Anthony Veranis
Encyclopedia
Anthony Veranis, also known as "Mickey White" and "Tony" (June 15, 1938, Dorchester, Massachusetts
– April 25, 1966 Quincy, Massachusetts
) was an associate of the Winter Hill Gang
and a professional welterweight boxer.
in Sardinia
, Italy
. Upon their arrival to the U.S. they settled in a lower-class neighborhood in Dorchester. His father Anthony Sr. died when he was still a child leaving his mother to raise and support him on her own. By the age of twenty seven, he had a fleeting resemblance to actor Eric Close
. His mother Theresa had cried often for her troubled son Anthony during his hardships and was very close to her only son. He had been in trouble with the law before, but had successfully made comebacks each time which pleased her.
When he was young his parents would take him to the Mechanics Hall, Worcester
to watch the fights, but when Anthony started his boxing career she could not bare to see her son fight, but enjoyed hearing the crowds cheering for him. Anthony would told a Boston Herald
reporter several months before his gangland murder, "Boxing got me out of trouble - it does that for a lot of kids." Anthony had "Tony" tattooed on the fingers of one of his hands and "Luck" on the other. He stood at 5'9" and weighed during his boxing career between 148 and 195 pounds and had a badly broken nose as seen in boxing photographs c. 1957 from years of boxing, fighting in prison and on the street. He was raised a Catholic. He trained with Joe DeNucci, George W. Holden
, Joseph Barboza, Rocco DiSiglio
, Rico Sacramone and Edward G. Connors
' younger brother James.
He attended public high school in Boston and was considered by officials in the Massachusetts correctional system to be a "persistent delinquent" when he was prepubescent to the time of a teenager. As Anthony was incarcerated in 1950 at Lyman Correctional School, he was anonymously involved in the Unwraveling Juvenile Delinquency (UJD) study conducted by Harvard University
professors Sheldon Glueck
and Eleanor (Touroff) Glueck
, discovering the causes of juvenile delinquency and adult crime and assessing the overall effectiveness of correctional treatment in controlling criminal careers.
), the United States' first reform school located in Westborough, Massachusetts
. While serving time there, infamous boxer and fight manager Clement Stein Jr. saw him in bouts while incarcerated, but got him enlisted in an amateur boxing league when he was released. He boxed with an orthodox stance. In 1957, at the age of eighteen he became a professional welterweight boxer. During his professional boxing career he was sponsored by the boxing equipment and sportswear company Ben Lee
. Friends later said that he was quiet, polite and anxious to do well.
On December 8, 1956 he first fought against Al Pepin in Portland, Maine
which was his professional boxing debut. On January 28, 1957 he impressed the audience by defeating the boxer 150-pound Gunboat Steeves in Boston, Massachusetts. On February 21, 1957, he knocked out Guy LaConte in Revere, Massachusetts
. On February 27, 1957, he knocked out Don Vincent in the second round. Veranis fought against Boston native boxer Mickey Dwyer in a six round bout in Boston, Massachusetts and outscored him. On April 22, 1957, he knocked down Mark Murray in Holyoke, Massachusetts
three times and defeated him. On May 16, 1957, Veranis completed in his first main event against Joe Klein and won. On June 11, 1957, he knocked down competitor Norm Gautreau in Boston in 1:55. On July 25, 1957, he fought Eddie Prince and was hard pressed to win an eight round split over Prince. On August 27, 1958, he fought against Gene Lopes, as a last minute substitute replacement in Fall River, Massachusetts
and won. He later fought Gene Lopes again on September 12, 1957 and knocked him out again in the seventh round. On November 19, 1957, he fought against Roy Tiger Steele in Boston and won. During this match, Veranis was said by boxing officials to have "avenged the only blemish on his record with an easy decision."
When boxing against Bobby Murphy on December 3, 1957, he dropped Murphy in the seventh round. Murphy rose up off the ring floor but was badly battered when referee Eddie Curley called a stop to the match. On December 17, 1957, he fought against Barry Allison, who at the time was the New England
Middleweight
champion. His middleweight title was not at stake though, and Anthony was disqualified. On February 13, 1958, Veranis knocked out Silby Ford for a mandatory eight count in the fifth round. He broke Ford's jaw and dislodged several teeth that sent him down. Ford was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital following Anthony's victory. On March 1, 1958, he fought for the New England Middleweight Champion title against Barry Allison whose title was up for grabs and lost. On March 17, 1958 he fought his last professional match against Joe Devlin.
on March 17, 1958, he started to suffer from severe headaches. On that day, he was knocked out by Joe Devlin in every round. After the fight he passed out and was taken to Boston City Hospital
where he remained in a coma
until June 1958. This was his last professional boxing match.
In September 1964 after returning to the ring and fighting Pineapple Stevenson, he blacked out while fighting, and woke up in the hospital again. During that match he had put Pineapple Stevenson in a coma
. Anthony himself started to suffer from extremely bad migraines, nausea, blurry vision with the inability to focus, and temporary mood swings that changed his behavior. It is unknown if he sought professional rehabilitation at a hospital to help these symptoms that plagued him. He told to a friend, "I thought my life was over when I couldn't fight anymore. I was filled with self pity
, I started drinking again and I got into trouble." It is also thought that not being able to box anymore caused him sever depression which brought him to start drinking heavily and becoming incapacitated with alcohol on a regular basis.
Out of 25 matches he successfully won 15, although never was able to obtain the welterweight championship belt as it was not available to him the first time and lost it in 1958, lost two matches and was disqualified from one.
. While incarcerated at the prison was an altar boy at prison mass
es. Father John Fitzgerald of St. Joseph's Church in Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Norfolk
later said, "He wanted to get straightened out, and I think he did. He was a wonderful boy who'd run with a bad crowd. He frequently stopped in to see me and Father Peter Hart after he got out, and everything seemed to be all right. He took me to the fights, and he was with respectable fellows." After his father suffered a heart attack and could not work, he worked on a construction crew. He became indebted to loan sharks. He was arrested for an unidentified crime on December 23, 1963 and later sent to prison.
off Route 128 in Dedham, Massachusetts
.
Dorchester, Massachusetts
Dorchester is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is named after the town of Dorchester in the English county of Dorset, from which Puritans emigrated and is today endearingly nicknamed "Dot" by its residents. Dorchester, including a large...
– April 25, 1966 Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
) was an associate of the Winter Hill Gang
Winter Hill Gang
The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...
and a professional welterweight boxer.
Early life
Veranis was born to first generation Italian immigrants Anthony Sr. and Theresa from NuoroNuoro
Nuoro is a city and comune in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte Ortobene. It is the capital of the Province of Nuoro. With a population of 36,443 Nuoro is a city and comune (municipality) in central-eastern Sardinia, Italy, situated on the slopes of the Monte...
in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Upon their arrival to the U.S. they settled in a lower-class neighborhood in Dorchester. His father Anthony Sr. died when he was still a child leaving his mother to raise and support him on her own. By the age of twenty seven, he had a fleeting resemblance to actor Eric Close
Eric Close
Eric Close is an American film and television actor.-Early life:His father is an orthopedic surgeon, and Close is the eldest of three brothers. His family moved to Indiana, then to Michigan, and finally settled in San Diego when Close was seven years old.Close graduated with a B.A...
. His mother Theresa had cried often for her troubled son Anthony during his hardships and was very close to her only son. He had been in trouble with the law before, but had successfully made comebacks each time which pleased her.
When he was young his parents would take him to the Mechanics Hall, Worcester
Mechanics Hall, Worcester
Mechanics Hall is a Concert Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1857 in the Renaissance Revival style and restored in 1977. Built as part of the early nineteenth-century worker's improvement movement, it is now a concert and performing arts venue ranked as one of the top four...
to watch the fights, but when Anthony started his boxing career she could not bare to see her son fight, but enjoyed hearing the crowds cheering for him. Anthony would told a Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
reporter several months before his gangland murder, "Boxing got me out of trouble - it does that for a lot of kids." Anthony had "Tony" tattooed on the fingers of one of his hands and "Luck" on the other. He stood at 5'9" and weighed during his boxing career between 148 and 195 pounds and had a badly broken nose as seen in boxing photographs c. 1957 from years of boxing, fighting in prison and on the street. He was raised a Catholic. He trained with Joe DeNucci, George W. Holden
George W. Holden
George W. Holden was a professional heavyweight boxer, born in Medford, Massachusetts.- Personal life :Holden was described by Howie Carr as a small-time hoodlum and boxer who became involved in organized crime...
, Joseph Barboza, Rocco DiSiglio
Rocco DiSiglio
Rocco DiSiglio, also known as Rocky DiSiglio was an American professional welterweight boxer and associate of the Patriarca crime family who was involved in armed robbery and illegal gambling.-Boxing career:Little is known about his personal life except that he was born in Newton...
, Rico Sacramone and Edward G. Connors
Edward G. Connors
Edward G. Connors also known as "The Bulldog" and "Eddie", was an associate of the Winter Hill Gang and successful bar owner in Revere, Massachusetts.-Biography:...
' younger brother James.
He attended public high school in Boston and was considered by officials in the Massachusetts correctional system to be a "persistent delinquent" when he was prepubescent to the time of a teenager. As Anthony was incarcerated in 1950 at Lyman Correctional School, he was anonymously involved in the Unwraveling Juvenile Delinquency (UJD) study conducted by Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
professors Sheldon Glueck
Sheldon Glueck
Sheldon Glueck was a Polish-American criminologist. Born in Poland, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1920...
and Eleanor (Touroff) Glueck
Eleanor Glueck
Eleanor Touroff Glueck was a social worker and a criminologist.She was born Leonia Touroff in Brooklyn, New York, the only daughter of Russian immigrant Bernard Leo and Polish immigrant Anna Wodzislawska, although she had two brothers...
, discovering the causes of juvenile delinquency and adult crime and assessing the overall effectiveness of correctional treatment in controlling criminal careers.
Boxing career
As a teenager he was sent to the Lyman Correction School (now the Lyman School for BoysLyman School for Boys
The Lyman School for Boys was established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts about 1886 and was closed in 1971. It was the first reform school, or training school in the United States, replacing the State Reform School near the same site, which was opened in 1846...
), the United States' first reform school located in Westborough, Massachusetts
Westborough, Massachusetts
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,272 at the 2010 census. The town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed by a five member elected Board of Selectmen whose duties include licensing, appointing various...
. While serving time there, infamous boxer and fight manager Clement Stein Jr. saw him in bouts while incarcerated, but got him enlisted in an amateur boxing league when he was released. He boxed with an orthodox stance. In 1957, at the age of eighteen he became a professional welterweight boxer. During his professional boxing career he was sponsored by the boxing equipment and sportswear company Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
. Friends later said that he was quiet, polite and anxious to do well.
On December 8, 1956 he first fought against Al Pepin in Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
which was his professional boxing debut. On January 28, 1957 he impressed the audience by defeating the boxer 150-pound Gunboat Steeves in Boston, Massachusetts. On February 21, 1957, he knocked out Guy LaConte in Revere, Massachusetts
Revere, Massachusetts
Revere is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and located approximately from downtown Boston. It is named after the American patriot Paul Revere. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 51,755.- History :...
. On February 27, 1957, he knocked out Don Vincent in the second round. Veranis fought against Boston native boxer Mickey Dwyer in a six round bout in Boston, Massachusetts and outscored him. On April 22, 1957, he knocked down Mark Murray in Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
three times and defeated him. On May 16, 1957, Veranis completed in his first main event against Joe Klein and won. On June 11, 1957, he knocked down competitor Norm Gautreau in Boston in 1:55. On July 25, 1957, he fought Eddie Prince and was hard pressed to win an eight round split over Prince. On August 27, 1958, he fought against Gene Lopes, as a last minute substitute replacement in Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
and won. He later fought Gene Lopes again on September 12, 1957 and knocked him out again in the seventh round. On November 19, 1957, he fought against Roy Tiger Steele in Boston and won. During this match, Veranis was said by boxing officials to have "avenged the only blemish on his record with an easy decision."
When boxing against Bobby Murphy on December 3, 1957, he dropped Murphy in the seventh round. Murphy rose up off the ring floor but was badly battered when referee Eddie Curley called a stop to the match. On December 17, 1957, he fought against Barry Allison, who at the time was the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...
champion. His middleweight title was not at stake though, and Anthony was disqualified. On February 13, 1958, Veranis knocked out Silby Ford for a mandatory eight count in the fifth round. He broke Ford's jaw and dislodged several teeth that sent him down. Ford was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital following Anthony's victory. On March 1, 1958, he fought for the New England Middleweight Champion title against Barry Allison whose title was up for grabs and lost. On March 17, 1958 he fought his last professional match against Joe Devlin.
Suffering from blackouts
After boxing Gunboat Steves (he had previously boxed against him on February 28, 1957) in Holyoke, MassachusettsHolyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
on March 17, 1958, he started to suffer from severe headaches. On that day, he was knocked out by Joe Devlin in every round. After the fight he passed out and was taken to Boston City Hospital
Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and .....
where he remained in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
until June 1958. This was his last professional boxing match.
In September 1964 after returning to the ring and fighting Pineapple Stevenson, he blacked out while fighting, and woke up in the hospital again. During that match he had put Pineapple Stevenson in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Anthony himself started to suffer from extremely bad migraines, nausea, blurry vision with the inability to focus, and temporary mood swings that changed his behavior. It is unknown if he sought professional rehabilitation at a hospital to help these symptoms that plagued him. He told to a friend, "I thought my life was over when I couldn't fight anymore. I was filled with self pity
Pity
Pity originally means feeling for others, particularly feelings of sadness or sorrow, and was once used in a comparable sense to the more modern words "sympathy" and "empathy"...
, I started drinking again and I got into trouble." It is also thought that not being able to box anymore caused him sever depression which brought him to start drinking heavily and becoming incapacitated with alcohol on a regular basis.
Out of 25 matches he successfully won 15, although never was able to obtain the welterweight championship belt as it was not available to him the first time and lost it in 1958, lost two matches and was disqualified from one.
Criminal career
He was arrested for an unidentified crime on December 23, 1963 and sent to Massachusetts Correctional Institution - NorfolkMassachusetts Correctional Institution - Norfolk
Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk, or MCI-Norfolk, is a medium security prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts with an average daily population of 1500 inmates. Though it is rated medium security, it also houses up to 98 maximum security inmates. Opened in the early 1930s, MCI-Norfolk is...
. While incarcerated at the prison was an altar boy at prison mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
es. Father John Fitzgerald of St. Joseph's Church in Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Norfolk
Massachusetts Correctional Institution - Norfolk
Massachusetts Correctional Institution at Norfolk, or MCI-Norfolk, is a medium security prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts with an average daily population of 1500 inmates. Though it is rated medium security, it also houses up to 98 maximum security inmates. Opened in the early 1930s, MCI-Norfolk is...
later said, "He wanted to get straightened out, and I think he did. He was a wonderful boy who'd run with a bad crowd. He frequently stopped in to see me and Father Peter Hart after he got out, and everything seemed to be all right. He took me to the fights, and he was with respectable fellows." After his father suffered a heart attack and could not work, he worked on a construction crew. He became indebted to loan sharks. He was arrested for an unidentified crime on December 23, 1963 and later sent to prison.
Death and afterward
On April 25, 1966, a month after his release from prison John Martorano beat Anthony savagely and shot him in the head. Martorano had his corpse dumped in the Blue Hills ReservationBlue Hills Reservation
Blue Hills Reservation is a state park in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. Managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, it extends into Milton, Quincy, Braintree, Canton, Randolph, and Dedham south of Boston.-Description:...
off Route 128 in Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest by Westwood and on the southeast by...
.