(December 15th) Canastota N.Y.                  Tony Graziano, a revered figure in American boxing who managed world champions, promoted fights across New York, and ran one of the sport’s most storied gathering spots, passed away on Sunday, December 14, 2025, at his home in Canastota, New York. He was 103.

Born on January 18, 1922, in Verona, New York, Graziano lived a life rooted in courage, community, and enduring devotion to boxing. Before finding success behind the scenes, he briefly competed as an amateur, fighting two bouts recorded by BoxRec. Though both ended in defeat, those early experiences proved foundational to a career that would help shape champions and define a town’s boxing identity.

Before entering the boxing business, Graziano served with distinction during World War II as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army’s 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 82nd Airborne Division. He parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and later fought in the Battle of the Bulge, earning two Purple Hearts for wounds sustained in combat. In a 2018 interview, he vividly recalled surviving after his plane was shot down and German forces fired at him while he dangled from a tree.

After returning home, Graziano poured his focus into boxing management and promotion. Working largely from upstate New York, he guided a remarkable roster of fighters that included Carmen Basilio—whom he managed at the start of his career in 1948—and Billy Backus, who captured the undisputed welterweight championship with a stunning fourth-round TKO of José Nápoles on December 3, 1970, in Syracuse. He also managed Rocky Fratto, a top junior middleweight contender who narrowly missed a world title in 1981. At one point, Graziano oversaw more than 60 fighters simultaneously, operating boxing gyms in Canastota, Rome, and Syracuse, and helping establish the region as a hub for talent development.

Beyond the ring, Graziano founded Graziano’s Casa Mia, an Italian restaurant and hotel in Canastota that became a beloved shrine for the boxing world. For 54 years, it served as a home away from home for champions, fans, and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees who gathered each June during induction weekend. Decorated with fight posters and championship memorabilia, Casa Mia stood across from the Hall itself—a fitting symbol of the intertwined legacies of the man and his village.

Graziano sold the restaurant to the Oneida Nation in 2018 and retired three years later at age 99, marking the end of an era.

A lifelong ambassador for Canastota and the sport, Graziano witnessed boxing evolve from its black-and-white film days into the global enterprise it is today. In recognition of his contributions, the village renamed Maple Avenue “Tony Graziano Way” in October 2024. Two years earlier, he served as Grand Marshal of the International Boxing Hall of Fame’s Parade of Champions at age 100—a fitting tribute for a man who helped bring the Hall to Canastota when it was founded in 1989.

Graziano’s influence reached far beyond New York. His managerial career and promotional ventures took him around the world, including trips to Australia, France, Germany, and Canada. Over six decades, he earned numerous honors for his contributions to boxing and his commitment to community spirit.

Graziano’s death marks the passing of one of boxing’s last living links to the sport’s golden midcentury era. His imprint endures through the generations of fighters he mentored, the memories forged at Casa Mia, and the Hall of Fame that still stands as a testament to his vision. Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.