Ivano Fontana had a top career among Italian amateurs, as he won three consecutive National Championships (1946-48) and a bronze medal at the 1948 London Olympics, as well as at the 1949 Europeans in Oslo. His fame grew dramatically when he fought three close battles against the renowned Hungarian champion László Papp, though Papp emerged victorious each time.
Fontana turned professional in 1950, with high expectations among the Italian boxing fans. In 1955 he suffered two bad defeats by knockout at the hands of Gustav Scholz and Yolande Pompey, but he recovered to win the national light-heavyweight title. After losing to Pompey, Fontana tried to regain credibility by facing Serge Barthelemy, from Guadeloupe. Fontana and Barthelemy had met twice with one victory each. In the rubber match Fontana started well and eventually took the decision though it was not overly popular with the crowd. Fontana continued to fight for another three years, until 1958, when he retired with a professional record of 26 wins, 13 losses and 8 draws.
Italy