Long before "Rocky Balboa" and Sylvester Stallone of "Rocky" fame, there was a long list of Italian Americans in boxing, including a few from Connecticut. The three "local" guys, Middletown native and Hartford hero Guglielmo Papaleo, better known as "Willie Pep," Bridgeport's Luigi Buccassi, professionally known as "Lou Bogash" and Hartford's Christopher "Battling Battalino" Battaglini, are all in a new book "The Real Rockys" written by English author, Rolando Vitale.

Called "a history of the golden age of Italian-Americans in boxing from 1900-1955," the book is a compilation of essays and notations examining the role and achievement of the Italian-American prizefighter.

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Source: http://www.courant.com/