Phil Terranova (September 4, 1919 – March 16, 2000) was an American boxer who took the NBA World Featherweight Boxing Championship in 1943 in a bout against Jackie Callura. His manager was Bobby Gleason. Early life and career Phil Terranova was born on September 4, 1919, in New York City. In his first sixteen matches between July 1941 and September 1942, he won eight bouts, lost only two and drew six. His two losses were to talented opponents Johnny Dell and Gus Levine in front of large venues. In this first year of fighting he boxed twice in Madison Square Garden. Early career loss to Chalky Wright On June 4, 1943, while still basically an unknown, he was knocked out by former World Featherweight Champion Albert Chalky Wright in five rounds at New York's Madison Square Garden. Terranova was down in the second before being called out in the fifth. He had probably been matched too early in his career with the harder hitting, and more experienced Black boxing talent, who had little trouble with Terranova. Wright also had the benefit of a five inch advantage in reach, as well, at slightly over 5' 7". The fight was Terranova's first knockout in his first thirty fights, but it was certainly to a skilled opponent. In the third round, Terranova launched a successful body attack, but it was neutralized by Wright's longer reach. Capturing the NBA World Featherweight Championship Terranova won the National Boxing Association World Featherweight Championship when he knocked out Jackie Callura in front of 8,500 fans in eighth rounds at Pellican Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 16, 1943. Astonishingly, Terranova had barely two years of professional boxing experience prior to his championship victory. Callura seemed to lead in the early rounds but may have tired by the fifth. Terranova with strong rights and lefts in the seventh, knocked his opponent to the canvas for a count of nine in the eighth. Upon rising, Callura was knocked to the canvas for good, around one minute into the eighth round. In an upset, perhaps exhaling after his good fortune, he lost to Maurice Lachance, in a ten round non-title decision in Hartford, Connecticut. The referee gave every round to the challenger, who was down only briefly in the eighth, but knocked down Terranova briefly in the seventh. Lachance used his two inch reach advantage and five pound weight