Young Corbett III was born Raffaele Giordano in 1905. He wasted little time before starting his career at the age of 14.He didn't have elite power, but he was a difficult fighter to face because he would throw punches and then maul his opponent before he could retaliate. Kind of an old school Ricky Hatton.Corbett scored a win over the legendary Billy Conn in 1937, dropping him in the second round. Conn would avenge the loss by decision just a couple of months later.He retired in 1940 with a record of 122-12-22.

A tough southpaw, Corbett fought many great fighters of his time. For example, he engaged in a four-fight series with future welterweight champion Young Jack Thompson, winning three and drawing once. He also scored wins over Jack Zivic, Sgt. Sammy Baker, and welterweight champion Jackie Fields and future middleweight king Ceferino Garcia.

On February 22, 1933, Corbett captured the welterweight championship of the world by decisioning Jackie Fields over 10 rounds.

Fields agreed to defend his title against Young Corbett III at the Seal’s Stadium, San Francisco, on February 22, 1933. Corbett, originally from Italy but fighting out of Fresno, was another southpaw and Kearns and Fields had their work cut out for them. Jackie had lost on points to Corbett two years earlier in a close fight that saw the champ coming on strong at the end. But referee Jim Griffen was the sole judge in that bout and he had given it to Corbett, to the astonishment of Field’s corner. The San Francisco fans loved it. It didn’t matter much then because there was no title at stake, it was an over the weight fight, and Fields still got his $40,000 purse. Three months later, he was dethroned by Hall of Famer Jimmy McLarnin via a one round knockout.

Beside the boxing career, he was a physical education instructor for the California Highway Patrol and a grape grower. A statue of him, posed in a fighting stance and boxing gloves, was raised in Fresno. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in 2004.

Reference

Jackie Fields: Two. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.boxing.com/jackie_fields_two_time_welterweight_champion.html.

Ranking the 10 Greatest Southpaws in Boxing History | Bleacher .... (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1670778-ranking-the-10-greatest-southpaws-in-boxing-history.

Young Corbett III. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Young_Corbett_III.