# Sandro Lopopolo

Alessandro "Sandro" Lopopolo (18 December 1939 – 26 April 2014) was an Italian 1959 amateur featherweight and 1960 amateur lightweight boxing champion, and also world boxing champion in the light welterweight division afterwards, when he turned professional, between 1961 and 1973. Sandro Lopopolo started his career in 1957.

## Boxing career

Sandro Lopopolo was considered as a hometown favorite for the lightweight division Olympic boxing title at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where he won the silver medal. At the Olympics, after four easy wins in the early rounds, Lopopolo defeated the Argentine Abel Laudino by split decision in the semifinals. He lost the final to Kazimierz Paździor by a majority decision. Lopopolo turned professional in early 1961 and had a long and successful professional career. Fighting in the light-welterweight category most of his professional career, Lopopolo won the Italian light-welterweight titles in 1963 and 1965 and held the European and World light-welterweight title from April 1966 to April 1967.
Lopopolo won the Lineal, WBA and WBC light welterweight titles from Carlos Morocho Hernández on 29 April 1966, after outpointing his opponent. He lost the crown to Paul Takeshi Fuji on 30 April 1967 by technical knockout in the 2nd round. He retired with a record of 58 wins (20 KOs), 10 losses and 7 draws. Lopopolo liked to box from a distance and was part of “the golden era” of Italian boxing, with the likes of Duilio Loi, Nino Benvenuti, Sandro Mazzinghi, Bruno Arcari and Carmelo Bossi.
Lopopolo died in 2014, at age 74, in his hometown, Milan, due to a complication from a respiratory infection.

## Professional boxing record

| 76 fights | 58 wins | 10 losses |
| By knockout | 20 | 2 |
| By decision | 36 | 8 |
| By disqualification | 2 | 0 |
| Draws | 7 | 7 |
| No contests | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 76 | Win | 58–10–7 (1) | Pietro Gasparri | PTS | 10 (10) | 1973-03-30 | Novara, Italy | |
| 75 | Loss | 57–10–7 (1) | Roger Menetrey | TKO | 13 (15) | 1972-12-09 | Grenoble, France | For EBU welterweight title |
| 74 | Win | 57–9–7 (1) | Carlos Cappella | PTS | 10 (10) | 1972-04-20 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 73 | Loss | 56–9–7 (1) | Roger Zami | UD | 15 (15) | 1972-02-28 | Paris, France | For vacant EBU light welterweight title |
| 72 | Win | 56–8–7 (1) | Percy Pugh | PTS | 10 (10) | 1971-11-12 | Milan, Italy | |
| 71 | Win | 55–8–7 (1) | Jean Vantorre | KO | 1 (10) | 1971-07-29 | Monza, Italy | |
| 70 | Loss | 54–8–7 (1) | Robert Gallois | PTS | 10 (10) | 1971-06-09 | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France | |
| 69 | Win | 54–7–7 (1) | Dorman Crawford | DQ | 5 (8) | 1971-05-14 | Milan, Italy | |
| 68 | Win | 53–7–7 (1) | Roger Menetrey | PTS | 10 (10) | 1971-03-22 | Paris, France | |
| 67 | Draw | 52–7–7 (1) | Marcel Cerdan Jr | PTS | 10 (10) | 1971-01-25 | Paris, France | |
| 66 | Win | 52–7–6 (1) | David Pesenti | PTS | 8 (8) | 1970-10-30 | Palazzo Dello Sport, Genoa, Italy | |
| 65 | Draw | 51–7–6 (1) | Dorman Crawford | PTS | 10 (10) | 1970-07-02 | Milan, Italy | |
| 64 | Win | 51–7–5 (1) | Georges Fabbri | PTS | 8 (8) | 1970-05-30 | Aosta, Italy | |
| 63 | Loss | 50–7–5 (1) | Rene Roque | PTS | 15 (15) | 1970-04-22 | Montecatini Terme, Italy | For vacant EBU light welterweight title |
| 62 | Win | 50–6–5 (1) | Miloud N'Diaye | PTS | 10 (10) | 1970-01-17 | Cagliari, Italy | |
| 61 | Win | 49–6–5 (1) | Lennox Beckles | KO | 1 (10) | 1969-12-19 | Milan, Italy | |
| 60 | Win | 48–6–5 (1) | Miloud N'Diaye | PTS | 10 (10) | 1969-11-08 | Novara, Italy | |
| 59 | Win | 47–6–5 (1) | Larry Flaviano | TKO | 8 (10) | 1969-10-10 | Milan, Italy | |
| 58 | Win | 46–6–5 (1) | Eddie Machen Jr | KO | 1 (10) | 1969-09-06 | Prato, Italy | |
| 57 | Win | 45–6–5 (1) | Olli Maki | PTS | 10 (10) | 1969-07-11 | Milan, Italy | |
| 56 | Win | 44–6–5 (1) | Lakdar El Harizi | PTS | 8 (8) | 1969-05-09 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 55 | Win | 43–6–5 (1) | Sylvain Lucchesi | PTS | 8 (8) | 1969-04-03 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 54 | Win | 42–6–5 (1) | Quintino Soares | TKO | 2 (10) | 1969-03-14 | Pavia, Italy | |
| 53 | Loss | 41–6–5 (1) | Lennox Beckles | PTS | 10 (10) | 1968-05-26 | San Siro, Milan, Italy | |
| 52 | Win | 41–5–5 (1) | Conny Rudhof | PTS | 10 (10) | 1968-03-23 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia | |
| 51 | Win | 40–5–5 (1) | Massimo Consolati | TKO | 5 (10) | 1967-10-08 | Belgrade, Yugoslavia | |
| 50 | Loss | 39–5–5 (1) | Takeshi Fuji | KO | 2 (15) | 1967-04-30 | Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan | Lost WBA, WBC & The Ring light welterweight titles |
| 49 | Win | 39–4–5 (1) | Joe Africa | PTS | 10 (10) | 1966-11-25 | Torino, Italy | |
| 48 | Win | 38–4–5 (1) | Vicente Rivas | RTD | 7 (15) | 1966-10-21 | PalaEur, Roma, Italy | Retained WBA, WBC & The Ring light welterweight titles |
| 47 | Loss | 37–4–5 (1) | Nicolino Locche | UD | 10 (10) | 1966-09-10 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| 46 | Win | 37–3–5 (1) | Klaus Klein | PTS | 10 (10) | 1966-08-10 | Senigallia, Italy | |
| 45 | Loss | 36–3–5 (1) | Vicente Rivas | SD | 10 (10) | 1966-07-08 | Palacio de Deportes, Caracas, Venezuela | |
| 44 | Win | 36–2–5 (1) | Carlos Hernández | MD | 15 (15) | 1966-04-29 | PalaEur, Roma, Italy | Won WBA, WBC & The Ring light welterweight titles |
| 43 | Win | 35–2–5 (1) | Romano Bianchi | PTS | 12 (12) | 1965-12-14 | Ascoli Piceno, Italy | |
| 42 | Draw | 34–2–5 (1) | Francesco Caruso | PTS | 10 (10) | 1965-08-22 | Francavilla a Mare, Italy | |
| 41 | Loss | 34–2–4 (1) | Juan Albornoz | PTS | 15 (15) | 1965-07-17 | Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain | For vacant EBU light welterweight title |
| 40 | Win | 34–1–4 (1) | Antonio Fernandes de Jesus | PTS | 10 (10) | 1965-06-18 | Verona, Italy | |
| 39 | Win | 33–1–4 (1) | Piero Brandi | TKO | 8 (12) | 1965-03-13 | Genoa, Italy | Won Italian light welterweight title |
| 38 | Win | 32–1–4 (1) | Antonio Fernandes de Jesus | PTS | 10 (10) | 1965-02-05 | Piacenza, Italy | |
| 37 | Win | 31–1–4 (1) | Jose Luiz Penteado | PTS | 10 (10) | 1964-12-19 | Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy | |
| 36 | Loss | 30–1–4 (1) | Piero Brandi | PTS | 12 (12) | 1964-09-24 | Treviso, Italy | Lost Italian light welterweight title |
| 35 | Win | 30–0–4 (1) | Massimo Consolati | PTS | 12 (12) | 1964-07-25 | Senigallia, Italy | Retained Italian light welterweight title |
| 34 | Win | 29–0–4 (1) | Giordano Campari | PTS | 12 (12) | 1964-06-28 | Saint-Vincent, Italy | Retained Italian light welterweight title |
| 33 | Draw | 28–0–4 (1) | Valerio Nunez | PTS | 10 (10) | 1964-04-22 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 32 | Win | 28–0–3 (1) | Douglas Vaillant | PTS | 10 (10) | 1963-12-20 | Milan, Italy | |
| 31 | Win | 27–0–3 (1) | Francesco Caruso | PTS | 12 (12) | 1963-11-29 | Mestre, Italy | Won vacant Italian light welterweight title |
| 30 | Win | 26–0–3 (1) | Karl Furcht | TKO | 6 (10) | 1963-11-08 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 29 | Win | 25–0–3 (1) | Michele Gullotti | PTS | 8 (8) | 1963-10-04 | Milan, Italy | |
| 28 | Draw | 24–0–3 (1) | Mario Vecchiatto | PTS | 10 (10) | 1963-05-05 | Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy | |
| 27 | Win | 24–0–2 (1) | Tommy O'Connor | KO | 1 (10) | 1963-03-08 | Milan, Italy | |
| 26 | Win | 23–0–2 (1) | J D Ellis | PTS | 10 (10) | 1963-01-25 | Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy | |
| 25 | Win | 22–0–2 (1) | Rene Barriere | TKO | 5 (10) | 1962-12-15 | Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy | |
| 24 | Win | 21–0–2 (1) | Jean Dantas | PTS | 10 (10) | 1962-10-25 | Salsomaggiore, Italy | |
| 23 | Win | 20–0–2 (1) | Francesco Caruso | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-09-28 | Palazzetto dello Sport, Roma, Italy | |
| 22 | Win | 19–0–2 (1) | Bernard Moreau | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-09-14 | Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy | |
| 21 | Win | 18–0–2 (1) | Romolo Spila | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-07-22 | Civitanova Marche, Italy | |
| 20 | Win | 17–0–2 (1) | Belaid Meslem | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-06-30 | Saint-Vincent, Italy | |
| 19 | Win | 16–0–2 (1) | Miguel Campos Lopez | TKO | 2 (8) | 1962-06-16 | Reggio Emilia, Italy | |
| 18 | Win | 15–0–2 (1) | Roger Younsi | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-05-26 | Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy | |
| 17 | Win | 14–0–2 (1) | Aime De Visch | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-04-29 | Velodromo Vigorelli, Milan, Italy | |
| 16 | Win | 13–0–2 (1) | Mohammed Ben Said | TKO | 6 (10) | 1962-04-10 | Torino, Italy | |
| 15 | Win | 12–0–2 (1) | Jacques Chauveau | TKO | 7 (10) | 1962-03-22 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 14 | Win | 11–0–2 (1) | Sesto Righeschi | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-02-27 | Ascoli Piceno, Italy | |
| 13 | Win | 10–0–2 (1) | Boby Ros | PTS | 8 (8) | 1962-01-19 | Milan, Italy | |
| 12 | Win | 9–0–2 (1) | Giuseppe Fanfoni | TKO | 1 (8) | 1961-12-26 | Milan, Italy | |
| 11 | Win | 8–0–2 (1) | Jaime Aparici | PTS | 8 (8) | 1961-11-24 | Milan, Italy | |
| 10 | Win | 7–0–2 (1) | Ahcene Attar | TKO | 6 (8) | 1961-10-21 | Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy | |
| 9 | Draw | 6–0–2 (1) | Nedo Stampi | PTS | 8 (8) | 1961-10-06 | Florence, Italy | |
| 8 | Win | 6–0–1 (1) | Giuliano Tarquini | KO | 2 (8) | 1961-09-26 | Torino, Italy | |
| 7 | Win | 5–0–1 (1) | Mario Pallavera | PTS | 8 (8) | 1961-08-05 | Saint-Vincent, Italy | |
| 6 | Win | 4–0–1 (1) | Renato Messori | KO | 5 (6) | 1961-07-22 | Saronno, Italy | |
| 5 | Win | 3–0–1 (1) | Milov Bulat | TKO | 6 (6) | 1961-06-23 | Milan, Italy | |
| 4 | Win | 2–0–1 (1) | Antonio Di Paolo | DQ | 5 (6) | 1961-05-31 | Roma, Italy | |
| 3 | NC | 1–0–1 (1) | Luigi Lombardi | NC | 3 (6) | 1961-03-31 | Ancona, Italy | |
| 2 | Draw | 1–0–1 | Roberto Misin | PTS | 6 (6) | 1961-03-18 | PalaLido, Milan, Italy | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Bernardo Favia | TKO | 2 (6) | 1961-03-04 | Palazzo dello Sport, Milan, Italy | |

## Titles in boxing
### Major world titles

* WBA light welterweight champion (140 lbs)
* WBC light welterweight champion (140 lbs)

### The Ring magazine titles

* The Ring light welterweight champion (140 lbs)

### Regional/International titles

* Italian light welterweight champion (140 lbs) (2×)

### Undisputed titles

* Undisputed light welterweight champion