Ring 4 has advised the WBC that former welterweight champion Tony DeMarco passed away at Mass General Hospital in Boston, a few months shy of his ninetieth birthday. The son of Italian immigrants, DeMarco's real name was Leonardo Liotta. He turned pro in 1948 at  the age of 16 and had to use the name of a friend, Tony DeMarco, because the minimum age to box professionally was 18. On April 1, 1955 he dethroned Johnny Saxton via fourteenth-round TKO to become welterweight king at Boston Garden. He defended his belt against the great Carmen Basilio in Syracuse, NY but was stopped in the twelfth round of a legendary battle that forever endeared both men to fight fans. DeMarco rebounded with a first round TKO over Chico Vejar to earn a rematch with Basilio in Boston. In a near replica of their first battle, Basilio again stopped DeMarco in the twelftth round of another war, this one earning the two of them "Fight of the Year” honors. DeMarco resumed his winning ways with victories over Wallace “Bud” Smith (TKO 9), Vince Martinez (W 10), Kid Gavilan (W 10), Gaspar Ortega (W 10) and Don Jordan (KO 2) before retiring in 1962 with a record of 58-12-1 (33 KOs). Honored with a street and statue in his hometown, he is revered as one of the most popular figures in Boston boxing history. Boxingtalk sends its condolences to the friends and family of Tony DeMarco.