DATELINE: CINCINNATI, OHIO, MARCH 29, 1955 (SIU Wire Service) – A young able seaman, Johnny Lombardo, stood toe-to-toe with the former middleweight champion of the world, Sugar Ray Robinson, losing a 10-round split decision to the ex-champ.
Trading punch after punch against some of the quickest hands known to boxing, the young Seafarer clearly had the crowd on his side due to his impressive turnout against the ex-champ who was in the middle of a career comeback. Looking like a block of stone with fists of iron, Lombardo stepped into the ring against Robinson with one knockout of contender Joe Rindone and a thrashing of Garth Panther already to his credit.
Despite a flurry of rights and lefts staggering Robinson, the judges handed down the split decision. The verdict was greeted with booing by the fans at the Cincinnati Gardens mainly because Lombardo put up such a terrific fight against the former champion. Even sportswriters from around the nation think Lombardo was robbed.
Meet Fighter and AB Johnny Lombardo
While the above news flash is a rewrite of newspaper articles of the time, the event and story of SIU Retiree Johnny Lombardo are true. He’s known to his friends as a soft-hearted but hard-nosed kind of guy. According to Lombardo, while boxing was a passion, the sea was his love.
Like most kids during the Depression, he lived in a poor family. His mother being the sole source of income, young Johnny took a job in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. Then, a tragic event took place that would shape his life forever.
“I was so angry about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I joined the Navy when I was 15,” said Lombardo. World War II began his 15-month combat tour. It was in the Navy where he got his certification as a ship’s machine gunner.
“I loved that job so much, I slept at the base of my 20mm gun when I could,” he laughed. Lombardo’s sleeping arrangements paid off in the early morning of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.
“I didn’t have too far to run when they called the ship to battle stations. All hell broke loose as a Nazi Junkers JU-88 strafed the deck. As the plane circled the ship, I spun around as it was bearing down on me and let loose on him,” Lombardo recalled.
He said that everything happened so quickly he didn’t know if he was the only one to fire on the plane. “The whole ship got credit for downing the plane, but I know I got a piece if him.”
When asked how he felt during the heated battle, he said, “I was too young to be scared!”
As the ship was decorated for the battle, the Navy discovered Lombardo’s real age. The Navy shortly discharged him.
Undaunted, Lombardo quickly took action. “I joined the Army!” he said. “I still wanted to fight, but the Army sent me to Italy where the war was pretty much over.”
Lombardo still had the fighting spirit when the Army shipped him home. “We had boxing matches on board during that long cross-Atlantic trip. A buddy of mine, Sonny Wayman, convinced me to box and they gave me the biggest, toughest, best boxer on the ship and I knocked him out in the third round,” Lombardo remembered.
When, they got home, Wayman got Lombardo a few matches and his boxing career started to move.
Lombardo didn’t consider himself a great boxer. “I think I was ranked 40th before I fought Sugar Ray Robinson,” said Lombardo. But, Lombardo had already made a name for himself in the ring standing strong against some big boxing names at the time such as Rocky Castellani, Phil “Wildcat” Kim and others.
At age 26, he got his big shot. “Sugar Ray Robinson was trying to regain his title and my name came up as his opponent. When my manager told me, I said, ‘I’m going to beat this guy but I know the judges are going to steal the fight from me,’” exclaimed Lombardo. “This was my big shot and I thought it was a good way for a poor boy to make a name for himself.”
Then came fight night. “When the first round started, Robinson starting talking to me. He said things like, ‘Why don’t you lay down and we’ll just get this over with? What was I doing wasting my time in the ring?’ Well, I hauled off and hit him in the jaw!
“During the fight we each almost knocked each other out,” said Lombardo. “But, to tell you the truth, he was so fast, I didn’t see his punches! He wasn’t washed up like everyone was saying. But, I did get my shot.”
A few months later, Lombardo hung up his gloves. “I always loved the sea. So I quit boxing, went to the New York port agent's office and signed on to be a seafarer. I worked mainly on tankers, but would have done anything to be at sea.”
The 79-year-old Lombardo is retired in Las Vegas and is still full of energy. “I’d sign on for sea duty today if they’d take me,” he said. “Our union brothers are the greatest people in the world.”
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