-
1
)
Weight: 159 1/2 lbs
On June 30, 1979, at Monaco's Chapiteau de l'Espace Fontvieille, Vito Antuofermo captured the unified WBA and WBC Middleweight championships with a razor-thin split decision over Argentina's Hugo Pastor Corro. The Italian-born New Yorker's victory culminated in a remarkable eight-fight winning streak since moving up from super welterweight, where he had lost his European title to Maurice Hope in 1976.
The 160-pound challenger mounted a crucial late surge, dominating six of the final seven rounds against the 159-pound champion. Antuofermo's aggressive style proved decisive in the championship rounds, as he repeatedly pinned Corro to the ropes using his shoulders before landing effective combinations to head and body.
The scorecards reflected the bout's extraordinary closeness: referee Ernesto Magana favoured Antuofermo 146-145, judge Roland Dakin scored 143-142 for the challenger, and Wally Thom saw it 146-145 for Corro. The split decision could easily have gone the champion's way, highlighting just how narrow Antuofermo's margin of victory was.
While significant, the victory immediately placed Antuofermo in the crosshairs of mandatory challenger Marvin Hagler, setting up his first title defence against one of the era's most formidable middleweights.