Italian Great Antonio Puddu Passes

By Per-Åke Persson

Former EBU and Italian lightweight champion Antonio Puddu has passed away at the age of 81, reports boxeringweb.net.

Puddu, promoted by Umberto Brachini, first fought for the EBU title in 1971 but fought to a 15-round draw against Miguel Velazquez in Spain. In a rematch later the same year at home in Cagliari on the island of Sardinia, Puddu stopped Velazquez in four rounds and won the title. He defended the belt three times and challenged then-WBC champion Rodolfo Gonzales in Los Angeles in 1973 but was stopped in seven.

He then challenged Ken Buchanan for his old title and later dropped down to junior lightweight and challenged EBU champion Svein Erik Paulsen, but came up short both times.

Puddu continued his career and went 10-4 before retiring in 1979 with a record of 65-8-1. In retirement, Puddu promoted many shows in Sardinia and was the man behind European champion Simone Maludrottu.

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