Santo Amonti

Santo Amonti was born in Brescia on 19 December 1937 and grew up in the hamlet of Croce in Gussago, a small town just outside the city. Known throughout his life as Sante, he went to work as a factory hand while still very young. Boxing, local reports later said, was what opened the doors of the world to him.

He never forgot where he came from. Because he was from Croce, which means cross in Italian, he fought with a cross stamped on his shorts, a symbol that stayed with him throughout his career.

Amonti made his professional debut in Brescia in May 1957, aged 19, with a knockout win. Built like a light heavyweight, with what the Giornale di Brescia called a perfect physique and a complete boxing repertoire, he won 22 and drew one of his first 23 fights.

On 26 December 1958, at the Palazzetto dello Sport in Rome, he stopped Domenico Baccheschi in the eleventh round to become Italian light heavyweight champion. He defended the title on points against former champion Rocco Mazzola on 1 June 1959, and a fortnight later in Brescia knocked out the French champion Charles Colin in a European title eliminator. On 5 November 1959 he challenged Erich Schoppner for the European light heavyweight title in Dortmund. After a slow start he dominated the middle rounds, but the German held on and won on points, handing Amonti the first defeat of his career. A little over three months later he lost his Italian title to Giulio Rinaldi in Rome, knocked out in the second round.

He then moved up to heavyweight. On 31 May 1962 in Brescia he won the Italian heavyweight title when Franco Cavicchi was disqualified in the fifth round. On 7 July 1962, again in Brescia, he outpointed the British heavyweight Brian London over ten rounds, and in October he defended his title against Mino Bozzano. His fights at the Stadio Rigamonti drew crowds of more than 20,000, and his rivalry with Piero Tomasoni, the Hammer of Manerbio, another Brescia province fighter, became a local legend.

On 6 January 1964 in Stockholm he met the former world heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson, who put him down several times before Amonti retired in the eighth round. In May 1964 he beat Tomasoni on points over 12 rounds to keep his Italian title and earned a shot at the European heavyweight crown vacated by Henry Cooper, but Karl Mildenberger knocked him out in the first round in Berlin. He defended his national title in Rome against Benito Penna and Giuseppe Migliari before losing it to Tomasoni, knocked out in the ninth round, in Milan on 5 November 1965.

After five more fights, winning those in Italy and losing those abroad, he boxed for the last time in Los Angeles in August 1967 and announced his retirement at the end of that year. His professional record was 57 wins, 37 by knockout, 9 losses and 3 draws.

Amonti remained rooted in Gussago all his life. He was married to Maria, who died some years before him, and they had two sons, Paolo and Alberto. He was survived by his sons and their partners, five grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and his brothers and sister.

Santo Amonti died on 26 October 2026, aged 88, surrounded by his family, in Rodengo Saiano in the province of Brescia. The family's death notice thanked the staff of the Colosio care home for the care they had given him. The cause of death was not made public.

The Italian Boxing Federation said that Italian boxing mourned the loss of Santo Amonti, known as Sante, a former Italian champion and European title challenger at both light heavyweight and heavyweight, and its president Flavio D'Ambrosi expressed his condolences on behalf of the whole sport. He lay at the Maiolini funeral home in Rodengo Saiano, and his funeral was held on the afternoon of Wednesday 28 October 2026 at the parish church of Santa Maria Assunta in Gussago.

Local newspapers described Amonti, together with his fellow Gussago boxer Natale Vezzoli, as the greatest boxer born and raised in the province of Brescia. Beyond his titles and record, the Giornale di Brescia wrote, he was remembered for his innate elegance in the ring, his derbies with Piero Tomasoni and the images of packed stadiums and adoring spectators from an era when boxing warmed many hearts. He also shared the ring with several men who later fought Muhammad Ali, among them Brian London and Karl Mildenberger, as well as the former world champion Floyd Patterson.