Johnny LoBianco

Who was Johnny LoBianco?

Johnny LoBianco was an American boxing referee for over 30 years, who was referee for a number of championship fights, including several that ended controversially, most notably Roberto Durán's successful 1972 dethroning of Ken Buchanan in which LoBianco ruled Durán the victor by knockout despite having appeared to have hit Buchanan with a low blow.

Born in Sicily on October 7, 1915, LoBiano immigrated to the United States as a five-year old and was raised in Corona, Queens. LoBianco took over his father's barber shop on Delancey Street at age 15 after his father's death. He started boxing in his teens, cutting hair during the day and fighting at night, and ended up winning 52 of his 54 professional bouts as a lightweight boxer. He became a boxing referee in 1954, and otherwise worked as a liquor salesman, continuing his boxing role until 1986.

Among the other championship fights LoBianco refereed were the 1965 fight in which José Torres won the light heavyweight title from Willie Pastrano, the March 1967 bout between Muhammad Ali and Zora Folley and Nino Benvenuti's March 1968 fight in which he regained the middleweight title from Emile Griffith.