A former top Australian boxer based in Wangaratta has been reunited with a championship belt - 58 years after he won it.
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Ross Colosimo knocked out Johnny Holt on October 15, 1961, in front of around 3000 fans at Albury's Palais Royal Stadium to claim the Riverina lightweight title, but the belt wasn't awarded on the night and went missing.
It wasn't found until recently.
Tim Byrnes - one of Albury's best-known sportsmen during the 1950s who at one stage was the number three ranked Australian middleweight - passed away last year but his younger brother and fellow promoter on the night - John - handed the symbol of Colosimo's supremacy to the 77-year in Wangaratta on Wednesday.
"If I die, I'm happy because I've now got what I want," an emotional Colosimo said.
"I'm so happy, you wouldn't believe it, it's a lifetime."
John Byrnes remembers the night well.
"It was packed to the rafters, the police closed the doors (for safety reasons)," he said.
"It was the times of 10pm closing for pubs, so they'd stay in the hotels until the main fights and come in."
Holt was the Albury pin-up, who was fast and crafty, while The Sporting Globe boxing scribe Mike Williams called Colosimo the "hardest puncher, pound for pound" in Australia.
Bob Rose, who was coaching Wangaratta Rovers at the time after his stellar career at Collingwood, was the referee and an outstanding boxer in his own right.
"I remember I knocked (down) Johnny Holt twice to win the champion," Colosimo said.
"I was very unhappy when he died, I rang the family, it's what you have to do."
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Born in Italy, Colosimo moved to Australia as a 10-year old.
Nearly 70 years on, he still speaks with a strong Italian accent, but is indebted to 'Oz.
"Australia, mate, that's made us, the whole family, there were 10 in the family," he said proudly.
Colosimo was only five foot three inches (160cms), but had explosive punching power.
"When I was young, 10 years old, I was cutting wood and cutting wood is hard work," he said.
He sparred some of Australia's greats, including world champion Lionel Rose and world title featherweight champion Johnny Famechon.
During a 62-fight professional career, ranging from 1958 to 1982, Colosimo had a 38-21-3 record.
He twice fought Brian Kane, who became well known later as a standover man in Melbourne.
"Someone said to me prior to the fight, if I ride a bike to Beechworth, I give you 500 pounds," Colosimo said.
"That was the biggest purse I ever got.
"I ride the bike, took about four hours, that was in the morning and when I got there, that's why I lost the fight, I wasn't fit enough.
"I told him (Kane) I wanted to fight him again in Wangaratta and I did, I didn't knock him (out), but I belted him.
"He was very tough."
Colosimo was a fan favourite with his power and fair nature, as evidenced by contacting the Holt family.
"The only thing I done wrong in boxing is fighting in the tent, I had 1001 fights in the tent," he said.
"Roy Bell (boxing showman) told me I was the biggest drawcard in his life.
"One day I had 12 fights in Nowra and I was never knocked out."
Colosimo still looks fit, although he's battling Parkinson's disease and has only two per cent hearing in his right ear, undergoing a cochlear implant.
He has 33 per cent hearing in his left ear.
It was only in 2017 Colosimo took down the backyard boxing ring, where he trained countless young men.
His eyes would light up training them in the 'sweet science'. Just like they did when he finally got that belt.