The slightly blurred outlines of old photographs and the black-and-white footage from those dazzling years: the tales of Duilio Loi’s feats come to us through memories and historical records from an era of great boxing — the golden years of Italian boxing. Loi was its noblest representative, the man who made an entire country dream with his achievements.
The Man Before the Ring
Duilio was born in Trieste on April 19, 1929. His father, Vittorio Loi, was the chief engineer on merchant ships, and because of his work, Duilio moved to Genoa at a young age. But his relationship with his father ended far too soon: an English torpedo hit the steamer where Vittorio was working, depriving 14-year-old Duilio of his father figure.
At 16, he entered the gym of Dario Bensi, and from that moment on, a bond was born that went far beyond a simple boxer-trainer relationship. Duilio became aware of his talent and grew passionate: he would often skip school just to train.
The young Loi matured quickly — and just as quickly, he started a family, finding in it a vital source of support.
Before long, he turned professional, with a wife and two young children to care for. The little money he earned from boxing was not enough, and Duilio was forced to work even in the days following his fights, unloading ships at the port or selling sponges.
Despite these struggles, in 1951 he became the Italian lightweight champion.
The Man in the Ring
He was a natural southpaw, but he could also fight in an orthodox stance — an ability that made him often unpredictable for his opponents. Eddie Perkins once said: “I fought Duilio three times, but I met three different fighters.”
Loi did not possess great punching power and rarely won by knockout. But in the ring, he unmistakably displayed intelligence, tactical awareness, timing, technique, and tenacity. Being neither tall nor long-limbed, he preferred to fight at close range. During a round, he could be elusive, avoiding even the most skilled opponents with perfect movements. Then came that final minute — sometimes even the last 30 seconds — when Duilio would make an extraordinary effort, attacking with ferocity, dodging blows with his upper body, landing punches to the head and body, skillfully finding the liver, and even more so breaking down his opponents’ resistance. In mere moments, they would find themselves overwhelmed by a barrage of punches. To everyone, he was the man of the last two rounds — when he gave everything he had, and which often secured him great victories.
Memorable were his trilogies with Carlos Ortiz and Eddie Perkins, and his two bouts with Jorgen Johansen. The fight against Johansen marked his first professional loss, but he learned from it and grew even stronger. In 1954, he faced Johansen again and won convincingly, becoming the European champion.
His next stop was America — better pay, bigger stages, and the hope for a world title shot. But things didn’t go as planned. Duilio was approached by Frank Carbo, who handled illegal betting for the Italian-American mafia. Carbo proposed three fixed fights against lightweight world champion Joe Brown. Duilio refused.
He paid dearly for that decision: many years would pass before he was granted a title shot, which finally came in 1960 against Carlos Ortiz.
Loi lost by split decision, but the American crowd couldn’t help but applaud his performance. Three months later, a rematch was held in a packed San Siro Stadium in Milan. It was a fierce battle, and in the second half of the fight, Loi did enough to capture the world light-welterweight title. An unprecedented crowd flooded Milan’s Corso Buenos Aires to cheer for him.
But for Duilio, it couldn’t end there. He wanted a third match to settle once and for all who was the best. Once again in Milan, they faced off, and Duilio won triumphantly — even knocking Ortiz down with a spectacular right hand.
Then came Eddie Perkins, appointed as the official challenger. Eight years younger, fast and technically skilled, he clearly put Loi in serious trouble — so much so that the draw verdict felt like a gift from the judges, even to Duilio himself. A year later came the rematch: Duilio was decisively defeated, also due to being in less-than-optimal physical condition. Shortly after, he announced his retirement — but deep down, he couldn’t accept such a somber ending. So he returned to the ring one last time, for the final showdown against Perkins. It wasn’t a pretty fight, but a brutal one, in which Duilio relied on every bit of ring knowledge he had, drawing on all his craft during the toughest moments. He won, but once back in his corner, Dario Bensi looked at him and said: “To me, Duilio, you’re done.” And in that moment, Loi’s career came to an end.
126 fights, 115 wins, 8 draws, and just 3 defeats — all of them later avenged in the ring with technique, courage, and determination.
Over his career, he held the Italian lightweight title, the European titles in both the lightweight and welterweight divisions, but most notably, the world title in the light-welterweight division.
The Man Beyond the Boxer
The time came to hang up the gloves. And for Duilio, a new phase began — even tougher than any challenge faced inside the ring. What to do after a life spent between the ropes?
He tried. He shot a few commercials, attended various social and sporting events — a world of glitz that had always attracted him, as the natural showman he was — and opened a restaurant.
But the money he’d earned in his career — not as much as one might expect for a champion of his stature — quickly ran out, and Duilio found himself working in the insurance field.
His family, dignity, and personal integrity kept him from complaining or looking for easy solutions. His old friends were no longer there: some disappeared after the last raised arm, others took advantage of his generous nature to defraud him. Duilio found himself facing the hardships of ordinary life, and the unfulfilled hopes of peace and normalcy beyond the ring.
Then came April 12, 1973. These were the “Years of Lead” in Italy, when political extremism led to street clashes, armed struggle, and terrorism. On that day — known as Black Thursday in Milan — his son Vittorio, a neo-fascist militant of Giovane Italia, killed police officer Antonio Marino with a grenade. Arrested, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Duilio withdrew into himself, clinging tightly to his family.
In the years that followed, his name resurfaced only due to his worsening financial and health conditions. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and, on top of that, the former champion lived in precarious conditions, with no pension. His daughter, Bonaria, became the spokesperson for a movement aimed at securing support for retired boxers who had fallen on hard times. After a long and difficult journey, father and daughter achieved their goal with the establishment of a government allowance to support struggling former athletes.
In 2005, Duilio was inducted into the Hall of Fame — the only Italian, along with Nino Benvenuti — placing his name alongside the greatest figures in the history of the noble art.
Three years later, on January 20, 2008, Duilio passed away. And with him, a beautiful part of our boxing history faded away.