A location as fascinating and steeped in sports history as the San Siro Stadium, a massive crowd united by passion and deafening support, an Italian stepping into the ring to fight for the World Title against a fearsome opponent—mixing these magical ingredients to create a dream night feels like pure fantasy today. And yet, on May 26, 1968, one of our countrymen, without the help of a magic wand, turned that dream into a fantastic and unforgettable reality. His name was Sandro Mazzinghi, and his opponent was the Korean athlete Ki Soo Kim.
A once-in-a-lifetime shot at redemption
Life had dealt Mazzinghi blows far harsher and crueler than any opponent could ever deliver in the ring. Crowned world champion before the age of 25, loved and idolized, Sandro had reached the summit of Olympus in both sporting glory and personal fulfillment—until a ruthless fate hurled him into the darkest of abysses. A tragic car accident took the life of the woman he had just married, leaving him with a fractured skull and an even deeper wound in his heart.
Stripped of the world titles he had earned through sacrifice, sweat, and years of toil in the gym by two defeats at the hands of his eternal rival Nino Benvenuti, Mazzinghi faced a towering, seemingly unscalable wall if he wanted to raise his fists in triumph once again. And yet, with unparalleled inner strength, he climbed it—rock by rock, win by win—regaining the European title and earning another shot at the world championship.
Ki Soo Kim was no ordinary opponent. The Korean had dethroned none other than the great Benvenuti in a mysterious match, marked by a sudden and suspicious collapse of the ropes that caused a temporary stoppage. Defeating Kim and reclaiming the WBC and WBA super welterweight belts would thus mean also exacting a sort of indirect revenge on the Istrian rival. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for redemption—and Sandro, who deep down felt he hadn’t truly lost the rematch with Benvenuti, was determined not to let it slip away.
Mazzinghi’s unusually fast start
Like many pressure fighters, Mazzinghi usually fought like a diesel engine in his biggest matches. He needed a few rounds to warm up before cranking up the pace notch by notch, gradually wearing down his opponents until they ultimately crumbled. It’s no coincidence that six of his eight knockout wins in title fights up to that point had come after the eighth round.
Perhaps still haunted by the memory of the rematch with Benvenuti—where he had given away too many early rounds—or maybe fired up by the thunderous roar of the crowd, Mazzinghi went against type, setting a blistering pace from the opening bell. The Italian clearly took the first two rounds, while the champion, tightly coiled behind his southpaw guard, opted to minimize risk.
But as soon as Kim dared to become more aggressive in the third round, he paid a heavy price. Sending the crowd into a frenzy, Mazzinghi unleashed a stunning frontal assault, landing repeated two-handed combinations with impressive precision. Dazed by the punishment and knocked to the canvas, the champion stoically weathered the storm.
Ki Soo Kim’s terrifying comeback
When Mazzinghi, having failed to find the knockout despite the fury of his wild attacks, was forced to slow the pace, Kim unexpectedly found a way to turn the tide of the fight. Though still reeling from the severe punishment he had just endured, the Korean capitalized—like a cobra striking through the slightest opening—by shaking the challenger badly in the fifth round.
Peppered in the face by Kim’s right uppercuts and left hooks, Sandro looked on the verge of being overwhelmed. Yet he hung in there in his typical fashion, returning to his corner with a noticeable swelling around his right eye, adding to the cut on his cheekbone that had opened in the first round. Ten rounds remained—a true eternity.
Seasoned by the experience of 57 professional fights, the Italian boxer knew that with his face in such a state, he couldn’t afford to continue brawling recklessly in the center of the ring. Mazzinghi decided to rein in his instinctive warrior nature and patiently manage the attacks of a Kim who was growing more and more confident. Round after round, the Korean completed his comeback, picking his shots with composure—the match now seemed to be tipping inexorably in his favor…
Mazzinghi’s boundless heart
The brutal blows he had absorbed in the early rounds and the physical and mental energy expended in clawing his way back into the fight began to take their toll on the Asian fighter starting in the eleventh. Mazzinghi, who would never stand by idly and watch his dream of reclaiming the world title slip through his fingers, regained his drive and fire, reigniting the crowd’s excitement and forcing his rival to constantly clinch to fend off his relentless attacks.
Tactics, strategy, and caution had long since gone out the window. The two warriors now fought on nerves, spirit, and instinct—but between the two, it was Sandro who seemed to believe in it more, to want the win at any cost. Then, just as the valiant Tuscan appeared to have finally reestablished his dominance, came the final scare: two devastating shots from Kim in the closing seconds of the fourteenth round put Mazzinghi in serious trouble, making the crowd brace themselves for three heart-stopping final minutes.
We like to imagine that in that last minute of rest, Sandro saw his entire career flash before his eyes. That he remembered those fifteenth rounds in which, completely exhausted, he had come dangerously close to collapse—from the fight against Fortunato Manca, who had left him groggy and nearly knocked out, to the bout with Benvenuti, who had edged him out on the cards by surging late. That he thought: “Not this time!” before stepping toward the center of the ring for that final, fateful round.
Sandro didn’t fall. In that messy, grueling round, which saw two men at the edge of physical collapse push themselves to the limit amid the deafening roar of the crowd, Mazzinghi withstood the crushing weight of emotion and fatigue before embracing his rival at the long-awaited sound of the final bell.
Italian judge Nello Martinelli and Korean judge Soon Choul Park each scored the bout in favor of their compatriot, but American judge Harold Valan rightly tipped the balance toward Sandro Mazzinghi, awarding him a hard-fought, difficult victory—secured not just with the power of his fists, but with the boundless strength of his heart. A victory we will never forget.
[Click here to read our interview with Sandro Mazzinghi, conducted in 2020.]