05/24/2026
'At 17 years old I was a young giant, gentle and timid, ashamed of my calloused hands roughened by the cement; of my enormous feet which the little boys in the street pointed at, of my scanty and ragged clothes. I was seldom washed, never shaved and always needed a haircut. You are right, Mr See (his manager) when you say I was - a forgotten man!
It was at this grim time that I boxed for the first time - about 1923 or 1924 I think. One day I was laying some cemented pipes in the road - it was 4:00 in the afternoon - when a man approached and, to my great surprise, spoke to me. 'Do you wish to earn 25 francs?' He asked. 'I should say so,' I replied, 'what must be done?'
'It will not be very hard; a little boxing fight tomorrow night at Chateauroux. Your opponent will be an amateur and, furthermore, much smaller and lighter than you.' I had never in my life heard of boxing.
He explained the rules to me, what one was allowed to do and what was forbidden. I did not understand very much all of this; I thought only of the 25 francs, an enormous sum which would allow me to buy kilograms and kilograms of nourishment. l needed, however, the permission of my employer for the time off. The latter said yes and the bout took place the next night.
I had never seen a boxing bout and furthermore, I did not see much that day. I received some blows in the face; I also tried to hit, but the head of my adversary was never there when my fists arrived.
In the third round I was dead from fatigue due to hitting wild. Since l had no training, my wind failed me and l took all the blows in my face without exception. The man who engaged me - he was called Monsieur Legros - handled me.
In the beginning of the third round he threw in the sponge, evidently considering that I had earned my 25 francs. I was so beaten up that I do not remember much more than that I was led to my mason work employer. On seeing my battered face, the boss pitied me and paid me for the working day which l had missed.'
- Primo Carnera
