Fortunato Manca was a Sardinian boxer of exceptional caliber—generous, determined, aggressive, and solid as a rock. Over his career, he fought 83 professional bouts, tallying 70 wins, 8 losses, 4 draws, and one no-contest caused by rain. Despite his all-out, “Garibaldian” fighting style, he was never knocked out and suffered only a single knockdown in ten years of battles—at the hands of the legendary Duilio Loi.
An Italian champion and European champion, the “Bull of Monserrato” came close to capturing the World Title in a heart-stopping bout against the famous Sandro Mazzinghi, who beat him on points after coming dangerously close to defeat in the fifteenth and final round.
Yet the hardest blows struck against the late Fortunato—or, more precisely, against his memory—came after his passing. It was his daughter Carla, the daughter of the great champion, who meticulously recounted on social media the deeply unjust ordeal that has left us indignant. Below is her letter, reproduced in full.
THEY STOLE MY FATHER,
THEY STOLE MY MOTHER,
AND NO ONE LISTENS TO ME— Carla’s Story —
FORTUNATO MANCA
European Boxing Champion
Knight of the Italian Republic
Winner of the Boxer’s OscarMy name is Carla. I am the daughter of Fortunato Manca, a just man, an internationally renowned sportsman, and a symbol of dignity. I have seen everything that represented him disappear: all his sporting titles, awards, photos, and family mementos that had been kept by my mother Anna.
Help me make this story known.
Years after my father’s death, my mother fell ill and her condition worsened suddenly over the course of a few months.
The caregiver—a Moldovan woman, once considered trustworthy—took advantage of those months, during which I was dealing with serious personal problems, to distance my mother from us daughters, filling her head with lies and preventing her from contacting us. My mother was bedridden and, in the end, not self-sufficient.
The last time I spoke to her, she was perfectly capable of looking after herself, despite her disabling illness. But I was never informed of her sudden physical and mental decline.
Meanwhile, the caregiver withdrew large sums of money using my mother’s bank card, without providing any explanation.
I was contacted only when my mother was urgently hospitalized and at death’s door—only because the doctors insisted. Without them, I wouldn’t even have been able to see her alive again.
Later, I discovered the existence of a will drawn up by a notary unknown to my mother, signed on her behalf without any medical certificate proving her mental capacity. Even the lawyer involved in the procedure was a complete stranger to my mother, who had always relied on highly respected professionals.
This last lawyer, who became the caregiver’s legal counsel, informed me that my sister and I had been completely excluded from the inheritance, which went entirely to the Moldovan woman.
We contested the will and sought a court order to freeze the assets and bank accounts. However, despite the caregiver having her residence elsewhere, the judge ruled that she could live in my mother’s home—where she still resides, five years later.
When I informed the Carabinieri about the missing funds, the possible exploitation of an incapacitated person, and the suspiciously rapid deterioration in my mother’s health, they took no action.
The belongings not part of my mother’s estate—our property, valuable items, our family photos, and especially my father’s sporting titles (excluded from the estate because my parents were divorced)—remained in the caregiver’s possession.
On a recent—and only—visit to my mother’s house, none of the items due to be returned to me were found. The house was filthy, the furniture damaged by cats, and the Moldovan woman explicitly asked me to agree to an inheritance settlement.
My father’s titles have vanished.
The Carabinieri don’t care, the judges make mistakes, and the lawyers sleep.
Please, help me spread my story by sharing it. Only together with you can I achieve justice.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, also on behalf of my sister.
Boxe Punch extends its deepest and most heartfelt solidarity to the daughters of the unforgettable Fortunato Manca, and sincerely hopes they will obtain justice after years of tribulation and undeserved suffering.