Anthony Veranis

Anthony Veranis a.k.a Tony (June 15, 1938 Dorchester, Massachusetts – April 25, 1966 Quincy, Massachusetts) was an associate of the Winter Hill Gang and a professional welterweight boxer.

Biography

Early life

Anthony Veranis Jr. a.k.a. ""Mickey White" a.k.a. "Tony"" was born to first generation Italian immigrants Anthony Sr. and Theresa from Giogo Veranis, Italy. Upon their arrival to the U.S. they settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts. His father Anthony Sr. died when he was a child leaving his mother to raise and suppport him on her own. By the age of twenty seven, he had a fleeting resemblance to actor Donnelly Rhodes. 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 Building 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 tell 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" tatooed 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. He was raised a Catholic. He trained with Joe DeNucci, Joseph Barboza and Edward G. Connors.

Boxing career

While he was in the Lynan Correction School, fight manager Clem Crowley saw him in bouts while incarcerated, but got him enlisted in an amatuer 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 received sponsorship by the boxing equipment and sportswear company Ben Lee. Friends would later say that he was quiet, polite and anxious to do well. OnDecember 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 Gunboat Steeves in Boston, Massachusetts. On February 21, 1957 he 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, Massachusetts 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 subsitute 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, Massachusetts 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.

uffering from Blackouts

After boxing Gunboat Steves in Holyoke, Massachusetts on St. Patrick's Day in 1958 he started to suffer from severe headaches. On March 17, 1958 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 of 1958. This was his last professional boxing match. He passed out during the match and woke up in the City Hospital. In September of 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 Pinapple Stevenson in a coma. He would later say 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." Out of twenty-five matches he successfully won fifteen, although never was able to obtain the welterweight championship belt as it was not avaliable to him the first time and lost it in 1958, lost two matches and was disqualified from one.

Criminal career

He was an altar boy at prison masses. Father John Fitzgerald of St. Joseph's in Norfolk would later say, "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 loansharks.

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 Reservation off Route 128.

References

* "Veranis Fond Self- Too Late" The Massachusetts Globe by Bud Collins April 27, 1965
* http://www.thebrothersbulger.com/Anthony%20(Tony)%20Veranis.htm