Vinnie Curto was born in East Boston, Massachusetts on July 10, 1955. His father, Jimmy Curto, was a raving, sick, alcoholic homosexual. Vinnie’s father and his drunken friends sexually abused young Vinnie, frequently raping him and performing other deviant sexual acts on him, while his mother, Loretta, stood by and let it happen.
When Vinnie was fourteen, his father forced him to pursue a boxing career. Jimmy Curto told his son that the only way he could ever be proud of him is if he won a boxing championship. He said if Vinnie failed in that, his only other alternative would be to commit suicide. To make his point, Jimmy produced a handgun and made Vinnie hold it in his hands. It is a memory that has haunted Vinnie for years.
To escape his living hell at home, at the age of sixteen Vinnie lied about his age and joined the Navy. Although the falsification of his age was later discovered and he was discharged, while serving he joined the boxing team and made many contacts that would benefit his career in the future. Vinnie’s decision to join the Navy not only altered his life, it may very well have saved it. After his stint in the military Vinnie joined the Olympic boxing team, where he made several more valuable contacts, including the legendary trainer Angelo Dundee.
The doors to his future were being opened. However, his road to a title fight would be long and paved with danger.
“I have known Vinnie Curto for years, and was always able to alter his look for whatever occasion or acting role he had. Many guys tried to alter his determination to win the world title (at the age of 41), but he walked right through them. Now he has a new goal I’m sure he will achieve: to help kids all over the world be champions in their lives.” – Giusiuppe Franco
“I met Vinnie Curto when I was in Los Angeles from England staying with Ori Spado. We immediately had a common bond because of boxing and got on great from the start. Vinnie was larger than life, both in stature and character. As I got to know him Vinnie opened up to me and I discovered how hard a life he had lived. It brought a tear to my eye and at times made me wince in shock. It’s not for me to say what he told me, as he said it in confidence, what I will say is, if you were going to bet on a kid who would end up on death row, then you would have put your money on young Vinnie. But remarkably, he never went down that route.
I admire Vinnie for somehow finding the strength to make something of himself—he pulled himself from the gates of hell and turned his life around. He is an inspiration and shows that no matter where you come from, it is your choice of where you can go. If you like a story of beating the odds and determination, then look no further than Vinnie Curto.” – Joey Pyle, boxing manager and promoter, Noble Art Boxing, Ltd.
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