Ralph Giordano (born Raffaele Giordano, May 27, 1905 – July 15, 1993), better known as Young Corbett III, was an Italian-born American boxer. He was the World Welterweight Champion in 1933 and the NYSAC Middleweight champion in 1938. A tough southpaw, he did not have strong punching power but was known for his great speed and determination. Corbett is considered one of the greatest southpaws of all time and one of the all-time great counterpunchers. He was inducted into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1959, the Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1982, and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004. Biography Early life Born in Rionero in Vulture, in the Italian region of Basilicata, from Vito Giordano and Gelsomina Capobianco, he moved with his family to the United States when he was still an infant and was erroneously registered as Raffaele Capabianca Giordano. After four years of living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he moved to Fresno, California, and began boxing in 1919 while still a 14-year-old "newsboy." One day Corbett and a friend hopped a freight train headed for Sacramento searching for a match there but they arrived in Marysville by mistake, where they attended a boxing show that night. After convincing the promoter that he was a fighter, Corbett faced a more experienced boxer named Eddie Morris, who knocked him out in the third round. Corbett, however, earned $7.50 for his performance. After graduating from Edison High School in 1920, Corbett began to practice more seriously. He got his stage name when a ring announcer told him he would not present him as Ralph Giordano and dubbed him "Young Corbett III" because his fighting style reminded him of William J. Rothwell, known as Young Corbett II, or, according to other sources, for his haircut similar to that of heavyweight champion James J. Corbett. Boxing career Corbett fought many great fighters of his era, suffering only 5 defeats in his first 75 recorded bouts. He engaged in a four-fight series with future welterweight champion Young Jack Thompson, winning three and drawing once. He also scored wins over Jack Zivic, Sgt. Sammy Baker, welterweight champion Jackie Fields and future middleweight king Ceferino Garcia. Before a crowd of 16,000 on February 22, 1933, Corbett captured the welterweight championship of the world by decisioning Jackie Fields over 10 rounds at San Francisco's Seals Stadium. He competed with a