Nino Benvenuti (Italy) vs Sandro Mazzinghi (Italy) 2 | WBA & WBC Light-Middleweight Championships

17 December 1965 • PalaEur, Rome

Context
Both men entered the rematch as national icons. 1960 Olympic gold-medallist Benvenuti had lifted the light-middleweight crown from Mazzinghi six months earlier in Milan. Mazzinghi, unbeaten before that first encounter, invoked the return clause determined to reclaim the titles on home soil in Rome’s newly opened PalaEur.

The Contest
Early rounds (1-4): Benvenuti set the range behind an educated left jab, while Mazzinghi tried to shorten distance with double hooks to body and head.

Round 2 knock-down: Mid-ring exchange ended with a short Benvenuti right sending the challenger to the canvas for a mandatory eight count.

Middle rounds (5-10): Mazzinghi fought through swelling around the right eye, forcing exchanges inside. Benvenuti’s footwork and counter right uppercut repeatedly disrupted the champion’s rhythm.

Championship rounds (11-15): Despite fatigue, both men traded at a frenetic pace. Benvenuti maintained tactical discipline, circling clockwise to keep the jab in Mazzinghi’s damaged eye. The champion closed strongly, pinning Mazzinghi on the ropes in the 14th and 15th, but a stoppage never materialised.

Official Scores
Piero Brambilla 77-70

Esa Lethosaari  68-66

Mario Ferrara  69-65

All three judges awarded a clear yet hard-fought unanimous decision to Benvenuti, who retained both the WBA and WBC light-middleweight titles.

Significance
The victory confirmed Benvenuti as the pre-eminent 154-lb fighter of the era and paved the way for his successful move up to middleweight, where he would later capture the world championship from Emile Griffith. For Mazzinghi, the back-to-back defeats marked the end of his first reign but not his career; he returned in 1968 to regain the WBC belt, showcasing the resilience that defined Italian boxing in the 1960s.