My Uncle Tio was a moron. Although that may seem like a harsh thing to say about another human being, let alone one related by blood, it was the most accurate term we could use to describe him and still consider ourselves Christian.
That he hobnobbed with the rich and famous, befriended Hollywood icons and influenced popular culture was irrelevant. The fact remained — Tio was an imbecile, a gobshite, a dope.
But he was also handsome. Devastatingly so. In fact, no less an authority than Rudolph Valentino called Tio the most handsome man he had ever seen.
He found his redemption in the ring. His movie star good looks, combined with a punch that rivaled that of his godfather, the great Jack Dempsey, made him a local legend. A perfect 40-0 record, with 39 knockouts, gave Tio the one thing he so desperately craved — respect.
Before long Tio was hobnobbing with the rich and famous — Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Errol Flynn and David O. Selznick. It was about this same time that Tio befriended a young acting student — Marlon Brando. Brando was fascinated by his new friend. He mimicked his every mannerism, grunt and scratch to a tee.
On April 1, 1970, Uncle Tio entered the ring for the last time. Employing a strategy known as passive resistance, Tio knocked out the future heavyweight champion of the world, George Foreman, without throwing a single punch.
On May 10, 1974, Uncle Tio had come home.
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