RUBIN "HURRICANE" CARTER - AUTOGRAPHED SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH CO-SIGNED BY: JOEY GIARDELLO - HFSID 275248

RUBIN CARTER and JOEY GIARDELLO
Giant 16x20 autographed photograph of Carter and Joe Giardello in their 1964 World Middleweight Championship Fight, which Carter lost in a close 15-round decision
Photograph signed: "Rubin Hurricane Carter" and "Joe Giardello". B/w, 16x20. Action photo from their 1964 World Middleweight Championship fight. Although Carter apparently has the upper hand against Giardello in this photo, Giardello successfully defended his title in a close but unanimous 15-round decision. RUBIN "HURRICANE" CARTER (1937-2014), whose career boxing record was 27-12 (19 KOs) earned a shot at the title with a TKO of former and future champion Emile Griffith in December 1963. After six more fights in 1965, things went abruptly wrong for "Hurricane" Carter. On June 17, 1966, two men and a woman were murdered at a New Jersey bar, and on October 14, 1967, Carter and John Artis were arrested for the murders. These convictions were overturned in 1976, but Carter and Artis were convicted in a retrial that same year. Again, the decisions were appealed, with US District and Circuit Courts tossing out the convictions again on the grounds of prosecutorial misconduct (1985). Carter's story, popularized in a ballad by Bob Dylan in 1975, was the subject of the 1999 film, The Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington. The Hall of Fame biography of JOEY GIARDELLO, born Carmine Orlando Tilelli in 1930, states: "the tough, gritty Giardello slowly but steadily fought his way up the ranks until he won the world middleweight title -- at the end of his 16th year as a pro. He received his first title fight against Gene Fullmer in April 1960. But after 15 rounds in Bozeman, Montana, the fight was declared a draw. He didn't get another opportunity until December 7, 1963, when he defeated Tiger over 15 rounds in Atlantic City. He had one successful defense, a unanimous decision over Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in 1964, then lost the title to Tiger via points in Oct. 1965. Giardello had four more fights before retiring in 1967. He was a top middleweight for 15 years and had an admirable 5-3-1 record against fellow Hall-of-Famers." Minor surface creases (not evident head on). Fine condition.