Tiberio Mitri

Tiberio Mitri (12 July 1926 – 12 February 2001) was born in Trieste, Italy, and began his boxing training at a young age. He turned professional in 1946, at the age of 20, and fought until 1957. Known as "La tigre di Trieste" (The Trieste Tiger), Mitri held the title of Italian and European middleweight during his career.

Mitri's journey began with a powerful debut on 31 July 1946 in Venice, where he triumphed over Alfredo Pamio with a knockout. Over the next four years, he built an undefeated record of 50-0, a testament to his unwavering determination. His crowning achievements during this period were the Italian middleweight title in 1948, earned by defeating Giovanni Manca, and the European title, secured with a points victory over Cyrille Delannoit.

In 1950, Mitri faced a pivotal moment in his career, earning a shot at Jake LaMotta's world middleweight championship. The atmosphere was electric as the two met on 11 July 1950 at Madison Square Garden. Despite a valiant effort, Mitri was bested by LaMotta in a 15-round unanimous decision. The fight remains a topic of debate, with some sources suggesting Mitri narrowly lost, while LaMotta questioned Mitri's balance and style in his autobiography "Raging Bull" (1970).

Mitri regained the European middleweight title by scoring a surprising first-round knockout over former world champion Randy Turpin on 2 May 1954 in Rome. He later lost the title to France's Charles Humez via a third-round stoppage.

One of Mitri's final notable victories came on New Year's Day, 1956, when he defeated American Bill Jo Cohen after Cohen refused to answer the bell for the eighth round.

Mitri retired in 1957 with a record of 88 wins, 7 losses, and 6 draws in 101 bouts. Following his retirement, he pursued a career in acting, appearing in several Italian films and stage productions. His transition from the boxing ring to the silver screen was met with mixed reviews, but Mitri continued to pursue his passion for acting until his death in 2001.