The Notorious Freedom Bout Between Bernie Reynolds And Renato Tontini At Quigley Stadium

Quigley Stadium was home to many events, both sports and non-sports related. The once mighty stadium laid home to numerous concerts and even boxing matches. 

On August 30th,1948, just over a year since the stadium opened, it was home to a pro-boxing bout between Bernie Reynolds and Renato Tontini. The then-named Exhibition Stadium sold tickets for the event from $1.25 to $3.75, translating between $32-$50 in today’s economy. 

Reynolds, the New England Heavyweight Champion, came into Allingtown undefeated throughout his last six. Tontini was entering in what was just his fourth bout in the United States, the Italian Heavyweight Champion was seen as a hero in Roma. Both Reynolds and Tontini entered the event at age 23.

Looking at boxing archives, this bout appears to be one of the first American vs. Italian boxing matches since the end of World War II. Official archives from BoxRec and boxerlist.com show this bout as the second-ever professional American vs Italian bout since the end of the war.

With the bout beginning at 8:30 p.m. it went quickly in Reynolds favor, who showed the Italian stallion what American freedom looked like. Tontini was TKO’d in seven rounds by the Connecticut native.

This would mark Tontini’s second-straight loss in what would be his final game-ever in the States.

Both Reynolds and Tontini would have very successful boxing careers, with both competing into the early 1950s.

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