Italian boxing fans mourn Hall of Famer Loi

Italian boxing is in mourning after the death of one of its greatest sons, Duilio Loi.

The former WBA world light-welterweight champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer had long suffered from Alzheimer's disease and passed away at the weekend in his home-town of Trieste.

It was a sorry end for a warrior who fought 126 bouts over a 14-year career, winning an impressive 115 (26 by knockout), drawing eight and losing just three times -- and never himself hitting the canvas.

He lifted the light-welterweight crown in 1960 in front of 53,000 fans at Milan's San Siro stadium, dethroning Puerto Rican great Carlos Ortiz by edging a 15-round decision to avenge an earlier loss.

Loi would face Ortiz once more and won that too by 15-round decision to win their trilogy by two fights to one.

His world title was the crowning moment in a glittering career but he also held Italian and European titles at lightweight and welterweight before finally making the step up to the top level in his latter years.

Loi was born on Sept. 19, 1929, in Trieste and he made his professional debut in November 1948, beating Nino Frangioni on points over six rounds.

Almost three years later he beat Gianluigi Uboldi over 12 rounds to land the Italian lightweight title at the second attempt.

He lost his first crack at the European crown to Dane Jorgen Johansen a year later but in February 1954 he avenged that defeat and claimed that title too.

In April 1954, Loi stepped up to welterweight and beat Emilio Marconi to become a two-weight European EBU champion.

But it was more than six years later that he finally had his first crack at Ortiz and the world light-welterweight crown, losing that time in San Francisco but gaining his revenge three months later in his homeland, just three weeks shy of his 31st birthday.

After that fight, Loi famously jumped onto the ropes and showed the crowd a bloodied and broken finger.

"They say I don't have any heart. They say I don't know how to fight," he laughed.

Loi then went on to fight against American Eddie Perkins.

He drew the first but relinquished his world title three months later. He then went on to challenge the new WBA champion Perkins in September 1962, dropping a 15-round decision before fighting his final bout, a 15-round decision victory over Perkins in December.