Primo Carnera Primo Carnera Primo Carnera (; 26 October 1906 – 29 June 1967), nicknamed the Ambling Alp, was an Italian professional boxer and the World Heavyweight Champion from 29 June 1933 to 14 June 1934. Primo Carnera was born in Sequals, then in the Province of Udine, now in the Province of Pordenone, Friuli-Venezia Giulia at the north-easternmost corner of Italy. On 13 March 1939, Carnera married Giuseppina Kovačič (1913–1980), a post office clerk from Gorizia. In 1953 they became American citizens. They settled in Los Angeles, where Carnera opened a restaurant and a liquor store. They had two children, Umberto
Primo Carnera and Giovanna Maria. Umberto became a medical doctor. Carnera died in 1967 in his native town of a combination of liver disease and complications from diabetes. Carnera was touted in America as being tall and thus the tallest heavyweight in history (up until that time), but he was actually tall. He fought at as much as . Jess Willard who stood was the tallest world heavyweight champion in boxing history until Nikolai Valuev, at and . Though an inch shorter than Willard, he was around 40 lb heavier and was the heaviest champion in boxing history until Valuev. At a