(JULY 1) Former WBC world champion Billy
Costello, 55 years old, has lost his battle with lung cancer, and
passed away on June 29, 2011. Costello had a successful career in
boxing accumulating a 40-2 (23KO) record, and earning the WBC junior
welterweight world title in 1984, and defending it until 1985, when he
lost it to Lonnie Smith.
File photo by AP
Costello's brother, Stephen, told
one news source, "My brother was a kind-hearted person. He would give
you the last dollar in his pocket. He was funny. He was definitely
a jokester. He was a little instigator."
Billy passed away at the Benedictine Hospital with most of his family by
his side. Funeral arrangements have not been announced as of
yet.
Wiki wrote the following "During his career, Costello was managed by
Mike Jones, who was also famous for managing Gerry Cooney and Wilford
Scypion. Costello fought a lot of his early professional bouts around
the Hudson Valley-NYC area, after a successful amateur career that
culminated in a Golden Gloves award. Kingston, New York (about 90 miles
north of NYC) eventually became his home, at least while he was
champion. But before winning a title, he put together an early
undefeated streak, which included a 10-round decision over Willie
Rodriguez on CBS television in November 1982. He and his management then
became closely associated with the CBS network, which aired several of
his fights."
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