A skilled slugger, a contender before his 20th birthday, and one of the great boxing champs of the 1920s and 30s.

Tony Canzoneri, a Louisiana native, turned pro at 16 and quickly took on seasoned competitors.

By 22, he was already a two-time world champ, and by 23, Canzoneri was considered the best fighter, pound-for-pound, in the world.

Fearless, he took on big fights and compiled an amazing 259 rounds in title fights alone.

Overall, he competed in more than 130 pro bouts, including some grueling battles with Barney Ross, Benny Bass, Kid Chocolate, Frankie Klick, Billy Petrolle and many others.

At the end of his career, Canzoneri was one of boxing’s three-division champs, capturing the crown in the featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight divisions.

He fought 18 world champions and six Hall of Famers in his 15-year career.

One of his last great bouts came in May 1935 when he fought Lou Ambers at Madison Square Garden for the Lightweight crown. Canzoneri came in the underdog and left the victor after his in-your-face, hard-charging strategy overwhelmed Ambers over 15 rounds.

Canzoneri died in 1959 at 51 in New York. He was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1977 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.