Joey Maxim Cleveland's Italian World Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion
Posted May 22, 2026
Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli was born and raised in the Collinwood neighborhood of Cleveland on March 28, 1922 to John and Henrietta Berardinelli, Italian immigrants who raised a large family amid the challenges of working-class life.
The family included three brothers-Emmanuel, John, and Richard-and two sisters, Lucille and Janet, all growing up in a close-knit Italian-American household during the Great Depression, when economic hardships affected many immigrant communities in industrial Cleveland.
He learned boxing at a young age and his amateur career was impressive, beginning at age 12 and featuring over 225 bouts, culminating in 1940 victories in the National AAU middleweight tournament, Chicago Golden Gloves, and Intercity Golden Gloves. He trained in Cleveland gyms under local coaches amid the city's vibrant Italian-American community and youth boxing programs and attended Collinwood High School.
Berardinelli used his birth name during his amateur career. Upon turning professional, he adopted the ring name Joey Maxim in 1941, a change suggested by his manager Jack "Doc" Kearns to evoke the rapid-fire intensity of the Maxim machine gun, reflecting his quick left jab. The Maxim Gun was the first fully automatic machine gun in the world. Joey's ability to rapidly throw a large number of left jabs was compared to the Maxim gun and the rest is history.
He turned pro in 1940 and had regular bouts at exhibitions during World War II while serving as a military police officer at Miami Beach, Florida. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1945 as a boxing instructor at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
He fought 87 bouts before getting his shot at the title in 1950. On January 24, 1950 he fought British boxer Freddie Mills who was making his first defense. Joey Maxim was the underdog and was on the champ's home turf at London's Earl's Court Exhibition Centre. But he won the fight by knockout in the 10th round and gained the world light heavyweight crown. After the fight three of Mills's teeth were found embedded in Maxim's left glove. Freddie Mills never fought again after that.
Joey Maxim championship belt
He was one of only two Cleveland natives, along with Johnny Kilbane to become world champions.
Then in May 1951 Maxim tried for Ezzard Charles's world heavyweight title but he lost on points.
Ezzard Charles vs Joey Maxim in 1951
The most famous fight of Maxim's career was on June 25, 1952, when he made his second defense of his world light heavyweight crown, against Sugar Ray Robinson at Yankee Stadium. The fight had originally been scheduled for June 23, but was postponed due to torrential rain. By the time the fight took place New York City was in the midst of a record heat wave.
Joey Maxim and Sugar Ray Robinson before the fight
Sugar Ray Robinson built up a large points lead over Joey Maxim but Maxim began to come on later in the fight. He kept punching hard and combined with the oppressive heat Sugar Ray gradually succumbed to hyperthermia. He collapsed to the canvas at the end of the 13th round, but managed to stagger back to his corner. Robinson failed to answer the bell at the start of the 14th, even though he only had to remain on his feet to win the fight and Maxim won by a technical knockout. This was the only time that Robinson was stopped in his 200 fight career.
The heat took its toll on everyone. The original referee, Ruby Goldstein, had to exit the fight after collapsing into the ropes complaining that he could no longer continue. Substitute referee Ray Miller had to be called out to finish the fight. Later they and several dozen spectators collapsed during the fight and had to be stretchered from the stadium. Between them, Sugar Ray Robinson and Joey Maxim lost over 20 pounds in weight during the fight.
Joey Maxim vs. Sugar Ray Robinson
Though he won the fight, that grueling event took a physical toll on Joey Maxim and he lost his world title six months later to "The Old Mongoose" Archie Moore. Joey had been the division's most active fighters but fought only 14 fights in the remaining 6 years of his career including two more losses to Archie Moore. Maxim retired in 1958 after losing six consecutive fights.
Archie Moore vs Joey Maxim 1952
Maxim retired with a record of 82 wins (21 by KO), 29 losses, and 4 draws. In his 115 fight career, he was knocked out only once. During his career he defeated such legendary figures as Jersey Joe Walcott, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Floyd Patterson. He was especially loved by his Italian community. Frank Sinatra promoted the Jersey Joe fight.
Frank Sinatra and Joey Maxim
Joey Maxim vs. Jersey Joe Walcott
He defeated the great Jimmy Bivins who also fought out of Cleveland for the entirety of his career. Jimmy Bivins was never given the opportunity to fight for a world title, despite at one point being the number one contender in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions, he fought and defeated many of the great fighters of his era. He defeated eight of the eleven world champions he faced.
Jimmy Bivins
After his retirement Maxim spent time as a stand-up comic, restaurateur, and taxi driver. He also served as a greeter at hotels and casinos located in Las Vegas.
Joey Maxim was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame in 1976, recognizing his achievements as a world light heavyweight champion from Cleveland.
In 1979, Maxim received induction into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame, acknowledging his heritage as Giuseppe Antonio Berardinelli and his success as an Italian-American athlete in boxing.
National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame 10th Anniversary
The National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame 10th year anniversary on January 17, 1987 included Joe and Dom Dimaggio, Joe Torre, Dan Marino, Daryl LaMonica, Tony Esposito, Gino Cappalletti, Willie Mosconi, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano, Dante Lavelli, Andy Robustelli, Joey Maxim and others.>/p>
Maxim's most prominent recognition came in 1994 with his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in Canastota, New York.
Jack Dempsey (3rd from left), Jake LaMotta (2nd from right) and Joey Maxim (3rd from right)
The Police Athletic League gym at 1444 E. 49th St. in Cleveland that hosts the Golden Gloves Tournament was named the Joey Maxim PAL.
Joey Maxim Police Athletic League gym
In February 2001, Maxim suffered a stroke. He died in West Palm Beach, Florida on June 2, 2001.
It is said that "As a white champion in the post-World War II era, Maxim faced prominent African-American contenders including Sugar Ray Robinson and Archie Moore in inter-racial title fights, which were becoming more common in boxing during the 1950s. These matchups helped normalize such contests in the light heavyweight ranks amid the sport's integration."
Joey Maxim's name is carried on by the restaurant he and his family started. In 1949 Joey and his brother Emanuel "Manny" Berardinelli opened Maxim's Delicatessen on East 185th street in the neighborhood they grew up in. When Joey won the world championship against Freddy Mills and then the famous defeat of the legend Sugar Ray Robinson at Yankee's Stadium, Joey - and Maxims - became a household name. This made the authentic homemade Italian pizza, breads, and baked goods from Maxims Delicatessen even more popular.
All of Manny's children have worked at the store, and it is still a family business. In 2004 Maxim's moved to Mentor. Manny continued to work at the store, carrying on the same founding values, until his retirement in January 2014 at the age of 93.
Family outside Maxim's
We caught up with Joey Maxim's nephew Tom Berardinelli in Cleveland's Little Italy neighborhood. Tom worked as an arborist and in forestry for decades in Cleveland. Like his famous uncle, he was born and raised in Collinwood and later lived in the Euclid neighborhood.
Tom Berardinelli
In this video interview, Tom told about his Italian heritage and the proud Italian American community in Cleveland including his family's famous restaurant named for his uncle - Maxims. Tom talked with host Dan Hanson about other Italian American boxers such as Rocky Marciano, Jake LaMotta, Rocky Graziano, Ray Boom Boom Mancini. He also told stories about other famous boxers such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles, Jersey Joe Walcott, Floyd Patterson and others.
He told of the 1952 fight in Yankee Stadium where Joey Maxim defeated Sugar Ray Robinson in brutal, record heat. He told of Cleveland boxing legend Jimmy Bivins and how his uncle was friends with Cleveland Irish boxer Johnny Kilbane who held the World Featherweight title from 1912 to 1923. He told a story of Muhammad Ali and his uncle and spoke about the Golden Gloves program and the new Cleveland gym named for his uncle Joey Maxim. Watch the interview.
Thanks to nephew Tom Berardinelli for the information and letting us scan photos from his scrapbook.
Want to learn about ethnic and cultural events in Cleveland? Sign up for the free eNews and every Tuesday evening you will receive a free e-mail listing the next week's events. It's easy and free.
